So next month I will be picking up a used car in Illinois and driving it back home here to Florida. I want to do this with as little hassle as possible yet I want to be legal too. So, Is there such a thing as a transport or temporary tag I can get? How is this sort of thing handled up there?

You might need to talk the Secretary of States office they handle license plates.

If you buy a vehicle from a private person get the title signed and get a signed bill of sale.   Have a copy of your insurance for your car but it might be best to get an insurance binder from your insurance company for the vehicle your buying.   The binder will be proof you have insurance for a new vehicle.   You should be able to go to the Illinois Secretary of State driver’s license facility and get a temporary drive away permit.  The permits used to be for 72 hours but I’ve been retired several years so things could have changed.   The Drive Away Permit is temporary registration and should be valid in all 50 states.

The Illinois Secretary of State Police have an Office in Mt Vernon Illinois.   You could call there and get direct answers to your questions.   The Secretary of State has a web sight with FAQ.   If your going to the SOS Drivers Facility in a large Metro area they can be pretty busy and you have to take a number and wait your turn.

Many times it is less hassle to just haul the purchased vehicle on a trailer as there is no registration required if the vehicle is not on the ground.   If you decide to do the Temporary permit it might make it easier for the seller to drive the vehicle to the SOS drivers facility, do the transfer there, then get the Drive Away Permit.    The SOS say you have 24 hours or next business day to apply for title.  The letter of the law says for a vehicle to be operated on a public road the vehicle has to have valid registration, Temporary or an applied for title/registration and insurance.   If you have no registration or insurance the vehicle can be towed and impounded (big hassle & expensive).

The reason I suggested calling SOS Police in Mt Vernon is it is a smaller office and more likely to talk to a Police Officer.   Here is the listed phone numer and address for FAQ at Secretary of State web site.

SOS Police, Mt Vernon, Illinois (618) 244-8343

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/vehicles/faq.html

I just checked and a non resident Drive-Away Temporary registration is valid for ten days.

ftp://www.ilga.gov/jcar/admincode/092/092010100E04250R.html

If you come to Illinois to get a used vehicle make sure you can get the Illinois Title.   Many times a person might have the vehicle financed through a non local banking institution.  It can take a couple of weeks to get the title from a bank once the Lien or vehicle is paid off.   It is possible the SOS will issue a Drive-Away permit on a bill of sale but I’d check to make sure.    If you get the title and a Drive-Away permit you take the car and Illinois title back to Florida to the FL license authority, surrender Illinois title to Florida and apply for Florida Title and registration/license.   Many times a Police Officer or DMV person has to verify the vehicle and vehicle identification number from a vehicle licensed out of state to be registered in another state.

Thanks Vascar! that is just what I needed.
I will be flying up so I can't tow it back. 72 hours should be enough to make the return drive. Looks like there is a SOS office close by too (Waterloo). I was planning on calling my insurance agent as soon as I get the VIN and have them add it. I would hope a print out of the email stating this or perhaps a copy of the policy printed from my online account status would work just in case.
Just have to hope no breakdowns on the 1100 mile drive home.

I just ran across this, does this mean they have 7 or 30 day drive away permits?
http://www.cata.info/30-day_drive-away_permits_coming_july_16/

I really can’t say if this only applies to Chicago and Cook County since they have additional stickers and fees associated to living in Chicago.   The link showed this took effect in 2010 and I retired in 2009.   One link I found in Illinios SOS mentioned 10 day drive away permit for non residents.   Waterloo is a smaller town so you shouldn’t have much trouble getting taken care of.  SOS Drivers Facilities are almost always closed on Monday and only open till noon or 1 PM on Saturday and very busy.   The SOS Drivers Facility are closed on any State or Federal Holiday.   Best to check the day your going to buy vehicle to ensure the office is open.

I would contact your Insurance Agent and try to get a insurance binder to take to the SOS office.   The SOS employees have to strictly follow the rules.   They are accustomed to telling people, go do this and once you have that come back and wait in line again.   I would not take anything for granted being your going to fly in and drive back to Florida.

The Drive-Away Permit used to be fairly inexpensive $10 but the State is constantly raising fees so I can’t tell you how much it will cost.

Be prepared for a wait at the Waterloo office.  The ladies working there are the nicest and knowledgeable in the metro east so they tend to get swamped.

I'm an Illinois resident and I bought a new trailer from an Illinois dealer and wanted to register it at our other home in Missouri. The trailer dealer was well versed in the procedure and got me a 30 day drive-away permit for the trailer. I used that, took the trailer to Missouri and titled/registered it there. No problem. I would think the procedure is the same for a car.