California back Registration Fees?

[TomS]

Can anyone in Ca tell me, if a car is bought in you state and then transported out, are there any fees owed to the state? This would be on a car that was last registered in 1991, and the owner lost the title?

[kmead]

None are owed to the CA, only to the state you will be titling and registering the car in.

If it stays in CA and you wish to register there you are liable for back reg fees. I had to pay them on a few of my current cars years and years ago.

Buy it and get it out of CA and you are good.

[baltobernie]

Good question, Tom.

Karl, I think he wants to know if he can obtain a replacement title from CA DMV without reparation of back registration fees. I don't know the answer. Have you asked the previous owner to apply for a replacement in California? Otherwise, you're going to have to use one of those proxy registration companies in Nevada, Maine, etc., that obtain a title in their state in your name. After paying those fees, you'll do it all again in PA. Should cost you about $500 after alls said and done.

You do have a notarized Bill of Sale from the seller, with VIN number, etc. don't you? Otherwise, you'll need to get creative.

[TomS]

Yes that was my question. He has no title for the car, but will get a bill of sale with vin. Good question why he wouldn't get a title from Ca DMV???
Thanks Tom

Good question, Tom.

Karl, I think he wants to know if he can obtain a replacement title from CA DMV without reparation of back registration fees. I don't know the answer. Have you asked the previous owner to apply for a replacement in California? Otherwise, you're going to have to use one of those proxy registration companies in Nevada, Maine, etc., that obtain a title in their state in your name. After paying those fees, you'll do it all again in PA. Should cost you about $500 after alls said and done.

You do have a notarized Bill of Sale from the seller, with VIN number, etc. don't you? Otherwise, you'll need to get creative.

[mbouse]

well, obtaining a title would cost him money, and effort.

[baltobernie]

why he wouldn't get a title from Ca DMV?

I don't know the intricacies of the California DMV, but they might hold the title hostage until back registration fees are paid; like some states won't reissue tags with unpaid parking fines. It will take a CA insider to answer this, but he cannot register the car in PA without a title (and a bunch of other stuff). Have you thoroughly searched the CA DMV Web site for this topic?

Presuming the vehicle is to be street-driven, I would think that the absence of a title would significantly lower the value of the car, considering the costs involved in obtaining a roundabout replacement.

[mbouse]

sure sounds like an awful lot of hassle for a buyer. is the car REALLY worth all that? if it is, shouldn't the seller be on top of it? ... i think that is the question here.

[So Cal Mark]

it depends if the car has been unregistered so long that it has dropped out the system. If the car is no longer in the state computers, it's simple to get a title and/or register it

[MNspiderman]

You do not have to get a california title before you get a title for your state. In MN all you do is go down and tell them you lost the title, they say OK, and you fill out a form. You get a new title in the mail, its that easy. They don't even check the vin or require a vehicle ispection. The only catch is that the title says DUPLICATE across it for three years. Within that three years if anyone claims that car then your in big trouble, If nobody claims it within three years, your home free. The state only does this to protect themselves against thefts.

[baltobernie]

You do not have to get a california title before you get a title for your state.

Not so in Pennsyltuckey, where they don't even have DMV offices. They use a weird combination of Justices of the Peace, independent titling agencies, etc. Not only do you need a title, they also require a tracing of the VIN done by another licensing facility. Probably a secret handshake or two, too.

Which is kinda funny, because after a few years of driving on their roads, the VIN plate is about the only remaining chunk of metal left on what used to be your car.