Insurance/temp tags/out of state..HELP!

[ToBeFree]

So I'm currently looking to buy a bus and have been looking at some in Cali that I have been LOVING! My problem is--I'm in Ohio! Driving it back will be quite a drive but I don't mind!
My problems are:

1. How can I insure if its still a bus? It obviously won't meet requirements as an RV until I get it home to work on it...
2. Tags! I, of course, want to be road legal (or at least not face being pulled over) but I read that Cali doesnt over temp tags...This bus would be bought at an auction if that would help!
3. Literally ANYTHING else that I might be missing...? And I've seen on some threads it may be better to just have it plated and tagged and all that goodness in the state I buy it-VS taking it back to Ohio.

Any insight is so SO appreciated! And if you've seen me on the other threads-heya!

[Pizote]

I did something similar - in October, I bought in Louisiana and drove to California (not Cali - NCAL or SCAL if you must)
1: Insurance - insure it with a commercial policy for personal use - if they ask you if the seats are out, just say yes. I did this with Progressive - got my insurance paperwork via email within a few minutes. Costs about $450 per year, but the initial payment was in the $60's.
2: California will issue temporary tags (30 days) for vehicles coming into the state so they can get SMOGGED, etc. Not sure about commercial vehicles, etc going out of the state for non-residents. Never-the-less, I just drove across the country without plates. I had all my paperwork and registration forms filled out as proof I was in process in the case I did get pulled over. What I found, is that no one really cared about a school bus - except the toll takers in Louisiana. I got a bypass from all the truck/commercial vehicle scales and inspections and several LEOs passed me or were behind me at stop lights and not having a plate evidently was not an issue.
3:I don't know what OH is like for registration, but California was tricky so I opted to register in VT. California requires inspection for changing the registration to MH. They also have strict emissions requirements for commercial vehicles which would have prevented me from registering as as the registration I had stated (bus). There is also the CDL issue - I am not licensed to drive a "bus" with my Class C license - but the same vehicle registered as a MH, no problem.

I registered in VT, no inspection, it's now a MH. I just filled out the paperwork, made a copy, sent in the original and drove home with the copy - if I needed it.

I now have VT plates, just talked with the VT DMV and the registration and tags will be here any day now and the title will be another three weeks.

Best of luck

[ToBeFree]

Thank you! Yeah I've seen people have a lot of luck with registering out in VT...I'll probably do a little bit more research into OH and any issues I may have if I do it here, but seems like the VT route is the easiest (plus I dont have to wait in a DMV line )

Thats what I've been seeing for insurance....It would be one thing if I was driving the bus 2 miles home but it would be quite a trek..I also already have a relationship with progressive so that's helpful! Are you able to change the insurance to insurance for a MH now that your title says so?

[Pizote]

My understanding is that Progressive does no write policies for conversions. They did ask me to let them know as soon as I started the conversion so they could update the policy. But I don’t know what that means.