Avoiding sales tax and CA emissions

[Gifford]

Is there any way to legally buy a new truck in another state? I live in California, in addition to the onerous sales tax (8. 25%) the fees to register a new Ram 3500 will be over $1,000 (THAT'S PER YEAR, DOLL!) Not to mention the fact that I CANT even get a HO here, and anything i DO GET WILL HAVE ca EMISSIONS TOO

 

[dblake]

Yeah,

Join the military from a recruiting station in Oregon and you can pick up your new High Output there with no sales tax and $35 plates(that's good for 2 yrs. )That's what I did last year and I got my truck loaded for 31k out the door. Otherwise ,you're screwed. There's no legal way to avoid either the sales tax or ridiculous plate fees. You might be able to buy the truck up there but they'll get you when you get back home. I still get hassled by the cops for my Oregon plates till I show them my military I. D. and tell them to kiss my %^%. Sorry!

 

[RobG]

I've been avoiding Kalifornia fees for years by licensing my vehicles out of state. The key is to keep a driver's license from out of Kalifornia as well... and if you're ever stopped, you're just visiting, on business, passing through, whatever. It helps to have your insurance card with an out of state address too.



You have to totally disassociate yourself with that communist state to avoid being screwed by them.



What's worse is now I moved to Reno and Nevada fees are even worse... since Kalifornia has been slowly lowering their fees, Nevada hasn't. It might be slightly cheaper here on a dually because I don't think Nevada has the weight fees, but on a regular vehicle, KA is cheaper.



Rob

 

[jryan11518]

RobG

That sounds like the ticket. If you know anyone in Oregon hook me up. I do not think the Military would take me (to old and nasty)

 

[RobG]

The best way to do the Oregon thing is to go up there and get a mailbox account at a Mailboxes Etc. The key is to use one of those (or a similar competitor just not USPS) because they will forward anything, even if the envelope says Do Not Forward.



The reason for this is that Oregon mails the plates to you, and you need to be able to receive them. So you setup the account there, and that becomes your Oregon residence address. The address will be something like "545 Green St Unit 1012" so it sounds like an apartment to anybody looking at it, rather than being a PO Box, which most places balk at.



If you want an Oregon driver's license, it gets a little more complicated. They want proof of residence, which requires a cable bill or some sort of utility bill with your residence address. For that it's better to know somebody whose address you can use for the whole deal, then get them cable for like 90 days or 6 mos or something.



But plates alone is easy...



Rob

 

[kshimizu]

Doing it through a mail service as someone suggested in Oregon gets pretty tricky, especially being located in CA. I hear of alot of people getting hassled with Oregon plates in Southern CA. You definently want to have your drivers license match your plates, registration and don't forget insurance. Montana seems a little less tricky, registration is more then Oregon but you can give someone a signed power of attorney papers to go in and register it for you. Another trick besides the military one is being a student and they don't even ask for proof. Nevada registration fees are more then CA for now but I've heard from friends there that registration fees will no longer be dropping. Instead there's been talks of it doubling over time. Another way to bring an out of state truck into CA is to drive around for 3 months and 7500 miles with temporary permits, I think this way you can avoid the sales tax and emissions requirements but you're still going to spend at least 5-600 to register it. Whatever you do, try to set it all up ahead of time and save a few thousand.

 

[HBarlow]

Avoiding Outrageous CA Taxes and Fees

The best way to avoid the costs of living in the socialist state of CA is to move. I retired from the Navy there in '87 but considered the various negatives------ taxes, crime, traffic, congestion, smog, vehicle registration costs, smog checks, state income tax, democrats, creeping socialism, environmental wackos, liberals, etc. We sold our house, and moved to TX where we could buy a lot more house for a lot less money and enjoy the freedom of being Americans. We visit San Diego almost every year to take in the beauty but avoid the negatives.



Another alternative is to establish an address in TX. Sales tax is 6. 25%, we shoot politicians who say the words "state income tax", annual registration fees for non-commercial vehicles are under $100, no smog checks except in Houston and Dallas. Buying an HO Cummins is a personal choice not up to the Comrades of the Politburo to decide for you. TX is mostly a no-hassle state where individual rights and common sense prevail.



I don't have any details handy but thousands of RVers, many of them full-timers, many not, claim TX residency by renting a mail box with forwarding. It is a cottage industry. TX DMV and County Tax Assessor/Collector clerks won't hassle you about proving your residence as long as you have a somewhat normal appearing address. Buy a copy of Trailer Life magazine, you'll find advertising for several mail order address firms in the back pages.



Harvey