Towing a "new to you" car home

[e30blitz]

Op
None of your friends have a pick up with hitch?

If yes then just rent the uhaul trailer

And boom your done
No stress

And even if you have no friends
Well rent the pickup and trailer all from u haul
Why waste time and money saving 10 cent here or there


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cletonius]

Unless you get stopped by clueless diakasshole cops you have no idea what a transport permit is and threaten to arrest you and impound the car. Yeah.

I've been threatened by police many times but never actually had a vehicle impounded. They're pretty strict around Chicago, I sold a car to a buddy in Rockford and he got stopped 10+ times on the way home for no tags.

[Roysneon]

So much good advice itt.

1. Man up and drive that shit. Tell the guy that you want to know exactly how the car feels and get a sense of what it needs on the drive and that you have a tow available should you need it.

2. If manual transmission, put it in neutral and tow it with rear wheels on the ground with a dolly. The only reason you can't do that with an auto is because if the car is not runnnig the trans fluid is not pumped through it to lubricate it and the trans burns up. Not the case with a manual, nothing to worry about.

3. Rickety old cars and good friends with AAA are always an adventure waiting to happen.

[mkcman17]

Also, NAA (newly acquired autos) are carried under stated policy limits for up to 30 days after purchase without having to notify/setup a new policy in california. You should check your own state limits and policy.

[mkcman17]

Four-wheel trailer from U-Haul is $55/day. No wheels are on the ground, so you can't get shit about reg/tags. If it doesn't turn over, bring friends and get a good push onto the trailer. Easy, cheap.

That said, if it moves under its own power, I'm driving it. Bought an exp tags 13yr/100k+ timing belt eta from lompoc and drove it to LA. Stupid? Probably. Thrilling? Hell yes.

[slammin.e28]

Insurance covers new purchases for 24 hours usually. Also, if you're stopped a bill of sale and/or signed and dated title will usually get you out of trouble - as long as today's the date on the stuff or you're traveling far with it. In which case, you can get a throw away temp reg from most states to transport a car home.

Unless you get stopped by clueless diakasshole cops you have no idea what a transport permit is and threaten to arrest you and impound the car. Yeah.

Unless its an automatic you don't need to pull the damn driveshaft to tow dolly it. Also towing a car backwards on a dolly is crazy sketchy. They usually have a tendency to squirm around when dragging the front wheels. Just a little tow dolly knowledge for you.

QFT & BTDT. Too lazy to disconnect the DS when my (then auto) e28 broke down. Towed it backwards, granted it was for only two miles. Got really sketchy over 40 mph.

[dirty30]

Unless its an automatic you don't need to pull the damn driveshaft to tow dolly it. Also towing a car backwards on a dolly is crazy sketchy. They usually have a tendency to squirm around when dragging the front wheels. Just a little tow dolly knowledge for you.

[Habla]

No brakes? I drove mine home with a failed master cylinder and floppy bjs, but it was only 20 miles...

[Cletonius]

if you could tow it with nother BMW, I would buy a tow bar, bring another fresh battery, and drag it late at night like Blunt said, there is no way of getting any cheaper than that. Just hope you don't get pulled over if it isn't registered or insured.

Insurance covers new purchases for 24 hours usually. Also, if you're stopped a bill of sale and/or signed and dated title will usually get you out of trouble - as long as today's the date on the stuff or you're traveling far with it. In which case, you can get a throw away temp reg from most states to transport a car home.

[mikeedler]

if you could tow it with nother BMW, I would buy a tow bar, bring another fresh battery, and drag it late at night like Blunt said, there is no way of getting any cheaper than that. Just hope you don't get pulled over if it isn't registered or insured.

[LJ851]

You're right. like I said, this guy seems to really care for the car. Hopefully he'll still sell it to me. I don't see why he'd turn down some cold, hard cash, though. This is all planned for Friday. I'll update the thread on how it goes.

Updates?

[TurboJake]

Just drive it.

The first E30 I bought had a roll of electrical tape for a CAB, ran on 5 cylinders, zero exhaust (not even the manifolds), and had only one functional caliper. Wasn't fun, but it made it home.

[adjmcloon]

I can get a car hauler (tandem axle trailer) for $65/day. Tow dollies can be dangerous

[2761377]

a couple members suggested using a tow dolly after removing the driveshaft. if that sounds like too much hassle, consider this- put the real wheels on the dolly. this method has been successful for me with several different cars including 2 different 2002's.
pm if you want more details.

robert w.

[blunttech]

I bought a '68 1600 bmw sight unseen from the back of the Roundel magazine for $600. I lived in GA and the car was in CA. It had been sitting unused in the woods for 3 years. A box of spares/tools and a one way ticket to Santa Cruz and drove it home solo. Without a cell phone.


Start looking for your testicles as mentioned above, a great story/life experience awaits you.

the only thing that could make that story cooler is if you were a drunken ex con violating parole along the way by robbing gas stations