Im shopping for a 2007 new e63, or used with very low miles.
will be relocating from midwest to the Bay area.

figured id ask here, those of you in california, or have other purchasing experiences with Cali law, is it better to buy the car in california and be done with it, or buy from out of state and bring it in. whats involved with bringing it into the state.

im not looking to save 1k, but if a few k, then yes, ill trailer it in, wondering if bringing in a new car to the state of california is worth any of the headache, if it is a headache!

regards

by the way, if anyone knows of a white 07 e63 with black int, pano roof, and PII package, dealer or private, please let me know.

If the car comes to cali with in 90 days of puchase you must pay sales tax on the vehicle. Tax is 8.25% and then you get to pay your registration fee as well. So buy the car as soon as possible and leave it out of state for 90 days (register in back in your home town) and then re-register it in California in 90 days time.

Good luck. The p30 package is very rare on the E63 so finding a used white E63 P30 will be next to impossible I think.

thanks for the reply. i changed my post already, i didn't mean the p30, i meant the PII.

so are you saying ill pay sales tax where ever i buy it, then have to pay it again when it comes to California? jeesh. i never even heard of that. i might as well just grab my ankles now huh?!

sounds like if im going to end up paying almost 20% sales tax (other state + California state) i might as well just buy it in state then.

are you also saying ill have to pay 2 times the registration tax/fee ?

sounds like its a clear choice, if you're going to buy a car for california, buy it there.

is this other peoples opinion as well?

thanks in advance for your replies.

regards

no they allow you to put the money out of state towards the CA tax but its not a total credit. In Oregon for example you pay no tax on purchases and if you try to bring the car into CA you have to pay full CA sales tax. If you by it in a state with 5% tax you then have to pay the difference in the taxed amount.

You had a valid point there.

Sorry for the confusion. If you wait 90 days you just pay tax in your home state. California like to extract money from you whenever possible.

In the end you will pay a total of 8.25% of tax on the purchase of the vehicle. There wont be a way to get around that amount. So buy the car where ever you really find it but just be ready to pay the amount of tax paid in CA if you bring the car here (or register it) in the first 90 days. You can often just bring the car in to CA and drive it on out of state plates for 90 days and just hope the police do not pull you over. They will issue you a fine at that point but the fine is not THAT serious. I would check that amount of the fine before doing it though.

I have a Business out of state in Oregon and I still register all my cars here as I was caught by the California Highway Patrol for having out of state plates etc. Then I had to pay the taxes on the car but luckily it was already past 90 days and I only paid a fine and the cost of registration.

Better check this LINK from the Kali DMV. As long as the car is 50 state (smog) legal to begin with, you'll be good to go, otherwise you could get seriously hosed (you'd need at least 7500 miles on it for it to be "used"). I got shanked nicely years ago when I moved to Fresnam from AZ and paid all sorts of smog and other related registration fees/penalties, etc.

Good luck!

I don't think the 90 days matters for the TAX. If the car is from out of state, and not yet in your name (for instance other state's plates already in your name), you will pay tax to register it in CA. Also, there is some sort of a mileage penalty...if the car does not have 7500 miles on it yet it is treated differently. Basically, CA tries to discourage buyers from buying cars out of state. With that said, my last 3 have been purchased out of state.

Check the CA DMV website...it's up to date and pretty clear about the details of buying out of state.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures...cts/ffvr29.htm

this says :

If you are moving to California from another state, you may register a new federally certified vehicle in California if it was first registered by you in your home state, or for military personnel, in your last state of military service. When applying for vehicle registration in California, you must provide evidence of your vehicle's previous registration and that you were a resident of the other state when you acquired the vehicle.


still doesn't answer the question yes, or no or what "tax" or requirement loop holes ill have to jump through. trying to figure out if i find a good deal elsewhere to buy it while i live in the state im in now, and then in 2 months move for work. or just wait and buy it in cali.

hum.

Basically, if you can't prove you lived outside CA with the car (or more importantly, prove it was registered in your name in another state), CA will determine you bought it out of state and charge you tax for bringing it in. You will have to provide sale documents to the DMV.

There is a tax calculator somewhere on the CA DMV website. Buying out of state can still be a great way to save $$, and also find the car/color/options you want.

Hopefully this thread can help:

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170201

i bought my car in CO and had it brought in to N. CA and all I did was take all the paperwork from the dealership to the CA DMV and they charged me tax and title fees and did a vin check and I was out the door. You have 30 days (i think) to get an appointment and take care business with the dmv in order to get the license ordered. Was really easy to do.
very easy process as long as the car is smog legal but my unerstanding is that MB builds cars for the US to the strictest emissions regulations (CA is on the higher side).

good luck.

Let me know if you'r still looking for an E63 in the Bay Area. I just got mine and had a great experience at a local dealer ...

sorry for the late reply.

Mike : you think its going to be all around cheaper just making the deal and buying in state versus out of state.

goat : hook me up with your recommended dealer, id be happy to give them my business if they can find me the car im looking for and give me a good deal with old inventory going out the door !


regards