Quote:
Originally Posted by roroskis
Hey guys, I need advice.
I purchased a BRZ from Heuberger Motors on 10/30, and I took delivery of the car on 11/7. From reading this thread, I thought that I'd have 20 days from the day the car was brought into CA to register the car in California, which gives me until the 26th or so. However, I tried to register today, and they charged me a late penalty fee, which was more than double the normal registration cost. I tried to contest it, but they said that the 20 days applies to the date the car was purchased, not when it was brought into California. I tried mentioning the nonresident vehicle information that's listed on the DMV site, but they said that since it's a new car it's not a nonresident vehicle.
I'm pretty annoyed right now honestly having to deal with this and being out an extra $400, but what's the right answer in this case, and what should I do? Thanks in advance.
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As has been posted, you have 20 days from entry. They are wrong and you need to go higher up the chain. I have imported three new cars from out of state and in each case (two different DMV offices) they have gone by the 20 day criteria.
From the DMV site: "A nonresident vehicle was last registered outside the state of California. Anyone who brings a vehicle into California, or purchases a nonresident vehicle while in California, should be aware of the registration requirements. "
Technically the car was issued a Certificate of Ownership to the dealer located in CO. For all intents and purposes, the Certificate of Ownership functions as a title until the first registration. Since it was assigned by Subaru to a Colorado dealer, the defacto point is that it is a non-resident vehicle.
Don't back down. The people you dealt with are wrong.