DMV Help?

[Don Bradner]

Hate to argue with you Pete, but the primary fee, called Vehicle License Fee, is
the same 2 percent on both new, and used. The thing is that 2/3 of that, on both
new, and used, has been "offset" since early in the Gray Davis years, so for all
vehicles it starts at .66%.

That is the one they were hitting the original poster with.

The transfer fee is NOT based on value. It is a flat $15, and only applies for
purchases from another California resident. If you purchase from a Non-Resident,
there is a $17 Original Service Fee instead.

The registration fee is $31

Here's what it looks like today, for a used $160,000 vehicle purchased from an
out-of-state party, resident of a 7.25% sales tax area:

Current Registration: 31.00
Current California Highway Patrol: 10.00
Current Vehicle License Fee: 1,041.00
Current County Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies Fee: 1.00
Current Fingerprint ID Fee: 1.00
Current Auto Theft and/or DUI Crime Deterrence Program: 1.00
Current Abandoned Vehicle Fee: 1.00
Current Air Quality Management District: 4.00
Use/Sales Tax: 11,600.00
Non-Resident Original Service Fee: 17.00
Reflectorized License Plate Fee: 1.00
Grand Total Registration Fees: $12,708.00

If the vehicle were a brand new one, from a California Dealer, every number
above would be identical except there is no transfer or original service fee,
making the total $12,691.00.

For any question on variables, use the online calculator at
https://mv.dmv.ca.gov/FeeCalculatorWeb/index.jsp

Don Bradner
90 PT40 "Blue Thunder"
Eureka, CA

On 7/13/2007 at 6:43 PM Pete Masterson wrote:

>The $1000 appears to be the "vehicle transfer fee" rather than the
>sales/use tax.
>
>If you register a vehicle in California, you have three basic fees:
>Registration -- that's based on the value and age of the vehicle. It
>starts at 2% for a new vehicle and through a rather complex formula
>works its way down to .69% (about 2/3 of 1 percent) for an older
>vehicle. The value (may be) based on the depreciated new cost of the
>vehicle.
>
>Vehicle Transfer Fee -- a one-time fee based roughly on the market
>value of the vehicle at the time of the transfer. It the case that
>was being discussed, the vehicle transfer fee should probably have
>been in the range of $300 to $400 or so as the "market value" was
>incorrectly set at $160,000 or so (for an 84 FC).
>
>Sales/Use Tax -- this is a minimum of 7.25% ranging up to 8.25%
>depending on the county where the registered owner lives or where the
>vehicle was delivered if purchased in the state. If purchased from an
>in-state dealer, the dealer will collect the Sales Tax based on the
>net purchase price. If purchased out of state, then the use tax will
>be collected by the DMV when you register the vehicle, unless the
>transaction is subject to one of the (few) exceptions. You may also
>get credit for any sales tax paid to another jurisdiction. For
>example, if you simply move from another state to California -- and
>didn't buy the vehicle recently -- then you may be exempt from paying
>the use tax.