Here in Maskachusetts, our year-old state of emergency means that the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) will see people in person only by appointment. Appointments are seldom available, however, and typically a Boston-area resident who needs to do business with the RMV will have to drive to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, more than 5 hours round trip.
While swapping our 2018 Honda Odyssey for a 2021 Honda Odyssey, the salesman told us about his recent trip to Pittsfield. He had purchased a car privately and there was no way to register it without an in-person trip. “Why don’t we have to go to Pittsfield to register this new Odyssey?” we asked. “Dealers are able to do everything online,” he explained.
Amazing! I believe that the whole UK can register and re-register vehicles online.
I don’t know why you’re surprised. When I bought my last car my dealer registered it for me. At the local DMV in NJ there is a dedicated line for dealers.
My biggest complaint about the DMV is that since they are governmental offices, their distribution doesn’t match the population distribution of the state. Therefore, if you go to an office along the 95 corridor, expect to wait a long time. I once drove an hour to western New Jersey just so I could complete a transaction in 15 minutes, rather than wait 4+ hours in 95 degree heat at the location 5 minutes away.
Why trade in a three year old minivan?
M: The 2018 didn’t belong to us! It was leased from Honda. In case the vehicular singularity arrives, we want to be ready to dump the dinosaur non-self-driving non-electric car back on the manufacturer and not be stuck with an albatross. So we just get a new Honda Odyssey every 3-4 years. The 2014-2018 upgrade was huge. The 2018-2021 swap didn’t accomplish anything except kiss goodbye to a door ding and brake calipers that were perhaps beginning to warp. It is liberating to have the car belong to Honda.