Importing a Texas 04' 2500 to Cali.. Help please!

[THUREN]

Hello all!



I have a line on an 04' I'd like to get from Texas, and I was curious about a few things.



I searched but you know how these things are, and what worked last year may not be what will happen when I drop down to the DMV now. So I am looking for people who have some recent experience with bringing in a used truck to Cali. .



~ Will I have to pay actual "sales tax" in CA even though money changed hands in Texas?



~ What was your import fee?



~ Is there and actual "50 state legal" or CA sticker on the rig I should be concerned with? If so where is this sticker? Probably under the hood just like a gasser if there is one...



I realize I'll be paying the normal CA steep yearly registration, but is there anything else I should know about?



THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!!



Don Thuren

 

[JFaughn]

Might be able to answer a couple of those , You pay sales tax in the state that you get plates in , if you live & work in Ca. then you pay sales tx there .
The tag on eng. [ timing case , drivers side ] and if its there on top of radiator support , it will say fed. [ none Ca. ] or Cal. emissions .
Its been a while but they had a new rip off out os state fee some time ago , started maybe 15-18 yrs ago .
Back then they would check to see if it was a diesel at transfer of title , then exempt .
But then it can depend on what county / city your in also .
I learned a long time ago , no matter who you talk to , have the law that there telling you apply's to what your doing , that you want a copy in wrighting , I've got out of at least a dozen issues when they found out what the law realy was , moving violations , buisness locations [ was stated to me by lic. department that I could not have my buis. in that location , got a copy , went and read it , came back and pointed out the letter of the law they just handed me , they gave me my buis. lic. rite then ].

 

[16919]

NOt sure on the emissions stuff, but if you bought it in texas you don't pay sales tax in cali.

 

[wbrown02]

There is a "Federal enissions sticker" under the hood which can say a couple of things... as long as there is a sticker and it is not missing it should not be a problem..... You must have over 7500 miles on the vehicle..... again probably not a problem..... If you paid Texas sales tax and the rate is the same or greater than Ca they should not charge you sales tax... ... If you paid no sales tax in Texas they will figure your taxes due from your bill of sale. Most likley you will have to have a certified weight from any certified scale for the DMV to figure your "weight fee"..... You will also probable have to have the VIN number verified by the CHP or other peace officer or a person with a Ca Vehicle Verifyer Licenses. I know these things because I have one of the Vehicle Verifyer License and work for a car dealer. Your results may very!

 

[WMcGuire]

Here's a link to DMV, just follow the links, You can register a used vehicle in California as long as it meets the 49 state emissions regulations and has more than 7500 miles in the odo, there's no sales tax, it's called a "use tax" in California, and as it sounds; "You gotta pay to play". Oo.



http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/vr.htm

 

[daytripper63]

NOt sure on the emissions stuff, but if you bought it in texas you don't pay sales tax in cali.

Oh yes you do!!! There is an exclusion to this and I believe it states that if you can prove residence in the other state and paid the tax there and had the vehicle for X amount of months before coming to Cal then you wont have to pay sales tax, plus the truck better have 7500 miles or more on it and listed on the title paperwork for when you bought it.

anybody who has not experienced a California DMV should feel fortunate!

DMV in California has a "GOD COMPLEX"

 

[WMcGuire]

Oh yes you do!!! There is an exclusion to this and I believe it states that if you can prove residence in the other state and paid the tax there and had the vehicle for X amount of months before coming to Cal then you wont have to pay sales tax, plus the truck better have 7500 miles or more on it and listed on the title paperwork for when you bought it.

anybody who has not experienced a California DMV should feel fortunate!

DMV in California has a "GOD COMPLEX"

To make it more confusing, You are a resident of California; You are going out of state to buy a used truck; If you pay 5% sales tax in Texas, that will be deducted from the use tax you pay when registering the vehicle, so if the California Tax rate is 8. 5% in the county you live in, you will pay 3. 5 % California use tax + registration fees + weight fees.

 

[Pawpaw]

Texas sales tax is 8. 25% max, but you don't pay it until you register (get tags).



You can legally buy the truck (but don't register or pay sales tax) in TX and drive it to CA. Then you'll just be at the mercy of the state of Kommiefornia.



Bob

 

[skipro3]

I bought a truck some time ago in Texas through a repo company. I paid his price and he provided a temporary transportation tag. I drove it to California and paid taxes just as if I had bought it in California. I did the same thing with a boat as well. I only had to show the seller proof of residence in any state other than Texas in order to get out of paying any fee at all for that state.

 

[scootergmc]

1. You will pay tax on the purchase price. Use/Sales, whatever you want to call it. It's based on the sales tax rate in your county of residence.



2. You don't need to worry about emissions as long as there are more than 7500 miles on the odometer.



Buy it. Drive it.

 

[THUREN]

Thanks for all the great help!



In reading some of the links provided, I found a registration calculator which verifies that I will surely have to pay tax somewhere. Crazy that the "buy from out of state" tax laws don't apply to vehicles. . They get ya' somehow... If I pay some tax in texas, they just subtract that from what I OWE in cali and charge me the rest.



I'll keep reading and educating myself. .



-Don

 

[THUREN]

NOt sure on the emissions stuff, but if you bought it in texas you don't pay sales tax in cali.

I WISH I could say this is true, and I assumed the same, but the DMV plays by different rules... Just found it in writing that you pay tax on what you paid for the vehicle. .

 

[100 Proof]

You've probably already done this, but since you are buying from far away, you will want to make sure the truck you are getting is not salvaged from hurricane Katrina. There are disreputable folks selling water damaged vehicles without disclosing this "minor" fact.



100 Proof

 

[macdaddy]

If it's an 04/HO 305/555, you'll have trouble registering it.



Only the SO/235 HP motors are CARB compliant for 04.



04. 5 HO's however do carry a CARB certification.



Mac

 

[BHaden]

If it's an 04/HO 305/555, you'll have trouble registering it.



Only the SO/235 HP motors are CARB compliant for 04.



04. 5 HO's however do carry a CARB certification.



Mac

If it has 7500 miles on it it DOES NOT need to be a CARB approved vehicle. An H. O. is fine. Anything is fine; as long as it is federal legal and has 7500 miles. Another thing; watch your declared GVWR. Over 10,000lb gets a hefty ($248/yr last I looked) weight fee surcharge. You are allowed to declare your max GVWR, no matter what the door tag says, but you'll need to stay below whatever weight you declare. The weight fee chart is on their web site along with a calculation sheet for the out-of-state puchase.

MC duallys have a 10,500 weight on the tag so it would cost $248/yr in CA for an extra 500lb capacity. I'm registered in AZ, where I'm retiring shortly, but I compared all the AZ and CA rules and numbers. Mine is registered at 9900lb, used mainly for towing not hauling huge weights in the bed. I can upgrade to the higher weight later if I decide I want to.

 

[THUREN]

Thanks for the help everyone!



Got back from Texas last nite as 10pm. What a drive... .



Got on the plane in Santa Barbara thursday at 6:30am, touched down in San Antonio at 12:30(pacific time), got the truck, and started heading home... 1450miles in 1. 5 days, 18mpg, and the ol' CTD didn't flinch... . Death wobble shimmy is fun though. .



Truck ended up being a 04. 5, and was ordered with the 11. 5" rear diff. .





Don

 

[MickeyMiller]

Don,

When you register the truck in California the DMV will require a certified weight certificate. There is a large registration fee increase at 7000#. I brough my '03 4X4 into California from Montana... . ran the tank down to empty (warning light on), removed everything possible (spare tire, jack, all tools) and, without driver, got it down to 6940#!!!... worth the effort!

 

[Pawpaw]

Truck ended up being a 04. 5, and was ordered with the 11. 5" rear diff. .

All 3rd gens have the 11. 5" rear, except for some early 03's. Automatics, I think.



Bob

 

[Alphacowboy]

bought time you bought a Dodge Don... . :-laf You only have been making track-bars and suspensions for them for how long now? :-laf



So, are you putting your "new" radius arm, trackbar, HD steering setups on this truck? I think when it comes time for me to buy a new truck, I am going to bring it to you first.



Congrats on the new truck Don.

 

[plntmgr]

You might want to go to http://www.escapees.com. I have a P. O. box there and a street address with them for my mail when I am on the road. This qualifies me as a Texas resident.