Registering a vehicle in California

[mgforshort]

The CA DMV has an excellent website. You can put in a car or truck, year, make and model, how much you paid for it, what city you live in, and they give you the exact figure, to the penny. The estimate breaks it down, sales tax, registration, all the miscellaneous "fees", and Dear Lord they have like six different "fees." Don't call it tax, please.
For example our 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe cost us $ 222 this month. When you buy a new vehicle they establish a registration cost, but it doesn't go down much as the car gets older. Smog test is due every 2 years, but not in the first 8 years. There is sales tax on used cars when you get one, which doesn't apply in some states.

Bottom line is when buying any new car, truck, motorcycle, you must figure about 9.1 % over the purchase price. Some cities have higher sales tax - ours is 7.75% - so your milage might vary.

[curiousgeorge5]

Originally Posted by JGC97

I have no idea what the tags for a newer one would be but this little tool can give you an estimate.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/wasapp/FeeCal...VehicleForm.do

I tried to upvote your post but the system said I need to spread it around.

[curiousgeorge5]

Originally Posted by saibot

We have several cars of that vintage and they are all under $200 to register. I most recently paid up my 2007 BMW and it was $163.

$1200 sounds like some of the old "Everything in California costs 10x more" bull--.

This is what I'm beginning to think.

Originally Posted by cb73

There are people who totally ignore parking tickets, let them end up on their car registration bill, and then complain about California/DMV being too expensive.

Depending on where he lived, parking tickets that go to penalty can get seriously high. Collect a couple a month and it will add up.

I didn't know parking tickets can wind up on the registration fee.

Originally Posted by evening sun

Good point, if he is paying that much he is paying for unpaid tickets, not only is registration, Ours is somewhere in the 200 range. More bs from the I hate CA fools

Originally Posted by mattja

I paid $165 to renew my 37-year-old truck last month.

Are these $200 range and $165 for the year or 6 months?

[curiousgeorge5]

Originally Posted by rodentraiser

...I had an old truck that I started repairing 6 months before the registration was due to almost 6 months after it was due, because it cost so much. That was to pass smog so I could get the thing registered. I'll tell you guys, the last year my neighbor said something along the lines of, "$200 and I'll get you a smog certificate." I took him up on it because I didn't have a penny more to spend on repairs. But the next year I got a new vehicle...

A long time ago I knew an older fellow who had some connection where for a fee a guy or guys would light a person's car on fire so the person can collect on the insurance.

[curiousgeorge5]

Originally Posted by rodentraiser

...I had an old truck that I started repairing 6 months before the registration was due to almost 6 months after it was due, because it cost so much. That was to pass smog so I could get the thing registered. I'll tell you guys, the last year my neighbor said something along the lines of, "$200 and I'll get you a smog certificate." I took him up on it because I didn't have a penny more to spend on repairs. But the next year I got a new vehicle...

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

The going rate here is $900 cash. At least that's what it is/was for a blown C5 with meth injection....

Gotta get it smogged again, this year....

I guess these people either work for the state or have a connection to someone that works for the state.

$900 is a lot. I wonder how long the certification is good for.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by curiousgeorge5

Are these $200 range and $165 for the year or 6 months?

A DMV auto registration renewal covers the entire year.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by curiousgeorge5

$900 is a lot. I wonder how long the certification is good for.

Smog certificate is good for two years, at least for the vehicles I'm familiar with. Every other time we pay the annual registration, the car needs to be smogged.

[AnythingOutdoors]

Originally Posted by saibot

$1200 sounds like some of the old "Everything in California costs 10x more" bull--.

My then 8 year old F150 was $450 to register in California in 2020. When we moved to Idaho it was $45. So the 10x thing isn't always an exaggeration.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

My then 8 year old F150 was $450 to register in California in 2020. When we moved to Idaho it was $45. So the 10x thing isn't always an exaggeration.

It may have something to do with the fact that there are 251.3 people per square mile in California, and 22.3 people per square mile in Idaho. And you can bet that the majority of Californians drive a car....

[V8 Vega]

My 2018 Bolt is $310 so stop the lie that electric cars cost more to register.