on taxing the separate shipping cost, i got it sorted with the dealer. in CA, taxing the shipping cost is only proper in certain circumstances. where the car has a set sale price, and the cost of shipping is not included in that price, but is a separate charge by a carrier, then the shipping cost shouldn't be taxed. this all changes under different circumstances, though. for example, if the shipping cost is rolled into the sale price and quoted as one price on the bill of sale, then it's probably taxable. see the applicable california regulation and board of equalization FAQ on the issue:
http://www.boe.ca.gov/lawguides/busi...sutr/1628.html
http://www.boe.ca.gov/pdf/pub100.pdf
with those two links, i convinced dealer to not apply sales tax to cost of shipping, which in my bill of sale is a separate charge that the dealer takes from me and passes to the shipping carrier.
oh.. the reason this was a bit more important for me to sort is bc i'm shipping from CT, so shipping costs (and any tax thereon) are more significant.