the fee to transfer a title for a car I bought in 2009 into my name was 800.00!!!..yes, I waited too long ,that used to not be a big deal..you know how a politician will say "I do not intend to raise taxes" then all our fees for everything triple?..also, I think the IRS was looking at the process of flipping cars and not declaring the money as declared income..So, to avoid their new esclating fees for not transfering a car title into your name, a car you intend to keep, transfer as soon as possible!..I did not pay the fee, couldn't.
If the car was not on the road, most (all?) states do not charge you for the unregistered years. How could they legitimately? You were not utilizing the roads and bridges. They usually won't volunteer that information, and you may have to challenge them on it, but in the end you don't have to pay. In most states, they have an affidavite form that you have to complete, where you swear it was inoperable and not on the road. Now, if you were driving the car unregistered, that's a whole different ball game.
Every state does there own thing - I know in Kentucky (at least when I lived there) 'property taxes' have to be paid EVERY year on a car, on the road or not. And if you bought a car with taxes in arrears - YOU had to pay up before you could register it. I briefly owned a Mustang project car that had passed hands several times (like a lot of projects do) and I also sold it - the guy that ended up putting it on the road got hit hard on the tax bill and came around expecting everyone who'd owned it to 'help him out' on the tax bill. That's one of the reasons an 'open title' is illegal in many states - they want the revenue from property/road taxes and title and tag fees.
i guess i should transfer the title on my wagon that i bought a year ago. unless some one wants to buy it?
Have a buddy that is out of state register it -- then when he gets the paper work -- he signs it back to you -- wa la -- no fees ---- do it here in Cali all the time -- take a car over to AZ and register it there and then bring it back and those fees are magically gone.
you can have a buddy put a lein on it then sell it back to you. Runs $40 or so here. If the title is signed and dated, you can apply for a lost title. You might need to get creative with the last owners signature. NEVER go to the DMV. once you start the process there, you are fucked. Use a registration service. It sucks that we have to find loop holes for this shit.
Must be a Texas thing. When I bought my last project it had been in the previous owner's hands for 2 yrs., and I had no issues at all.
Hmm, I had something happen to me similar here in Nebraska on a car trailer that I bought. I immediately transferred title but I didn't pay the taxes on it until a couple years later when I decided to make it legal to have on the road and that is when I got tagged with extra fees and interest and things like that. So it might be a difference of when title is transferred to when taxes are paid on it???
never dmv. AAA first, and in cali at least, a registration service as said above. If it's easy AAA can handle it, if its complicated the reg service can help.
From the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles: So that car I've been working on for the last 10 years could cost me $3000 in penalties?? Outrageous!
I recently got a (sorry, not H.A.M.B. friendly) 89 firebird for my son from a friend. My buddy was going to make a drag car out of it, then quit and gave it to us. So the car is just a shell, no motor, trans, or rear end. Went to switch the title (minnesota), told them the car is not running and won't be for some time. Got the title switched, AND bought plates for it! Told them "It is just a body" didn't matter had to buy plates too. I said what should I do with them? they said I could just throw them away! What a waste of money! I could have saved that money and bought plates when I need them.
I believe that is only if you haven't titled it in your name. Or at least that's how I remember it. I live in IN now and no matter when I bought the car, it has always been last week!
guess im lucky here in tn. just have to pay normal registration fees and now county wheel tax. your good. no yearly fees except wheel tax once it registerd. and my 55 with antique tags are lifetime. grandfatherd in before the wheel tax. dont have to pay yearly wheel tax on it. just went a registerd my wifes truck that passed hands a few times since last owner, and about 2 years. cost me $115 total
Many years ago I bought a car from a friend. It was not running so I did not bother titling it in my name as I considered it just a parts car. Later I decided I would get the car running and eventually restore it. In the mean time my friend committed suicide. If his brother had known the car was still in his dead brothers name, he was the type that would have came and got the car. I had to jump through many hoops to get a junk title on the car. The point is...when you buy a car no matter the shape, title it into your name. You never know what the future may bring.
Here in Missouri mine sat for 10 years. There was going to be $200.00 worth of penalties. I talked to a buddy that has a car lot and we ran the registration through him and there were no penalty fees.
I'm glad I read this thread...I figured I'd worry about all that stuff when I got the carry street worthy....I'll do it ASAP now.
Here is what I have learned to do. Any vehicle that I buy is immediately put in my name as UNFIT. I pay all the costs at that time. UNFIT does not need to be plated. If you finish the car and then go and get it registered to you in ONT they want an appraisal, which can be 10 to 100 times what you paid for the car. Plus if it is in your name it is easier to keep the government from classifying them as junk on your property.
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