Big Brother screwing you?

Find a legislator in your state who is sympathetic to the preservation of historic vehicles and lobby him to change the laws. If you can't find one, elect one. This is the way things get done, not pisssing and moaning on a discussion board. Get involved, get informed, make a noise, and vote! Elections matter.

Ryan, I hope this isn't too political. And I like that you simply deleted the political posts but kept the thread alive.
 
Try being me... I bought my car and delayed getting the title because in MI was was always very easy for an old car.

Because I delayed they have since changed the policy (effective Dec. 2011), and despite having a documented history of the ownership they are making me jump through hoops to get the title. When I did it for my '46 Willy's I drug out of a field it was a 10 minute deal.

Now I don't even know if I can get it titled :(
 
Flamingo- you state-just register it in CT.

By chance do you have to live in CT first, or can I just drive up from Jersey and register my cars?
(of course I am kidding, because I'm pretty sure you need to be a resident first)

BTW- I live in NJ and it isn't all that tough-stop the whining! ;))
 
I live in N.H. close enough to Mass so that I have been selling things there for years.I have found out that applying for your title,etc.early on in the restoration process means nothing.They open some old car value book,take the number,and base the tax on that.It means nothing that you may have actually paid $1500.for the car,you are assessed on their stated value.I have tried to help people that bought old junk from me in every way I could.Witnessed,notorized,appraised price bills of sales,it all meant zero to them.They just parrot,car is worth X,pay us $600.$800.whatever they come up with for a figure.Trying to reason at the DMV counter there will just get you escorted outside.I have not had to deal with any buyers for a year or so now,but I doubt it has changed in a cash poor state when it comes to toys.We don't have those problems in N.H.We have no sale tax,so we just pay the town clerk fee of $6.(I think that went up to $7.this year)and then we pay the state $6.for antique plates.Certification for YOM plates is free.There is no incentive for anybody to give you a hard time because there is no real money involved.We have no insurance requirement here so we don't have to worry about having the right papers at registration time.We can register 10 antiques here and only spend $120.I have talked to people who have wanted to buy old junk from me,but were afraid because there was no title.They just couldn't fathom that there was never a title for the old stuff,N.H.just didn't issue them.They didn't exist.The first ones were issued in 1964,for new cars and used from 64 and up.Now we can title an antique car by request,it has to be 26 years old or older.No titles are issued for cars between 15-25 years old.A Mass title examiner I had to deal with said he did NOT like the N.H.antique title process.He wanted to reject all N.H.antique titles.We have to fill out an affadavit of ownership for the application.It's just a simple,I swear I own this here car,and I am signing to it under penalty of law.He was very disturbed that there were no uniformed figures involved.
 
any vehicle sold in mass regardless of age, sold by a non dealer or a licensed dealer from out of state that is not registered with the mass DOR it is taxed on the book value. where they get their books is a mystery to me. if you trade a car in out of state and buy a new one, they dont give you credit for the trade, you have to pay the full tax on the new car. if you buy a model a in a basket you pay book value. i registered a 29 ccpu last year and the book on it was about $9k. they didnt care if i carried it in a paper bag. it really sucks if you pay a grand for something and it cost $ 600 for tax.
 
Wow, I thought only NJ was the only state that had the best polititions that money could buy! I had the same problem when the state sent me a letter stating that their records show that the value of the car was a thousand dollars higher than what I paid for a vehicle. I sent them a letter stating that the statute states that it is a sales tax...not a value tax. Never heard back from them again.
 
Move to Montana. I only paid 130.00 to permanent register my 31 sw fordor. This is for a regular use plate not antique plates or anything like this.
 
I went throught that with a 63 nova the DMV said it was worth 1700 ya right it was a four door and was rotted out but if you want a tital you have to pay the price. she said I could get it appraised but that will set you back another 300 bucks so I just paied the tax on the 1700.
 
Timothy Kelly nailed it as to why the state DMV's have become hard nosed on tax collection. Who here hasn't been "creative" when it came to supplying values to the DMV for tax and registration purposes?

Thanks to the builders who used Model A paperwork to register $100,000 hot rods for a Dollar ninty eight, California has lowered the boom and made it impossible to register an old car. Same goes for other states.

While registering a car in NH to avoid MA taxes, it's yet another reason for both states to get really hardnosed in their quest for revenue. It's not unreasonable to think that NH will get wise and triple rates on pre 1960 cars for EVERYBODY.

Playing games could well create unintended consequences down the line.

As Pogo said, "we've seen the enemy and it's us" or some such words.
 
I live in IL, so I know I'm not in the state of origin to this dialogue but... When I registered mine, I submitted a notarized bill of sale and picture documents & ebay bill of sale for the $1,600.00 I paid. They sent me a title and six months later they sent me a bill for the "rest" of my taxes on a value of 20k. Now I don't have a sad story for ya here. I called the lady who does all the antique vehicles in IL, re-sent everything and then had a dealer friend give an estimate on the value and I then was in the clear again.

The point of this story is that you might work it all out with some phone calls and dedication. That said, I agree with everyone who says to take care of this before you restore the car, it is always worth less then... mine sure was.

Eric
 
Count your blessings. I have to pay $3,000 sales tax to title my 36 Ford woodie. Happily though, they don't inspect the out of state car before titling it here in Texas. Nothing to hide but less red tape for me.

Funny, YOM plates cost extra here, the regular yearly plate fee of about $60 + $20 extra. The bureaucrats here do the funniest things though. If you mail in your plate fee they charge you a $1 convenience fee. If you pay on the internet, same extra fee. Funny how it costs extra to save the state manpower!

I've been considering a vanity plate 2THPCK. They cost $200 to buy for one year or $500 for 5 years. Would be nice but I'm on strike with paying the state of Texas any more than I have to.
 
My friend just paid 7-800 to register hit 50 chevy in California they are going back alot further now. Instead of being out of the system in 7 years went back to 1990!! for back fees
 
And do states such as texas,montana alabama have life time tags (registration) for vehicles 20 years and older? Any other states that have life time tags?

And if so any requirement to get lifetime tags?

thanks =)
 
We have life time (Horseless Carriage) tags here in Florida. I think they run about -$75-, but I'm not sure. It is for 1945 (again I'm guessing) and
back cars and maybe trucks too. On taxes I believe they go back to 1985
on values according to a book. Below that it is what ever you tell them.

For the life of me I have never understood why the state has to tax
your private sale of a vehicle to another private individual!?!:eek: I guess
I take the concept of freedom to liberally. Thank God I'm not a young man anymore.:)

AMF/Bob-A:D
 
my first Horseless Carriage plate in FL cost $14 in 1987.
two others purchased after 2000 were $29 each.
back in the 1990s the pinheads in Tallahassee realized this was depriving the state of revenue, so they discontinued the plates.
enough people complained and they brought them back.
a very good deal for FL residents......
 
So i have just about finished my 28 Roadster pickup and its time for me to get this on the road. Its going to be my daliy driver and im having probles with me and my girl friend shareing a jeep. I also need to drive it to make shure there everything is set. So i insure it and after paying a $700 down payment i go to the rmv to get it registered. They tell me my sales tax is going to be another $700 plus 75 for a titling fee then another 75 for registration fee. Thats $850 to register an old truck im sory but this just dosent make sence. They told me they value it from the blue book value of $10,000 my truck is not worth ten grand and i only paid $1,400 for it. Its as if the bill of sale meens nothing. Has any one elce had this problem? Any ways around it (i live in taxacussets). :mad:
TWenty five bucks give or take a year up in maine.
 
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