PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

@ABA180
@ColoradoTJ
@shakerhood
@Speedytech7
@TnShooter

How does transferring ownership of a vehicle work in your respective states? Pennsylvania is the only state (er...commonwealth) I'm aware of where vehicle titles and license plates are done by a separate entity from the DMV; I do believe that DMVs in New Mexico are privately owned, but I think every other state does everything through government-run DMVs.

In Pennsylvania, the DMV handles the issuance and renewal of driver's licenses and ID cards, but as stated above titling and license plates are handled by private notaries. Registration can be done either through PennDOT or the notaries. In Pennsylvania, dealerships also act as the notary if you live in PA. If you are from out-of-state or registering the vehicle out of state for any reason, a paper tag and a notarized title are issued. If you live in Pennsylvania, you can transfer the license plates from your trade-in vehicle to the new vehicle.

In the case of Amanda's car, her landlady simply brought the license plate and registration card for the PT Cruiser to the dealer, and was able to transfer that plate to the 2012 Honda CRV that she bought. She paid cash for the Honda, and Amanda obviously paid cash for the Chrysler, so we got our respective titles in the mail from PennDOT.

When my dad traded his 1996 Pathfinder for the Tacoma in September 2009, he had to get a new plate. Why? Because a Pathfinder is considered a passenger vehicle, and a Tacoma is obviously a truck; unless the vehicle being traded has a vanity or specialty license plate, trucks in PA get plates that say "TRUCK" on the bottom.

When my dad gifted the Tacoma to me in December 2016, we opted to keep the plate because it was staying in the family, and this saved us a decent amount of money. When we transferred the title of the Chrysler to Amanda from her landlady, we had to pay for a bunch more shit because Amanda and her landlady aren't related.

By January 2021, my original "TRUCK" plate from 2009 was peeling; I originally wanted a personalized plate that said "2ICE SHY" (a reference to my favorite song), but there a 6-month wait for vanity plates due to COVID. I opted for the "Railroad Heritage" plate instead. The truck was titled and registered solely in my name, so getting the plate was as simple as driving to the notary and paying for it. I put the new plate on my truck in the parking lot, and I still have it. If I were to trade my truck in for something that was considered a passenger vehicle by PennDOT, or sell the truck and replace it with such a vehicle, then the railroad plate could be transferred. However, if Amanda replace the PT Cruiser with something that is legally considered a truck (a pickup truck, a cargo van, and strangely enough a Subaru Baja), then she would have to get a new license plate.

In 2020-2021, there was a shortage of new plates due to COVID (see above); I met a guy at a cruise night in this time period who had just bought a 1960s Buick of some sort. I believe they were out of antique plates due to supply issues, so the notary gave him a truck a plate but only charged him to register the Buick as a non-antique passenger vehicle!

 

There are companies here that can act on behalf of the DMV. You don't have to be state run to be a vehicle licensing place here. Same with Arizona actually

 

I know a guy who has brought a few JDM and Euro-spec vehicles into Washington via British Colombia; I don't know if you knew this, but the loophole for gray market vehicles in Canada is 15 years instead of the 25-year minimum stateside...

There is no law against driving a vehicle that's registered anywhere in Canada or Mexico into the United States, and this guy drove a couple vehicles across the border into Washington. The two vehicles I have personally seen are 1997 Toyota Century and a 2002 Lancia of some sort. He claims to have just driven them to Washington, filled out the paperwork at the DMV, and gotten Washington titles for both. The Century is now legal here, but the Lancia won't be until 2027. At Carlisle a few years ago, I also saw a 2006 Citroen that was registered in New York as a 1995 Citroen.

I personally believe that government has no right to tell us what kind of vehicles we are allowed to drive, and that long as it's insured and meets basic emissions/safety standards, it can be registered in all 50 states and driven here! California really needs to go pound sand with its draconian emissions testing...

 

You go to the DMV with a title.
The title has to have the owners and buyers signature on it. (owner does not have to be present, just a signature)
Fork over what ever they say you owe for taxes. Wait a week or two and open the mail box.

 

Some of it is done at the county courthouse and some of it at the BMV. If you buy out of State you have to take the vehicle to the BMV for some kind of verification inspection, then to the Courthouse for the title, and back to the BMV for plates.

 

Could be that, my oil pressure sending unit leak was small enough I only spotted it while doing something else. Thought it was the filter but turns out it wasn't, still a cheap fix

This here is MA.

 

I’ve only ever signed two titles in my life (the Tacoma and the PT Cruiser), and both were in the presence of the notary public. I honestly do not know what the requirement is for who must be present, but I have a feeling that some notary people are more “by the books” than others. I’d imagine it’s perfectly fine to have the owner sign the title and bring it in without them present, because how are people supposed to buy vehicles privately on Sunday if that’s the case?!?!

 

So that’s where the blinker fluid leaks into

 

Florida is even weirder. You can buy plates from a private run store.

Maryland was surprisingly simple. Unlike CA. Took me three trips to get my Taco registered the second go around.

 

What the hell is a blinker

 

Your Toyota owning privileges have been revoked

 

Cali you can’t even register your vehicle in most counties if it won’t pass smog!

 

I mean a lot of states are like that. Not defending CA at all, but it’s the same thing back home. Emissions testing every two years.

 

Pennsylvania is EVERY YEAR! You get an exemption (but you still have to pay a reduced fee) if your drive less than 5,000 miles in a year; California is an asshole not because it requires emissions testing, but because it requires emissions testing for gas-powered vehicles older than 1996.

With the exception of certain 1995 Toyota and Lexus models (not all), nothing older than 1996 is OBD2. My mechanic generally won’t even touch pre-OBD2 vehicles that aren’t Volvo (his specialty).Very few mechanics have the diagnostic tools to work on pre-OBD2 vehicles. New Jersey exempted all gas-powered vehicles older than 1996 from emissions testing. Even 1995 Toyotas with OBD2 are exempt from emissions in Jersey.

Honestly, if I HAD to live in California, my daily would probably be an old diesel Mercedes. What else gets better MPG than a Prius and looks better than anything at the country club?!?!

 

Here you can register and title the vehicle, but you have 7 days to get the inspection sticker. The prior owner's sticker is void the second the ownership changes.

There are lemon laws regarding vehicles that won't pass here but it isn't necessarily emissions exclusive.

 

Just noticed I have post#66666 here, pretty appropriate for me

 

Went to see our old house yesterday!

 

This tree was tiny when my parents sold the place in 1996!

 

@ABA180
@ColoradoTJ
@Just_A_Guy
@shakerhood
@steelcity2
@TnShooter

Pictures of me with the same tree, back in January 1996!

 

The kitchen has been greatly improved since we lived there!