California Registration Fees
Ronald E Garnett
taxes being outrageously high. Can anyone quantify this for me?
I drive an 89 Ford Probe GT (Book around $8 or $9) and
will probably be moving there very soon.
Thanks!
Ron Garnett
Alan F. Perry
research it, I figured I should send it anyway. Sorry to waste the bandwidth.
California annual registration fees can be broken down as follows:
Registration fee - $28
County/District fees
Varies, based on area. I live in Mountain View, Santa Clara County
and it is $7. When I lived in southern California two years ago, it
was $3.
License fee
Also known as use fee. In theory, it is the equivalent to a personal
property tax on the vehicle (so it is tax-deductible). I will quote
the California DMV form:
"The license fee charged is based upon the sale price or vehicle value
when initially registered in California. The vehicle value is adjusted
for any subsequent sale or transfer, excluding sales or transfers
between specified relatives.
"The VLF [license fee] is calculated by rounding the sale price to the
nearest odd hundred dollar. That amount is reduced by a percentage
utilizing an eleven year schedule and 2% of that amount is the fee
charged."
The "eleven year schedule" looks like this:
1st year - 100% 2nd year - 90% 3rd year - 80% 4th year - 70%
5th year - 60% 6th year - 50% 7th year - 40% 8th year - 30%
9th year - 25% 10th year - 20% 11th year onward - 15%
So, the license fee is ((price/value * percentange-from-above) * 0.02)
My 1989 Honda Civic DX is $142. My 1978 Lotus Esprit is $78.
The annual fees on my Honda are around $180 and on the Lotus are $110.
In addition to the annual registration fee, there is biannual (every two
year) smog check that must be done. The fee for the certificate is
$6 or $7 (I will find out this month :-(, plus around $20-$30 for the
test itself.
As far as one-time costs, it looks like there is a $10 fee for registering
a vehicle from out-of-state (I am looking in the vehicle code, which is
written in legalese and hard to figure which fees apply when). There is
a $300 "smog impact" fee for cars coming in from out-of-state. Finally,
there is the 6% vehicle use tax.
I would guess around $900 to initially register your car, plus $200/year,
gradually decreasing, to renew your registration.
--
-----------------------------------+----------------------------------------
Alan F. Perry | "I took off the intellectuals; I put
esp...@netcom.com (home) | on They Might Be Giants"
al...@lynx.com (work) | - untitled
Theodore Chen
> In addition to the annual registration fee, there is biannual (every two
> year) smog check that must be done. The fee for the certificate is
> $6 or $7 (I will find out this month :-(, plus around $20-$30 for the
> test itself.
i think the word you want is "biennial". "biannual" means occurring twice
a year. i have to get the car smogged this year... according to the
pamphlet, the certificate is $7. how long does this check take, anyway?
i don't want to have to make an appointment and drop off my car.
also, i'm wondering about registration fees for salvaged vehicles.
what if you buy a junked vehicle and build it up? will the use fee
be based on what you paid for the junked car, or does it also account
for the value you add to it in the form of parts and labor?
-teddy
Alan F. Perry
>In article <espritC4...@netcom.com> esp...@netcom.com (Alan F. Perry) writes:
>> In addition to the annual registration fee, there is biannual (every two
>> year) smog check that must be done. The fee for the certificate is
>> $6 or $7 (I will find out this month :-(, plus around $20-$30 for the
>> test itself.
>
>i think the word you want is "biennial". "biannual" means occurring twice
>a year.
I was uncertain. That is why I put the real answer in parens.
> i have to get the car smogged this year... according to the
>pamphlet, the certificate is $7.
The last time that I had it done, it was $5. I managed to avoid it last time
around by taking the Esprit with me when I went to Germany for a year. I
imagine other, closer states might work as well.
> how long does this check take, anyway?
>i don't want to have to make an appointment and drop off my car.
It depends on the shop and how busy they are and your car. The "tailpipe"
test can be done in 5-10 minutes, but the visual check can vary. I had one
shop trace all of the vacuum hoses from the schematic to make sure they
were all connected. This took some time. On the other hand, another shop
just did a quick scan to make sure the proper components were there and at
least partially connected.
>also, i'm wondering about registration fees for salvaged vehicles.
>what if you buy a junked vehicle and build it up? will the use fee
>be based on what you paid for the junked car, or does it also account
>for the value you add to it in the form of parts and labor?
The DMV will probably get a book value for the car in good condition. I have
not experienced this myself, but some people have told me that they have had
to pay use tax/license fees based on a value higher than the purchase price.
I have not look through the vehicle code or taxation/revenue code (all relevant
state code is included in the book when you buy a copy of the California
vehicle code) to determine how they would get away with this. The basic
handouts say that the use tax/license fee is based on purchase price.
The Hepburn
quote!
--
Alan Hepburn "Nothing is so ignorant as the ignorance
National Semiconductor of Certainty."
Santa Clara, Ca
al...@berlioz.nsc.com Aldous Huxley
Tony Zugates
Vehicles:
415 968 0610
I would call for you, but dont want to be put on hold for 15 minutes...
ha ha ha.... Anyway, call them and they should be able to tell you
exactly how much.
You would pay considerably more if the car was a classic, like an old
Mustang or something from what I understand... The state decided to
do this last year for classics to generate more income.
Hope this helps.
tony zugec
Theodore Chen
>You would pay considerably more if the car was a classic, like an old
>Mustang or something from what I understand... The state decided to
>do this last year for classics to generate more income.
how do they define "classic"? do they have a list of cars that they
consider classics, or is it just cars made before some year?
and does the car have to at least be in good condition to qualify?
just wondering, because we're toying with the idea of getting a
clapped out chevy nova from the early 70s and dropping a 350 in it.
i expect that the car will be thoroughly ugly and in no way deserving
of the name "classic". we don't care how it looks - the car's
primary function will be to hold the engine.
-teddy
William Ruby
This is news to me. I guess I should keep up with the latest attempts of
our government to wring out more money out of us. I own a '67 Mustang which
I registered last October for the same amount that I have been paying for
many years: $27.
I would really appreciate it if some kind soul would point me in the right
direction as far as the date the fee increase went into effect, the amount
or percentage of increase, and any other information that you would be
willing to share. If there is sufficient interest in this topic, I will
summarize and post the summary. Also, I wonder if anybody knows what the
current fees are based on: classic-car value guides, age, original sale
price, etc. Also, I guess a car like a '60s Mustang is generally accepted
as a classic car. What about, say, a '67 Ford Fairlane - would this be
considered a classic? Or a 1963 1/2 Galaxy convertible with a factory 427
or 406 (damn, forgot which engine was the biggest in that year) and a
4-speed ?
Inquiring minds want to know ....
--
William M. Ruby | "Never get drunk unless you're willing to pay
Sr. IC Design Engineer | for it the next morning."
Siemens Pacesetter, Inc. | - Engr. Montgomery Scott, Star Trek - TNG
wi...@pacesetter.com | Disclaimer? Dat claimer? What's de difference?
Martin Green
I'll confirm that. Last summer i paid between 350-400 to register a 86 Accord. I believe my book value is a little more than half of yours.
Martin
Cat-in-the-Hat
I have a 1958 (BEAT UP) Ford Fairlane that costs me approx. $50 per year
to register. After shelling out $150 to get a '73 VW registered in Mass,
I really began to miss California! Since the purchase price for my Ford
was $500, maybe there's some % formula for figuring out registrations?
Donno. Sorry, I'm just a native.
-Meko
Corbet E. Wilcox
I got a registration renewal the other day and it included an explaination
of the fees. (If only I could remember them) But here's what I recal.
THey charge 2% of the vehicle's value (which is decresed 10% every year until
the tenth when it can't drop any further) and add another $35 to this number
for other misc. type fees to cover cars that are worthless.
--
Corbet
Anthony S. Pelliccio
Move to RI and register your car here. Everything is a flat rate of
$30.00 per vehicle, except if you're a commercial user and then you get
screwed.
From the state that's business hostile.....
Tony
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Gary Feldman
Huh? I thought MA registration fees were $40/two years. (I don't know
for sure, since I have vanity plates, for which they gouge me $70/year.)
So-called excise tax is 2.5% annually, which can't be all that much
on a '73 VW. Inspection runs $15. Those are the only annual fees.
Or are you including one-time charges for a new title and plates? (Unless
you just bought the car, you shouldn't have to pay sales tax.)
Gary