new car tags: a mostly good experience

Our car tags expire today, so it was time to get Alabama plates.  After gathering what I thought I'd need, I headed over to our insurance agent's office to get a new insurance printout (the one in the car expired in February...hm, what have I done with the other one?  There's a reason I usually have a put-it-in-the-car-the-very-second-it-comes-in-the-mail policy) but he was out of the office until one today.  Thinking Alabama might have a system where you can mail in your proof of insurance (either AZ or UT did), I went to the county office anyway.

Despite the lady in line next to me complaining about the "intolerable line because it's the last day of the month", we only waited 10 minutes or so.  That's intolerable?  Not too bad compared to the AZ DMV, but maybe that's because this was a separate office just for license plates and titles.

Then, I discovered that they did not need proof of insurance so I would not have to come back or beg.  Then, I was pleasantly surprised by the price.  I'd been warned that registering a car from out of state there would be some weird tax but it was only $50 total.

Oh, but then I found out that in Alabama registration dates are done by your last name, so this registration is only good until June.  Of 2011.  And no, even though it is May 31st, there was no way for them to let me pay for next year's registration too.  I guess not everything can be a pleasant surprise.