Car Title Explanation

[442MUCH]

Can someone explain this to me like I was a six year old? What is a "title"? In Canada each province issues licences (not unlike US States). When you buy a vechile you get a bill of sale. You show the bill of sale that was filled out by the previous owner and signed by both of you to the clerk at the DMV. They print up a registration with the car in your name and give you a licence plate and sticker (unless you are transfering a plate from another car).

Anyway, the registration is in your name proves that you own the vehicle. If you are ever stoped by the cops you show you licence and registration to prove that you are the owner of the car.

I have no idea what a title would be used for. :confused:

[sumrof75]

Ken the title belongs to the vehicle, the registration proves you have paid your taxes and tags. when you sell, the title is what is signed to transfer ownership. When you sell a car the title goes with the new owner who then must have the state in which they live transfer the name on the title to their own. If they sell it starts all over. This is actually harder than I thought to explain, kind of a birth certficate that goes to each new adoptive family. Hope I did not confuse you more.

[ragz442]

Slang term I'm sure you've heard of 'pink slip'.

[442MUCH]

Ken the title belongs to the vehicle, the registration proves you have paid your taxes and tags. when you sell, the title is what is signed to transfer ownership. When you sell a car the title goes with the new owner who then must have the state in which they live transfer the name on the title to their own. If they sell it starts all over. This is actually harder than I thought to explain, kind of a birth certficate that goes to each new adoptive family. Hope I did not confuse you more.

Ok. I see. Do the plates go with the car too? Here you get new plates. What taxes are involved with a car? In Alberta there is no provincial sales tax. There is a Federal Goods and Services Tax of 6% (they promised to drop it to 5% for 2008) however you don't pay the GST if you buy from a private sale. So in Alberta there are no taxes involved with a used car.

Originally Posted by ragz442
Slang term I'm sure you've heard of 'pink slip'.
The registration here is pink. Dang, I wonder what hoops you'd have to jump through to buy a US car and bring it to Canada http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/vttedrm/Smilies/crazy.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/vttedrm/Smilies/willy_nilly.gif People seem to do it all the time however.

[zodiacblue442]

Ken, When a car is sold, the new owner gets new plates. The ones on the car are either retired or can be transferred to another vehicle, assuming it's the same "type." For example, we have standard plates for cars and other plates for trucks (pickups, etc.) so you can't transfer a car plate to a truck.

The cost of license plates vary from state to state. In Colorado for example, the cost of plates is based on what you paid for the vehicle as well as it's taxable value. When a car gets to be a certain age, 10 or 15 years old (can't remember exactly) plates just cost a set amount. Plates for new vehicles are outrageously expensive. Another example... when I was driving my `74 Supreme every day, plates were $26.20 per year. :) When I bought my GMC Sierra pickup brand new back in 2001, plates that first year were $575.00. :eek: They've slowly dropped each year since. I think I paid around $200 earlier this year. In other states, (Oregon, etc.) you pay a set amount for plates regardless of the year or make. You could have a 2008 Corvette or a 1974 Vega and the cost of the plates would be the same.

Clear as mud???

[442MUCH]

OK. Colorado is like Quebec and Oregon is like Alberta. In Quebec they will pay something like $500-$600 for the plates per year every year, however their insurance (no-fault) is included. BC is the same. In Alberta we pay $78.00 per year for registration, plates and stickers no mater how old your car is. Insurance is separate. You have to show proof of ins. before you can register a vehicle.

My sticker expires at the end of November (because my last name starts with "P"). I don't renew my registration until April so I pay $48/ year for the 442 and Vette. I could get antique plates for a once only payment of $35 and never have to register the car again, but I have chosen to have personalized plates so I haven't done this....yet. Antique plates in Alberta are like "A-107" with a "Fleet" sticker.

Some guys with let's say a 1970 442, can register his 1970 Alberta plates (as long as he has two - even though front plates are not required here) and those will be the plates for his car. Alberta stopped specific year plates and replaced them with stickers starting in 1974. No luck for me on that.

So basically a title will tell you who the original owner was for that car, no matter how many times it's sold. I wonder if I was to sell my 442 to an American, what would he do with a car that has no title?

[texxas8902]

In Texas, when selling or transferring, sign title and application for Texas title to new owner, tags stay with vehicle and renew yearly,$50.50 to 60.50. You get new tags every 7 years or pay $5.20 extra and get new ones every year, but you have to do that in person. You can keep and transfer them if they are personalized. Pay 6.25% tax on selling price plus a few fees when you apply for new title. You should keep your license plate receipt in the glove box to show registration, I never have and haven't had a problem.
We have car and truck plates and here you can get all kinds of special interest plates, sports team plates, university and school plates, classic car plates, antique plates, and if you can find very nice used or unissued year of manufacture plates you can run those, but you have to get them approved and have 2 tags, one each for front and rear. I got some for my 67 Cutlass. I can't run them on the 76 because in Texas 1974 was the last year that had a dedicated 1 year only plate. 76 tags had a blue sticker on the corner of a 75 issued tag. So I may get some tags for the 76 442 that they have that look like a big Texas flag instead. Antique are the best price wise, maybe I should do that, I think the YOM tags are similarly cheaper to register. You have a lot of choices(100+) in Texas, check it out.
http://www.dmv-department-of-motor-vehicles.com/TX_Texas_dmv_department_of_motor_vehicles.htm and click on specialty license plates

[sumrof75]

So basically a title will tell you who the original owner was for that car, no matter how many times it's sold. I wonder if I was to sell my 442 to an American, what would he do with a car that has no title?[/QUOTE]

The state will retain the old title when purchased and a new print will be issued with the names of the current owners. The old ones are now destroyed or otherwise put into some highly efficient gov. filing system.:rolleyes: It does give a means through a "title search" to trace previous owners even though the names are no longer on the title. Here in Kansas we also pay a property value tax yearly, the newer the car the more they get you. My 75 H/O cost $12 for property tax and $40 for registration fee. In 3 years when the car is 35 years old I will register as an antique and have a 75 Kansas plate that will be on the car. As with you a one time fee. This is new in the last several years here in KS.

P.S. there are means of titling a car without a title, I am in that process with my 76 442 because it was an auction sale and the previous owner was not found. Lets just say it is not an easy task. I am 6 weeks into the process and still am not done. I will not try to explain this because I have no clue myself.

[ragz442]

I tagged my '76 with an original '76 plate. Cost me $25 and it never has to be renewed, as long as I own the car. The '76 MI plates are pretty cool because they look like an American flag. In '77 they went to the stickers so I could not use an original plate. I had to get a historic plate which cost $30 and is good for 10 years. There are stipulations though, your not supposed to use the car as a daily driver.

Oh, and "pink slip" is kind of a nostalgic term nowadays, the titles are not pink. But I've heard back in the day they were. [before my time].

A couple of examples of the the term:
Beach Boys song line "I got the pink slip daddy"
PINKS Racing on Speed Channel

[brad442]

Back in 2002, I was able to register my '77 as an Antique here in Texas as it was now 25 years old. The cost was $25 for 5 years. So, $5 bucks per year. You do not have to have the vehicle inspected once registered as an antique. When I did this, I took the original license plates down to the Tax office for inspection. They approved the plates and give you a small tag to display with them (lower right hand side). The car now wears its original plates. I found the 77 sticker at a swap meet and bought a few of them. When the plates wear replaced it had a 1986 decal. People ask me how I did that and I just tell them how easy it was. I still see many old cars driving around with regular $70 registration stickers and state inspections. Doesn't make any sense once a car is 25 years and up...

[73431Cutlass]

Tags in VA are right at 30 bucks a yr. We pay sales tax when purchased, it is also price related. We pay taxes once a yr from then on out, it is like 3 to 4 dollars per 100.00 dollars of the car value. It has been slowly going down if it is used for personnel use. Business use is much more expensive. I got antique tags for the 73 and I paid 11.50 for permanent tags. The taxes for me in my county 5.00 a yr, some counties are free. And yes there are driving limitations this way, but I only drive my car maybe 500 miles a yr if that.

[442MUCH]

Hey Todd, plate look familiar? The State and year of manufacture. Now to find a bi-centennial plate from Missouri for the Vette.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/vttedrm/100_4784.jpg

[77 Cutlass Supreme]

OK. Colorado is like Quebec and Oregon is like Alberta. In Quebec they will pay something like $500-$600 for the plates per year every year, however their insurance (no-fault) is included. BC is the same. In Alberta we pay $78.00 per year for registration, plates and stickers no mater how old your car is. Insurance is separate. You have to show proof of ins. before you can register a vehicle.


So basically a title will tell you who the original owner was for that car, no matter how many times it's sold. I wonder if I was to sell my 442 to an American, what would he do with a car that has no title?

In Quebec its $255 a year for everyone but insurance is not included in that. You have to get your own insurance. Part of the $255 goes towards Quebec's no fault insurance program meaning you can't sue in the event of an accident.

The U.S. title thing is a good idea cause when buying a used car you'll always know how many previous owners it had. When I bought my 77 in Virginia recently I knew the seller was the original owner since his name was the only name on the cars title.

[442MUCH]

In Quebec its $255 a year for everyone but insurance is not included in that. You have to get your own insurance. Part of the $255 goes towards Quebec's no fault insurance program meaning you can't sue in the event of an accident.

The U.S. title thing is a good idea cause when buying a used car you'll always know how many previous owners it had. When I bought my 77 in Virginia recently I knew the seller was the original owner since his name was the only name on the cars title.

Hi Steve, when did they lower that? I remember my dad paying about $600 but insurance was included. If you wanted additional ins. you could get it, but the no-fault was included in the licence cost.

So for $255 you get your plates and part of that means you can't sue. So why not just say you can't sue. What's the rest of the money for? Oh, never mind....government http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/vttedrm/Smilies/rolleyes5.gif

Regading your purchase of a US car. Was it hard to get across the border? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/vttedrm/Smilies/boxing_smiley.gif

[Superdupont]

Think i'll have to read this thread one more time cause i understood nothing at all:D

In France, you just pay once to register the car: when you buy it. For mine i paid something like 500 € (700 $).But insurance is not included, you have to get your own insurance (around 350 $ per year for collectible cars like ours).

My car came from a non-EU country (Switzerland) so i had to pay customs taxes, 30 % of the buying price!

There are many things to know before registering an old car like ours. As many American cars were never sold new in our country, there can be lots of problems for approval, you have to get lots of papers and certificates , getting the car checked by what we call "service des mines" and it can take several months to have the title that allows you to go on the road. Of course, costs a lot of other $$$ too..

Things are often easier when it's an old car (more than 25 years), you can register it as an 'antique' car and there are less formalities. I had no problem for mine.

There are lots of U.S cars here, that can not run on the road because they are imported, or they have no papers, and owners can't register their cars AT ALL. The only thing to do is to part them out...or wait until they're 25:D

[ragz442]

Hey Todd, plate look familiar? The State and year of manufacture. Now to find a bi-centennial plate from Missouri for the Vette.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/vttedrm/100_4784.jpg

Yea, that's the one, MI Bicentennial.......cool plate.

[77 Cutlass Supreme]

Hi Steve, when did they lower that? I remember my dad paying about $600 but insurance was included. If you wanted additional ins. you could get it, but the no-fault was included in the licence cost.

So for $255 you get your plates and part of that means you can't sue. So why not just say you can't sue. What's the rest of the money for? Oh, never mind....government http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/vttedrm/Smilies/rolleyes5.gif

Regading your purchase of a US car. Was it hard to get across the border? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/vttedrm/Smilies/boxing_smiley.gif

Not sure when they last changed the rules, it was a while ago though before I started driving.

Bringing my car in was easy. I have heard some bad stories but the most important thing to have is the title. The U.S. department of export needs the title of the car and the bill of sale and they require 48 hours before they will release the car so you can't show up at the border and expect to enter with the car the same day. I have friends in NY state that I was able to leave the car with. After 48 hours I went back to U.S. customs and the car was cleared to go. They probably check to see if the car is stolen etc, they didn't even come out to look at the car so i don't think they cared too much. Then you drive up to Canadian customs and go in and declare the car. If the car is more than 15 years old it doesn't have to meet any of the transport Canada requirements you just have to pay GST on the purchase price. They are buggers though cause they actually went on the internet and checked on nada (a web site that gives the value of classic cars) to see how much the car was worth. The main thing is having the title cause like I said the U.S. customs asks for it, Canada customs asks for it and then when you registar it in your province they ask for it too.