what's the process to registering an out of state car in CA?

does it need to get state reffed?

sorry, i could have sworn i saw a thread about this a month back but couldn't find it.

thanks in advance.

 

seriously....


google is your friend. It's the top hit. I didn't even half to finish typing the search.

 

you just bring it to the dmv and they look over it thats what i did and mine was from idiao

 

I've registered two out-of-state vehicles, a car and a motorcycle. I had no problems. Both were stock. The car was a 50 state emissions 1994 Saturn SL2 with 130k and the motorcycle was a 49 state emissions 1991 Honda CB750 with 20k.

1. Get the car smogged.
2. Get all your paperwork together. You will need the out-of-state title, registration, proof of insurance, smog certificate, and driver license.
3. Drive up to the inspection line/waiting area at the DMV. The inspector will perform a VIN verification. The VIN on the paperwork has to match the VIN on the car. He/she will also note the mileage and underhood emissions label.
4. Once the inspection is complete, take off your out-of-state plates.
5. Get a number and wait for a clerk.
6. Turn in all your out-of-state paperwork, plates, and the inspection report that was completed by the inspector.
7. Pay the required fees.
8. Get your California registration stickers and plates.
9. Put them on your car.
10. The title will come in the mail three weeks later.

 

thanks everyone.

 

1 word: don't.

Do whatever you can to keep your car registered where ever it is, CA is numero uno when it comes to BS vehicle laws.

 

^what he said!!!!

I bought my car from Salt Lake City and it was the biggest pain in my ***. I learned my lesson with this car for sure, but I don't regret buying it. It wasnt impossible to get everything done, but there is a lot to go through.

Make sure the car is not modded! I didnt have the stock parts to get my car to pass smog so I had to locate them. Once I did get the car smogged I ended up having to pay almost $3600 for my plates and tags. I got pulled over all the time because the car didnt have plates for almost 6 months.

but everything dogcatfud said is the whole process that needs to be done

 

$3600 is a lot! I assume you had to pay a hefty penalty for lateness. California law requires that your cars be registered here within 20 days of establishing residency. Otherwise you'll have to pay a penalty in addition to the registration fee.

I agree completely with Spoolin415's comment that CA has the most BS motor vehicle laws. My parents and uncle live in Pennsylvania. It costs a flat fee of $36 to register a car. No VLF (car tax), no CHP fees, no county fees, etc. And no front plate is issued. Smog check outside of Philly and Pittsburgh is just a OBDII port scan. My sister lives in New Mexico. There's no front plate and 20% tint on the front windows is legal! There are no smog checks except in Albuquerque. But there it's only a OBDII port scan for 1996+ cars.

 

yea, i got pretty screwed on the deal. I bought the car out of state for 28k. Multiply 28k to california's tax rate and there you go. Like i said, I don't regret buying the car but I wish i would have done more research before hand. Oh well, im still rockin her and its all good.

cali sucks!

 

nevada is pretty relaxed too, im running a catless system and i passed smog with now problem, they just hook up to the OBD2 port and thats it haha, love nevada and im glad im out of cali

 

sorry, HERRA dumb question but, this seems like the best time to ask it... if you buy a car out of state, you pay taxes on it, but if you buy a used car within california, do you still have to pay taxes on it?

 

everyting in Cali is taxed. so yes, new/used cars you pay taxes. trailers, boats, atv, etc, moto, name a motorized vehicle, and it needs to be registered. my dirt bike is REQUIRED to be registered AND taxed...although it doesnt go on the road.

its not hard to get vehicles into cali. it just cost money. i got my sti in Nev, and the dealer simply gave me a packet to hand to the DMV. I paid my fees and taxes (~$2200) and got my plates a week ago. I had to pay for a smog. Nevada smog certs (or anyones elses for that matter) do not work in Cali.

careful planning and reging anything in cali is possible....and it will always be easier to buy an in state car.

josh

 

stupid question, but you pay taxes when you register your car at the DMV right?

 

Yes, furthermore the out of state sales-tax penalty used to be able to be avoided if you "could show" that you have owned the car for 90+ days. This in effect is treated as if you are bringing your own car over, and do not have to pay sales tax.

What really gets me though is that sales tax is collected each time a car is sold... You pay this with your taxed money. How many times can we tax the tax?

 

I <3 NV. I'll be popping up at your meets soon.