Selling a registered out of state vehicle in CA?

Hi guys,

Can the CA folks can help with the questions below:

Are there any hassles to sell a registered out of state vehicle in CA? I know the smog thing is tough but whose responsibility is it the seller or buyer? I had friends and family move into CA and registered their out of state vehicles there fine but am wondering the implications (if any) to sell it there, say to get another vehicle etc. Thanks.

 

See https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/how-to-9-register-a-vehicle-from-out-of-state-nonresident-vehicle/

Some nonresident vehicles cannot be registered in California or the United States (U.S.). For rules and exceptions, see the Buying a Vehicle From Out of State – Can You Register It in California? (FFVR 29) Fast Facts brochure.

Caution: Unless the vehicle was originally manufactured to meet California emission standards or the owner or vehicle qualifies for an exemption, California law prohibits California residents or businesses from bringing into California or registering in California, a motor vehicle which is less than 2 years old and has less than 7,500 miles on the odometer at the time of purchase, trade, or acquisition. Refer to the Statement of Facts California Non-Certified Vehicle (REG 256F) form for exemptions.

Paraphrased- You can register it as long is it not new and will pass smog. Passing smog is sellers responsibility. As long as no "check engine light" is on, it will generally pass.

 

To bring a car in you need smog, title or loan docs showing you as the owner or person who carries the loan. DMV checks the VIN, you pay a percentage of sales tax that is prorated based on age of vehicle and amount you paid the previous state, and you pay your registration, and you're good.

If it's a pickup, you also need to get it weighed at a DMV approved certified scale since reg for pickups is based on weight. This has to be done before registration will be issued.

If you then resell that vehicle there are no issues as it is already Ca registered. It will need smog again but in reality, that's the buyer's issue to get it smogged and to pay for it. Smog is good for 90 days so in theory you could smog it and then give that smog report to the new owner to use, but there's no requirement to do that. Only dealers have to smog it prior to sale. Pickups already registered in Ca will not need to be weighed again.

Pretty much any modern car will be able to pass smog and I don't think there are any mfg that still offer Ca compliant and different 49 state compliant cars.... everything current is 50- state. Note that the smog shop HAS to be on the list to be able to do out of state cars... not all can.

I've both brought an Ohio registered truck into California, and bought a truck in Oregon and subsequently registered it in Ca so ask any other questions.

 

Thanks for the replies. Perhaps I could be more clear. I'm looking to do a road trip to CA to visit friends and family in my truck and was considering selling it while in CA and flying back. I need a larger vehicle so I could get the new vehicle in CA and drive back but something tells me the drive back to the east coast will be very tiring. So if I do decide to sell it while I'm in CA, I wanted to know if this will be a hassle or any implications I should consider. My 4Runner is a 2019 TRDP so I'm assuming it has the 50-state emissions? I'll check on that.

 

Yeah you're good.

It's a 50 state vehicle.

If you trade it in there's absolutely zero problems expected.

If you sell it outright then you should still be golden, there's no weighing required and it'll definitely pass smog so a buyer probably won't be worried about that aspect. Trade title for money, maybe throw him $75 to cover cost of smog if he cries about it, everything else is on him (getting smog, taking truck to DMV to have vin inspection/re title/ plate).

HOWEVER I'm not sure buying a vehicle in Calif is ideal unless it's used / private party. You're going to pay Calif sales tax at a dealer and possibly reg fees as well, and then pay it again back home when you register. Tax will be damn near 10% depending on where you buy. I see you think about flying back, that's probably a smart option.

 

Not so sure about what you say about buying a car in California. If you are from out of state and you buy a car in California the dealership can give you a temporary 30 day registration and you are required to drive the new car directly to your state of residence. CHP and other state agencies are usually strict about enforcing the “drive it straight home“ and the dealership will warn you that if you deviate the LE agency might impound the vehicle as being unregistered. Meaning if you buy a car in California and you reside in New Mexico and your stopped driving the car in Florida it’s going to cost you a lot of headaches and money to get the car out of impound.
Your home state will have you pay sales tax and California law requires that when you register your car within 90 days of date of purchase in any state other than California you will receive a full refund on sales tax paid to California.

 

You trust the DMV to refund several thousand dollars to a person who isn't even in the state? Have you ever dealt with the DMV in California? This is the same agency that forgot about the rollout of 'REAL ID' and accidentally issued a few hundred thousand people the wrong ID in the past year. The same agency that has 15 clerks on the job and 15 people waiting in the office to be helped and somehow it's still a 3 hour process because 13 of the clerks are on break at any given time and 1 is a trainee who is also on break.

Additionally, if you finance the purchase price, the tax is rolled into that, so you're paying it in increments and paying interest on it for the life of the loan. Even if you do get this "refund" of which you speak, you're still paying interest on a bigger loan amount due to having had to pay the tax up front in the first place.

You may be able to avoid paying the reg fees at the dealer if you are from out of state, I don't know. I do know that Calif, unlike some other states, has you paying all those fees up front to the dealer for in state purchases. You never even go to the DMV on your own after buying a car at the dealer, they collect the money and do all the paperwork and you get the plates and reg in the mail, and the title later in the mail from DMV if you paid cash.

Incidentally California now issues (since Jan 1) legit temporary tags, not the red travel permits or the even more retarded dealer advertisement plates that they used to for a new car purchase. The temporary tag is 50-state legit for travel so you could theoretically ignore my advice above, buy a car in Calif, and take it on a road trip around the country, even Mexico and Canada, with no issues as they pertain to registration.

 

Thanks guys for all the info! A little more than I needed but definitely useful should I encounter some of that red tape lol. I'm still on the fence about driving over but I hope I can sell it quickly since I will need to head back. Vacations don't last forever ya know! Any ideas how much TRD Pro's go for in CA?

 

Depends on where. It's a big state. SF? SD? LA? A good amount. Hoopa? They'll just kill you and take it.

 

Hey you asked!!!!

 

Hoopa? Sorry I don't follow

Probably gonna hit the Bay area (SF) and SoCal (OC to SD).

 

It's a regional joke, though I reckon you could Google it.