During my catholic youth I was taught that if you knew something was wrong, and you did it anyway, you've committed a sin. I am going to commit any number of sins this week. I also learned that if you were sorry for your sins and confessed, then all was forgiven, because the catholic gd hated the sin, yet he loved the sinner so long as the sinner wasn't gay, or not a paid up member of gd's own roman catholic church. Non members were screwed no matter what.
Friends I am here to confess, in advance, for the sins I am about to commit. I'm sorry in advance, especially if I'm caught. I beg your forgiveness. Otherwise....
*My car is in suburban Baltimore, not terribly far from Washington Dulles airport. Airfare from Mayberry to Dulles is approx $248 one way. However, if I book Mayberry to Boston, which takes the exact same flight to Dulles as the $248 option, but requires changing planes in Dulles to go to Beantown, the one way Mayberry to Boston ticket cost is $100 . Airlines consider it a sin to book a cheaper yet longer flight if you plan to jump ship halfway. I've booked the Mayberry to Boston ticket for $100, but I'm walking out the door in Dulles pocketing the $148 savings. It's a sin, I know it, but I'm not stupid, I didn't set up this dumb game. I beg your forgiveness.
*When I purchased the car, I was given a set of Massachusetts 5 day temporary license tags, allowing me to drive the car home to Mayberry. The temporary tags expired while the car was being serviced. I've visited the Missouri DMV, shocked them by telling the truth, which no one believed anyway, and asked how to legally drive the car home. DMV said "bummer, no can do, have the car shipped." As if. My remaining options are to display the expired tags and hope the truth will set me free or use Camilla's historic plates and hope no one notices. I break fewer laws driving with expired plates. I'm undecided but I'm keeping the the historic plate option open, figuring a little anxiety is better than a lot, especially at my age. Every moment I'm in that car with expired or wrong plates is a sin, I know it, I'm doing it, but I'm open to better ideas. I beg your forgiveness.
I share the rest of my sins later.
Toad
5 hours ago
Posts
22 comments:
NOT saving the $$ on the flight would be the sin, against good sense.
The car tags I'm still meditatin' on.
Ship it.
I've known for some time now that the airline companies played idiotic games, but I'd no idea that a DMV could be quite that ridiculous. Even here in Britain, where it would cost me £500 to bring my new passport to the immigrations officials to have my residence VISA put in it (or £160 if done by post), they let me just carry my new passport and the old one with the stamp in to present when re-entering the country. I think that's very civilised of them, don't you?
I think these are rather minor sins in the broad context, personally.
Is there a chance Max really meant it when he said "I'll drive it!"?
A southern-bred raconteur like that, Max would not break one bead of sweat if he were pulled over for displaying an expired temporary tag. Soon as he saw the light flashing in the mirror, he'd have a strategy and a game plan.
-Flo
Look at this way. The airlines have rules, and you have rules. Your rules trump their rules.
Can you register it in Mayberry and carry the tags with you?
If you have proof of insurance and title Idon't think anybody in officialdom needs to actually see the car to issue plates. Course, it may be different in Mayberry than So. Tex.
If you added up the cost of the airfare, cabfare to get you to the STL airport, gasoline to drive your car home from its current location and food for you on the road, it probably would cover some of the cost to "ship it". How much is the ticket if you were stopped for speeding and they saw expired temporary plates? If you add up all these costs, shipping costs would not seem so high. One of our neighbors here in St. Louis had her car shipped to Portland, Oregon to give it to her nephew, since she bought herself a new one.
Think it over, the Universe supports you if you follow the rules, it doesn't if you break them, and you are already in deep trouble with this car for making some bad decisions.
The car is titled in Mo, but I cannot get temp tags or plates without a safety and emissions test, which must be conducted in Mo.
I'm not anticipating much trouble, just a bit of needless anxiety. At a $1 per mile to ship, I'll take my chances. The fines can't be that much, can they?
After your needless and wrong diatribe on Catholicism, I could not really get through the rest of your post. If you had been paying attention in catholic school or church, you would know that all are welcome in the church (that is one of the reasons it is called "catholic"), and I have never ever heard of anyone being excluded in any way for money (your paid-up comment). Catholicism does not profess that other religions or people of other faiths are screwed. Along with every other major religion, it does criticize the knowing conducting of sinful behavior, but also provides a path to correct for such sin (a meaningful confession to gd, and a heartfelt penance).
Good luck with driving your car though.
hmmm, hasn't there already been some prevarication with Mrs. Toad over the cost of the car? Those sins, they just keep piling up :-)
Being pulled over with illegal plates, or expired plates (the lesser sin), is a most unpleasant thing---unpleasant enough that my first time was my last time---and the authorities in many states will not allow you to drive another foot once they have done so---it gets reported to your license in MO---etcetcetc.
Not that it ever happened to me, back when I was about 25...(insert rueful laughter)
As to the airline sin--go for it--I mean, for pity's sake, they're practically begging for you to break the rules.
Airline rules that make no sense were meant to be broken. Please do not give this a second thought--I expect nothing less from you than absolute common sense. As far as transporting the car goes, I would say that the time you will spend bonding (think of it as a honeymoon), will in the end, be priceless. In my vast clandestine vehicle transporting experience, you are most likely better off to use tags that will arouse the least amount of suspiscion (particularly to those in other states who are not familiar with the badging requirements of your home state). Don't drive around flaunting an expired date if you can avoid it. I always make sure the car is insured and use a valid plate from another in my stable and try to fly low under the radar. You aren't hurting anyone--should you have an accident, you are fully insured, therefore, I don't see where the sin lies (perhaps this is why I am a former Catholic), particularly since you tried everything you could to do the right thing. Enjoy the trip and be sure to tell us all about it!
"I'm not anticipating much trouble, just a bit of needless anxiety."
Anxiety IS trouble. For every bit of anxiety grinding away, there will be a price paid inside your body. When they open your body in the morgue [you're on NCIS], Illya Kuryakin will point to little tangles and pockets, he'll say: "Ah, there's that road trip he took with missing plates, Ah another fatality in the quest for tangible assets resulting in fatal depreciation of intangible assets."
Can't we at least make donations to the anxiety-free cause?
-Flo
Safe travels! -KT
As you noted, driving with expired tags is the lesser of the two evils. You do not want to be caught with the wrong plates on the wrong car, there is no explaining that away. Just drive the speed limit and hope for the best with the expired temporary, at least you can explain that one if need be, and most likely, you won't have to.
Without full legal status, you could be driving uninsured (with many potential consequences, the least of which are criminal). Being a mensch is more than putting on a suit and tie; ship the car. The idea of saving some money didn't work out. No big deal. You're not 20 years old... Have you really thought of all you're risking? You might survive prison fatigues. But if you harm someone else and are uninsured, you'll never forgive yourself. Don't be a redneck.
I am an Independent Insurance Agent and in my state (PA), you absolutely ARE covered if the vehicle has been properly added to the policy regardless of registration status. If you are concerned about it, read the policy--it defines the parameters of coverage, or have a conversation with your agent. If he's a good guy, he will advise you.
Swapping plates is a crime.
"Most insurance policies specifically exclude intentional or criminal acts from coverage. Accordingly, even where a criminal had very good insurance coverage at the time of the crime, that coverage is not ordinarily available to compensate the victim."
http://www.attorneys-usa.com/intentional/crimes.html
Nearly all travel on public roads will be monitoring with ALPR. You'll get 20 miles before a felon alert for concealed identity...
Mass., law. This statute also makes it a crime to intentionally attach the wrong license plates to a car to conceal its identity. To convict a defendant of this crime, the prosecutor must prove the following three elements beyond a reasonable doubt:
1. The defendant attached the license plate to the vehicle or allowed it to be attached. 2. The particular license plate was not assigned to that vehicle by the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). 3. The defendant intended to hide the identity of the vehicle by attaching the plate or permitting it to be attached...
You are right. I've had the car shipped.
Now THIS is a "happy ending."
Well done.
In a quid pro quo kinda way, you only traded 2 or 3 pair of new slippers, or a.n.o.t.h.e.r. Alchemist-made custom white suit.
I see the Dilettante in line ahead of me, did you ever read his blog post "How To Ship A Chair"?
http://thedowneastdilettante.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-ship-chair.html
-Flo
Shoot, I thought you'd go for it.
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