Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Out Of State Ram Purchase

[JLovell]

Any experience out there buying a 24 valve Ram out of California and bringing it back in? Registration? Smog complications? Good idea? Bad idea?

 

[illflem]

Check with the state you're buying it from, they all have different tax laws. CA will make you pay sales tax when you register it, make sure the selling state doesn't want to charge tax when they sell it. That would have been the case with me, I wanted to buy a rig in CA and take it to WA. The only way to get around the double tax in that situation was for the dealer to deliver it to the CA - OR border. I ended up buying in OR, no sales tax, but I had to pay tax when registering it in WA.

WA charges sales tax every time a used vehicle changes hands, seems sort of bogus to me. Sellers used to make out a bill of sale for much less than the real price to save on tax but the DOL got wise and started checking the rig's value in a book.

The only thing I know about smog laws is it cost my daughter $400 to bring her Honda up to CA specs when she moved there.

 

[dsather]

I am in the process of doing that right now. A friend had the lease run out on his 99. I contacted the lease company and bought it from them but it would be the same for a private party sale as well. You have 20 days from the time you bring it in California. CA will want the use tax as you are registering it to drive on their roads. If another state insists on charging a tax for selling the vehicle, there is a form called REG 256 that you can get off the DMV web site. It is a "Statement of Facts" form. There is a section on it that allows you to get credited for USE tax paid to another state. IF CA charges 7. 75% and the other state got 5% from you, then you would have to make up the difference.



I didn't run across any problems. You will have to take the vehicle to the DMV or AAA (AAA can do reg stuff) and have it inspected. Not a smog inspection. They are looking for the proper VIN number, mileage, etc. As no smog is required on a diesel they will need to verify it being a diesel. If the out of State title does not have an empty weight listed, you will need to get a DMV certified weight from a public scale. And, of course, they will hit you up for the reg and use tax fees.



California considers a new vehicle to be one that has less than 7500 miles on it. IF this is the case with the one you are looking at then things get much more complicated as it must be manufactured to CA smog specs. Not so with vehicles not considered new (more than 7500 miles). Although, they also would have to comply with emissions levels based on their design. That's why the gassers need the smog check.



Sorry for the rambling note!

 

[IdaH.O.Train]

Everything dsather said sounds right on. I just wanted to add a couple of other tidbits. I have bought two rigs out of state; one in Nevada and this one in Oregon. When I did the NV transaction they would not handle any of the CA DMV registration issues. According to the finance schmuck, NV was not set up to handle CA vehicle registrations, although I heard otherwise later. So, I had to take care of the registration myself. When I bought this truck in OR, they said they could handle the DMV stuff; however, I didn't want to finance in all that extra tax and license so, once again, I did it myself. In both cases I had to get the vehicles weighed myself and provide DMV with the certificate.



Also, as dsather mentioned about the 20 day period. The DMV will expect you to come in during that period and "post fees. " Meaning, they will figure up an estimate of tax and license fees based on the paperwork you provide them and expect you to come up with that amount, pending final figures. Now this is where you can get screwed. When I registered my previous truck, the one purchased in NV, the finance paperwork never reflected the vehicles selling price, before any trade-in losses. It only showed what they had to mark it up to to cover my loss on the trade-in. So what happened is that I ended up paying taxes and fees on over $4,000 worth of trade-in loss. The dealership in OR was kind enough to provide me with a seperate bill of sale that indicated the vehicle's selling price only, no trade-in losses, and that's what DMV went off of. That saved my anus. What happens in Oregon is that even though you live in CA, when you buy a vehicle there they will register it in OR initially. You will receive the OR registration in the mail sometime during the next couple of months. CA DMV cannot finish their paperwork until you take them the OR reg.



I don't know how other states work with respect to CA, but I do know one thing, you better be prepared to shell out alot of dough when you go to the DMV. Also, you may have to get creative with the weighing and paperwork to avoid getting screwed. :{

 

[MikeR]

Just curious, is there any particular reason for buying a federal 24 valve truck? Reason I ask is because the 24 valve trucks have the still have the same hp/tq rating wether it's a CA or federal truck, and there's no egr or cats on CA 24 valves.

It's not like buying a 12 valve CA truck where you have the egr crap and lower hp ratings.



Just wondering if you knew... .



-Mike

 

[Uncle Joe]

nobody mentioned,when you buy a new vehicle out of state it is exempt from the lemon law

 

[emjay]

I think HP and Torque ratings ARE lower on California trucks, also I don't think you can get the 2003 HO Six speed in Cal.

 

[MikeR]

I think HP and Torque ratings ARE lower on California trucks, also I don't think you can get the 2003 HO Six speed in Cal.

Wait a sec! Maybe JLovell better clarify what year 24 valve he is wanting to buy. I assumed since he asked his question here on the 98-2002 24v forum, he wanted a 98-02 truck... the power doesn't make a difference.

If he wants a 2003, then yes, I hear you can't get the HO in CA, and he should address the question in the 2003/new bodystyle truck forum so we know which he's talking about.

 

[JLovell]

I'm looking for years 2000, '01 or '02

 

[Big White Beast]

Got our 02 in Texas......

Saved $3,000 on what the dealers wanted out here. The Texas dealer said they could do all the paper work for Kalifornia registration. WRONG!!



They finally sent us the money back and we had to do the DMV bit our selves. They wouldn't let us register it here because it didn't meet Kalifornias smog. But, if it has 7500 miles on it you can register it. The catch is that you have to say you drove it in the other state and just got back to Kalifornia.



The temporary plate that Texas gives for the truck when you buy it has no date. So we just drove it here for 5 months. No one ever questioned it. The real thing to look out for is that once you bring it into Kalifornia you have to register it within 10 days. So that's the date you give them. We bought in February and registered it in July. It was a free 5 months worth of tags the way I see it.



As far as why would you do it, the Ka. 02's have a catylitic converter again, the Feds don't. And the 03's in Ka. are supposed to be worthless for HP.



If you want more info on what we did just let me know.



Garrett

 

[Chipstien]

California... ... sucks to be you.

 

[dfuller]

Hey Guys, There isn't any black magic in buying a Dodge truck out of state, just do business with a dealer that advertises in Trailer Life or TDR. Two dealers come to mind, one in Portland where my cousin bought his from my recommendation and the other is Farmington Dodge, located in Farmington New Mexico where I bought mine. Farmington Dodge's URL is something like theanewdodge.com. By the way the dealer has changed ownership and I believe they have a new name.

Both dealers being in Oregon and New Mexico do not charge sales or excise tax.

When you order your truck make certain you order the California equipped option.

Once you take delivery, make certain you have the bill of sale and certificate of orgin before leaving.

What California DMV requires before you can register your truck is the following:

1. Bill of Sale

2. Certificate of Orgin

3. A DMV Visual inspection form for California CARB equipment, this can be done by the DMV (don't recommend that) or CHP (provide a towel because the officer will be drulling all over your truck without one).

4. Weight certificate, you will need to go to a CALIFORNIA certified weight station and have your truck weighted. Weight certificate from any other state doesn't meet DMV requirement.

5. Wheel barrel full of money to pay the registration fee and sales taxes.

When I bought my truck from Farmington Dodge I saved just over $4500 compared to the best deal I could find here in California... California dealer are just plain old hores.....

 

[NVR FNSH]

Are trying to avoid CA sales tax or are you trying to get the highest rated engine you can?



You can do both but it takes a bit of creative thinking. CA will hit you for CA sales tax (county rate) when you title/register the truck if you bring it into CA within 90 days of the purchase. If it is 'used' outside of CA by a CA resident for >90 days it is presumed that the vehicle was bought for use outside of CA and sales tax will not be applied. I was told by a DMV employee that as a CA resident I could purchase a vehicle outside of CA, leave it outside CA for my use but register/title it in CA w/o paying sales tax. The jist of it is that you get a temporary tag until you bring the vehicle into CA - just make sure it is more than 90 days. I believe this is in place for retirees/snow birds. I don't know how the 7500 mile/smog equipment issue plays into this scenario since I went thru it on my 5th wheel.



E-mail or PM me if you like to discuss further - it will be much easier on the phone.



Brian