While this doesn't really compare, it took us nearly 10 trips to the DMV to get all our cars registered and licenses transferred from NH to MA, when we were living in the rental while building the house. And all of it was temporary, as we eventually moved to Maine. My wife found out she had unpaid excise taxes, dating back to 1988 (when she last lived in MA), and it cost her well over $1,000 to clear it up, before she was able to get a MA license.
My car was being financed at the time, so the title was with a national finance company. They wouldn't transfer my registration until I had the official, original title in my hands, which wasn't even with the finance company, but with my originally titled state of NH.
Maine has the nicest, easiest RMV. NH is pretty good too. Mass is the worst, although NJ was bad too.