• From: Palm Beach, Texas
  • Registered: 2012-03-30
  • Posts: 776

Topic: Illinois car registration?

In preparation for this Choptop Rally from Chicago to Miami, our team is researching the ideal way to procure and register a hooptie. Seems to me that the ideal way would be to purchase the thing in Chicago, register and tag it there, and cancel the reg once we drop it at the crusher in Miami.

So, can someone with knowledge of Illionois DMV policy help me with the process. For instance, do plates stay with the car upon sale? Do private transactions of used cars use temporary tags? Do the tags come off the used car at the time of sale, requiring new tags to be acquired by the buyer?

Oh, and incidentally, if you know of a welder in Chicago who is willing to help weld the rear doors shut in our land yacht cum rally car, please raise your hand.

Head of Estate
/) come monday motorsports /)

Kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight.
  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: Illinois car registration?

IL DMV is the worst I have worked with yet but they execute most of their transactions at a Currency Exchange so you do not really have to deal with them. Someone who flips cars in IL can maybe give some hints.

If the car is from Indiana (a whopping 15 minutes from Chicago) and registered in Indiana their BMV is quite pleasant to deal with.  Unfortunately, with a neighbor like IL, there are some complications.

Any out of state vehicle has to have a VIN verification done by either law enforcement or the BMV personnel
Proof of residence is required to do anything (two paper bills) unless your drivers license is also from Indiana
Bill of Sale (use the Indiana BMV form) if the title does not include the selling price (IL titles for instance)
My county requires smog on anything made after 1976...but it is every two years so buy and odd year car now and it will never be an issue

On the plus side, I cannot stress enough how pleasant and efficient dealing with the IN BMV is.  Even with the VIN verification, I think the longest I have spent there was 20 minutes.

In IL, watch of titles that have been re-assigned multiple times.  This is often a practice of "title jumping" as IL lets you pay for registration and have it sent anywhere...even if you don't have title on the car.  To avoid taxes, lots of low priced cars have had the title assigned (supposed to only be done by licensed retail dealers) at least a couple of times and if even one is not done correctly (from experience) this will cause headaches.

If the timing were not so I crappy I would be volunteering to help on this effort.  With the combination of short'ish dwell time between Barber and Gingerman and helping transport the Nash, I just have too many things going on.

  • Registered: 2013-08-12
  • Posts: 563

Re: Illinois car registration?

IL website is decent:

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/

Plates stay with the owner, not the car.  DMV usually has plates on hand, if you want random number.  If not, then they give you a temp plate (cardboard plate).

I think you will need an IL address if you want to register it in IL, though.

  • From: Villa Park, IL
  • Registered: 2010-12-12
  • Posts: 1,338

Re: Illinois car registration?

As one who lives in Illinois I have to say it makes a BIG difference in which office you go to. (it's called the Secretary of State office in Illinois instead of the DMV just so you know). The one by my old house you could spend half a day there. The one by my current house is staffed with very pleasant people and you're in and out in minutes.

As richv70 says you will need an Illinois address to register here. I'm going to be driving back from the Arizona race the week before. Depending on schedules (and barring car issues on the drive back) I may be able to help if no one else can step up.

Newest member - White Trash Racing
Owner of the Traveling Hat

5 Reply by doctordel (edited by doctordel 2016-01-18 09:03 AM)

  • From: Palm Beach, Texas
  • Registered: 2012-03-30
  • Posts: 776

Re: Illinois car registration?

Thanks Mike and Rich.

So the title can be transferred multiple times and the trail of "owners" all avoid paying taxes this way? Sounds like a cluster of headaches, as you said. Particularly if taxes are never actually paid by anyone I would think that IL would make the buck stop at some point.

Well, I have an extra set or two of FL plates already, and can print the forms for registering a car from out of state in FL off their website. They have a fairly steep impact fee but that may not be avoidable if that is the easiest route. Logistically, there won't be a whole hell of a lot of time for our team to handle this since we are all out of state.

Head of Estate
/) come monday motorsports /)

Kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight.
  • From: Palm Beach, Texas
  • Registered: 2012-03-30
  • Posts: 776

Re: Illinois car registration?

Thanks, Cabin; we will definitely be appreciative of any local help we are offered.

Head of Estate
/) come monday motorsports /)

Kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight.
  • From: Villa Park, IL
  • Registered: 2010-12-12
  • Posts: 1,338

Re: Illinois car registration?

doctordel wrote:

Thanks Mike and Rich.

So the title can be transferred multiple times and the trail of "owners" all avoid paying taxes this way? Sounds like a cluster of headaches, as you said. Particularly if taxes are never actually paid by anyone I would think that IL would make the buck stop at some point.

It can be transferred multiple times as long as it's not registered. Once it's registered the state will get their tax money although it's not really a lot. I just transferred the title for the PT Cruiser I bought in Arizona and the tax on it was $25. Title and registration on the other hand was about $100. And when I get the plates in March that'll be another $101. If you already have plates you can use you might want to go that way and save some money.

Newest member - White Trash Racing
Owner of the Traveling Hat
  • From: place of bad smells
  • Registered: 2012-03-14
  • Posts: 334

Re: Illinois car registration?

I registered and plated my 1970 Dodge D100 in less than an hour.  Make sure you have a legit title. 

I can weld the doors for you if you can give me a little flex on scheduling.  S/F.....Ken M

  • From: Palm Beach, Texas
  • Registered: 2012-03-30
  • Posts: 776

Re: Illinois car registration?

Ken: good on that; thanks for your assistance. Which office was that, if you remember?

Head of Estate
/) come monday motorsports /)

Kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight.
  • From: place of bad smells
  • Registered: 2012-03-14
  • Posts: 334

Re: Illinois car registration?

Elston, Chicago location.  NW side of the city.  S/F....Ken M

  • From: Villa Park, IL
  • Registered: 2010-12-12
  • Posts: 1,338

Re: Illinois car registration?

echosixmike wrote:

Elston, Chicago location.  NW side of the city.  S/F....Ken M

I'm amazed. That's the one that I used to go to and it was terrible about fifteen years ago.

Newest member - White Trash Racing
Owner of the Traveling Hat
  • From: place of bad smells
  • Registered: 2012-03-14
  • Posts: 334

Re: Illinois car registration?

I was the only guy there speaking English, so maybe I got White Privilege'd to the front of the line so the SecState guy didn't have to deal with finding an Urdu to Swahili to English translator so he could tell the guy trying to title his oxen to sod off.  S/F....Ken M