75 BBC Stingray

Apparently in RI there has been a recent law that requires me to have the previous owners registration when I attempt to register the car. Apparently this is an attempt to force people to keep up with the sales tax when purchasing a car.

I purchased the car from a guy who left it in a field for 8 years meaning to fix it up, but never did. It was last inspected in MA, and it had no interior, so I'm pretty sure he never drove or registered it... I called the DMV, and basically they told me without a previous registration, there is no way to get the car on the road here in RI!!!

I can't believe this!!! :mad Maybe I can still find the guy I bought it from, but if he moved, I'm out of luck. I'm ready to sell the whole thing right now and be done with this aggravation!

On a calmer note... Anyone have suggestions? Fellow RI'ers on the forum? Please?


[Modified by 75 BBC Stingray, 4:15 PM 7/25/2003]

Freepop

Sell it to me for a buck and then buy it back from me for two bucks. You bought it from someone out of state so the rul shouldn't apply and .....I made 200% profit :lol:


[Modified by Freepop, 3:18 PM 7/25/2003]

Bob Turner

How about registering the car in MASS for a few months and then take the NEW TITLE in a few months later and register it in RI again??

Bob :yesnod:

75 BBC Stingray

Both good suggestions. The hangup I have with Freepop's idea is that I would be legally transferring ownership of the car (my baby) to someone else. I would need to trust that person to complete the deal, otherwise, I'd be creating another problem for myself... :rolleyes:

To register in MA, I would need to have residency there, which I do not. The prinicple is good however. I do not know what requirements MA has to register a car, perhaps the same deal would apply. (I don't think RI legislators are that hair-brained to think up this rule all by themselves... but you never know... :rolleyes: )

Tominator

I don't know if this helps but in Iowa, we tell them the car has been in storage and then don't have to pay back taxes.

Smokehouse69

Do you have a Mass. title? If you do then R.I. shouldn't require a previous registration, since it wasn't registered in R.I. If they do, then contact the Mass. DMV and ask them to do a search on the old title for the last time it was legally registered and get a copy from them. They'll probably charge you $25.00 or so, but they should be able to generate one.

76Frankenstein

I don't know about RI, but I had a similar experience when I attempted to register a CA car here in PA. After 2 months of trying, I still could not locate the previous owner. The local DMV insisted I needed it. In desperation, I called the main state DMV office, who informed me that the DMV rules allowed a waiver, if the previous owner was not found. All I needed was a sealed "returned as undeliverable" letter showing an attempt to obtain the information from the last known address. Maybe worth asking?

Robert N

There almost has to be some sort of waiver option. What about custom built hot rods? What about custom built motorcyles?

I find it hard to believe that they will not register a car without proof of previous registraion. After all, the car HAD to be registered at some point. Find out about the process of registering out of state vehicles.

Did a little digging for you.

If the automobile is purchased directly from the factory or dealer in another state or from any other person for use in this state, the purchaser must make payment of the tax to the Tax Administrator or his/her agent as a condition precedent to obtaining a registration for the motor vehicle.

If I read this correctly, take your bill of sale or documentation showing the price paid for the vehicle (check stub/statement/credit card statement, etc to DMV. Let them know that is what was paid and that you understand a use tax may be do to obtain the registration. They should be able to provide full details for making the tax payment. Once that is done, a receipt should be all that is needed for registration.

This is very similar to a law just created here in AZ. The reason, too many people where shopping out of particular cities that charged sales tax, especially for high dollar purchases like cars where the amount of sales tax could easily be $500 or more. This is also one way the state can collect a "sales tax" for internet purchases.

The quote came from http://www.tax.state.ri.us/regs/st-regs/03-69.htm if interested.

Hope that helps.


[Modified by Robert N, 2:43 PM 7/25/2003]

75 BBC Stingray

Thanks Robert!

I will do more digging tonight, but as I understand it currently:

I would have had to pay a sales tax regardless of this new law. The tax is calculated by the bill of sale, or the blue book value, whichever is higher...

The proof of registration is only required to prove the guy I bought it from paid the sales tax when he bought the car. Soooo... even if he did not register it, but did pay the sales tax like a good citizen :rolleyes: , I could use a stamped sales tax form documenting his payment.

Now if he did not register the car, I can do two things. I can bring him down with me to the DMV, he can register the car, pay the tax (of course I'll be paying). Then he will cancel the registration, give it to me, then I can register it.

The other option is to go back to the last owner who registered the car and try and get the registration from him, along with a bill of sale in my name... :rolleyes: Of course now we are talking back in 95 or earlier. There is an inspection sticker on the car from MA from 95 (I think...)

Robert N

In theory, all you would need to do is pay the sales tax to get it registered. Finding the previous registration would simply mean the sales tax was initially paid, saving you $$. There really would be no reason for the previousowner to register it first.

Assuming that the tax was pai and the car never a copy of the payment would solve the issue. At worst, the state would be paid twice.

Keep us posted

75 BBC Stingray

More info: I was originally given some paperwork with the car when I bought it. It was awfully weathered and I thought unreadable. Looking at it again tonight, I find that I have the last registration and the title, and while in tatters, it is readable. So now I have the title and registration from the 2 owners ago, but the title is not transfered to my name, and I have a bill of sale from the last owner. I would think to complete the chain, I would need the following: Either
1.) A copy of the bill of sale from the previous owner (whose registration I have) and the last owner.
OR
2.) A bill of sale from 2 owners ago to match the title and registration.

Thoughts?

Robert N

The previous owner, the one you bought the car from, should have given you the title. If you do not have that, DMV would be able to issue a 'duplicate' or 'replacement title' since you have proof the car is yours.

Complete a title application (see #6), check the appropriate box at the top of the form, and pay a $4.00 title fee. A photo identification may be requested for walk-in customers. - from AZ DMV.

Rhode Island's DMV site did not provide such info, however.

75 BBC Stingray

New Info:
While going through the paperwork I had last night, I kept coming back to a slip of white paper that had writing too faded to read. The odd thing was that the writing looked backwards. After some investigation under bright lights, I found that the small piece of paper was actually a much larger piece of paper that was folded. The paper was weathered enough that it was almost bonded together. When I got the paper unfolded, it turned out to be a bill of sale from the owner which matches the tattered title and registration that I have. Perhaps now I have all I need! I've decided to get the car retitled in my name, as it will not require the purchase of insurance until later when I register it. I'll try that later this week.

On one hand I feel foolish not having known EXACTLY what documentation I possesed, but I was major freaked out by the thought of not being able to get the car on the road. It kinda ruins the whole motivation of working on it... :D

Anyways, I'm off to pull the body, so I can probe all those areas where the hidden rust might reside.

cicch95

My Dad ran into this very same problem. I can't remember the outcome. I will give him a call tonight and try to find out for you. I'll let you know.

-Rick

cicch95

oK.....I talked to my Dad....and what he had to do was call the registry from the state the car was bought and get them to give him the registration history. Sorry I can't be much help. Good luck.

-Rick