I thought so...just enter any used car dealer, pay some cash and off you go (at least that's what I saw in movie)!

Can't speak of US, but here I had to get the car papers and the paper that shows that the car is still legal to run - every 2 years we've got to get it tested... The dealer only gave me these papers after I paid part of the car/made sure he gets paid. After applying for temporary insurance, I could go to the car registration office in my home town (the alternative would be the place the car is sold, but there the government employees are overworked, you have to book an appointment days in advance...). There I could register the car under a temporary number plate (costs money of course...), usable for a max of 5 days IIRC. If there is no insurance coverage, I can't get the license plate. With the license plate I could go to pick up the car. The plate is only valid for driving straight to the home town. There I had to get the proper license plate after giving proof that I have proper insurance for the car.

The only good thing is I don't have to go there ever again until I move... (have to change the number plate then) no need to renew road tax. Happens automatically.

US runs similar system too, u need insurance before you can register the car. Registration follow states rule tho.

Just that the entire process is much easier, could be done at the dealer and straight away driving.

Talking about number plate registration, in Malaysia we can freely register our cars in any states!

Do you think there are any pros and cons with these system (US vs Malaysia system)?

We're getting slightly off topic, but...

I can only speak for Germany vs Malaysia, and I think I prefer the German system. Getting the cars checked every 2 years means that at least a certain safety standard is maintained. Plus you are allowed to tune the car, as long as it is safe. In Malaysia there are rules that may not make much sense (though enforcement is another matter).

I also like that the car is registered to a certain location. Every larger town has their own letter, apparently there are 556 of them... We can take the number plate with us these days (not so sure I'm a fan of that... so far you could tell where a driver was from, if he was local, ...), but when you move, they have to be informed. That ensures that any speeding tickets etc. will be delivered to your home, and there's no way of getting around them. Don't pay, you'll end up paying much, much more. It helps maintain some sanity on the road.

That road tax is simply deducted from your bank account is very convenient. No need to run to the POS every year...

There is a flat fee for special number plates. Anything is allowed (that fits within the standard), as long as it is still available (and doesn't say something like SS 88 (SS being the armed wing of the Nazis) and 88 (which stands for Heil Hitler)).

As you may know, number plates are standardized. No unreadable fonts or anything. I think it looks neat. The basic design is the same all over Europe, though the font can differ. The font used in Germany was specially designed for license plates. The idea was that you can't modify the letters or numbers to look like a different number. They are all unique. That's why the O looks like an egg, for example. Another goal was that computers should be able to easily distinguish the letters.