I can only guess, but I would expect you would need some sort
of registration in Washington.  You might be able to get a 30 day "In
Transit" registration.

    I would expect you'd have to do this.

    You can, of course, but I don't know how legal it will be.

    In Iowa, which is all I have to go by, one can get a 30 day
"In Transit" registration.  It was set up for situations just like
this.

    If WA requires inspections, you may well have to have it
inspected.

    My last recommendation is to find a phone number for the
Department of Transportation (or whatever it's called there) and ask.
They would be able to help you out a lot more than anyone else here.

You really should be asking the motor vehicle depts in both WA and TX.

I suspect that you will have to do a temporary "transporter" reg in WA,
then permanant in TX.  Make sure your auto insurance
carriert/agent/broker is aware of this.

Been there, done that. Well, not <there>, but Louisiana to Michigan. Short
answer is- it varies from state to state. In my case, for private sales,
Louisiana does NOT do the cardboard plate thing like if you bought it from a
dealer- I had to make my own 'IN TRANSIT' tag for the back, and just for
laughs posted a Xerox of the paperwork (minus SSN, of course) in the rear
window. Went through six states, got passed by lots of cops, and didn't get
a second look.

The nationwide DMV organization publishes a big-a.s book of all the various
state title laws and formats, as a reference for those folks. I would call
(or visit the website)  the DMV in your state and the purchase state, and
ask. Local PD or Sheriff may be worth asking, also, if you can catch the
counter person on a slow day.

A couple of caveats- most states require a VIN inspection of vehicles
brought in like this, to discourage title washers. And even though your
existing policy probably has a 7-10 day grace period on unlisted cars you
just bought, it is safer to call your agent from the distant state after
purchase, and have them enter the VIN into their computer right then. That
way, there is no question that you are covered, even if you do not get the
paperwork for a month.

aem sends....

I recently did something similar.  What I found out is that
license people know their own state laws, but have no clue
how it works from state to state.  And every state is different.

All you can really do is get to WA, then read the title carefully.
The seller most likely will want to see if they can register
with their DMV that they have sold the car.  That gets them off
the hook if you do something with the car that goes back to the
owner, like a parking ticket.  Next, you will want to see if
you can get a temporary plate that gives you something to show
a trooper if you get stopped on the way home.  Many states now
issue these temporary permits.

Some states require signatures on titles to be notarized,
especially if it is an out of state deal.  You will want to
complete this deal on a week day during business hours so
you can find a notary if needed.

You may also want to make sure that the title is in the seller's
name, not a 2 party deal.  Some states will allow multiple parties
to sign the title.  Other states only allow one private party
to sign the title--all others in the middle of deal have to be
licensed dealers.  That way, they ensure that each sale pays
the sales tax on the car.

-john-

I bought a car in Vermont once and registered in Vermont.  (The
dealership was about 100 yards from the stateline.)  It went the same
as any other car purchase:  I paid them and they gave me the car, the
bill of sale, the Vermont title, and the cardboard plates.  Then   I
drove the car to City Hall, paid the taxes, and got the permanent
plates.  The NH title arrived in the mail a few weeks later.