Some violators may be people who recently moved here or forgot to register and kept putting it off. Heres Why So Many Exotic Cars Have Montana License Plates, By using You have a choice: Tell the insurance company the truth (I live in Michigan, drive the vehicle almost exclusively in Michigan, store it and park it in Michigan, but have Montana plates on it in the name of a sham LLC.) If you tell them the truth, will they insure the car? Our online ordering system makes it easy. Sure you can form an LLC in Montana and register a vehicle there. CA On the other end of the spectrum, you have Montana. Driving around California, you may notice a lot of out-of-state license plates on the roads. San Jose, ). The DMV does not know the number of vehicles that are unregistered in the state or how much the state loses in revenue from residents registering their vehicles out of state. Norbert Hofer. Businesses authorized by the DMV to handle certain registration services, often with much shorter wait times (if any!). This is particularly important when buying a newer used vehicle. Out-of-state Montana car registration has never been easier, and as the price of new and used cars continues to skyrocket, it makes sense for all consumers to consider it. Some start an LLC in the state, which gets them a mailing address and residency status of sorts. A founding partner of Anderson Business Advisors, Toby helped Anderson grow its practice from one of business and estate planning to a thriving tax practice and registered agent service with tens of thousands of clients nationwide. Those days were the best. You can save a bundle of cash and ditch those smog checks, inspections, and possibly renewals. Essentially, it works like this: You form an LLC business in Montana. Its diamond blue metallic painta hue so subtle that at some angles, it looked lavenderand throaty 3.3-liter flat-six engine were enough to bring $141,000 and more than 120 comments on its listing. We see, obviously, a lot of sellersmany do it,and buyers are interested in doing it, Nonnenberg says. Montana offers two significant benefits. Zero. This does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not meant to constitute legal advice, so the good news is were not billing you by the hour for reading this. In fact, it would cost more than five times as much: $666.60 in California versus $129.50 in Oregon. Renew registration & print sticker. But I am the first to point out that 1.) Montana has no emissions tests, in which your car must prove it isnt polluting. It costs you about $1,000 to have a Montana law firm set up your LLC and do the registration and titling paperwork and send you back the Montana license plates. She felt paralyzed: L.A. woman sues Big Surs Esalen Institute for alleged use of video with N-word in class, Dramatic video from rescue of driver who plunged more than 500 feet off Bay Area cliff. No, your car cannot be registered in one state and insured in another. CA The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website uses Google Translate to provide automatic translation of its web pages. 12:00 a.m. Sept. 5, 2003: For The Record Los Angeles Times Friday September 05, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 59 words Type of Material: Correction Vehicle fees -- The Your Wheels column in Wednesdays Highway 1 about California residents licensing their cars in other states incorrectly stated that it would cost more than twice as much yearly to register a vehicle in California than in Oregon. But if you want to register a normal car in Montana, I dont think theres a way to make the insurance work. Close observers would also have noticed a detail far more polarizing than the semi-lavender paint job:The Turbo came with a clean Montana title in the name of the sellers LLC, the listing said. New registration. So then, after a little while, the Montana business mails you your Montana title and your Montana license plates, and youve saved thousands of dollars. #1 Sep 7, 2019. This cost difference for those of you without handy access to a calculator is roughly $119,800. 5304 Monterey Rd Suite A, Heres a person with some exotic sports car, they might think, some loud sports car, a toy, painted in some obnoxious color, and hes driving around without paying sales tax when I had to pay $1,149.73 to register my 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix. For vehicles with Manufacturer Statement of Origin (MSO) or out-of-state title. In fact, it would cost more than five times as much: $666.60 in California versus $129.50 in Oregon. This translation application tool is provided for purposes of information and convenience only. Interestingly, even the websites of the companies that promote this scam . Its clear why people register vehicles in Montana. The same $42,258 sale price will calculate at four percent to $1,690.32 in sales tax, an immediate savings of $2,324.68, equating to nearly 58% less in debt from taxes. DMV Partner Theres a couple of reason why you shouldnt do this: The IRS knows about this scheme and will say, Nice try, but no.. This is because, with less than half the population of the borough of Queens, N.Y., it has no populated areasfederally classified as having non-attainment status tomeetthe Clean Air Act'sregulations. Ah, California. Montana has no sales tax. This is not chump change, even for those who can afford it. There are several reasons why you see so many Montana plates running around outside the great state of Montana. CHP: Out-Of-State Plates for CA Residents a No-No, Ford Issues Safety Recalls on Several Ford and Lincoln Models, There Are a Lot More Ways to Drive Distracted in Ohio Now, What the GM Closings Really Mean forand Aboutthe Auto Industry, Nevada Drivers Will Be Automatically Registered to Vote Now, GM Puts More Than 14,000 Jobs on the Chopping Block, See How Californias DMV Now Could Save You Valuable Time, Think Stephen Kings Christine Is Scary? Theres no guarantee that therelative leeway car enthusiastshave regarding Montana titles will last. In terms of area, Montana is the fourth overall in size of all states, behind Alaska, Texas, and California. Second, Montana does not require vehicle emissions tests or annual inspections. You would then buy the vehicle in the name of that LLC. In 2021, fully 10% of all McLaren P1s ever made cars worth well over $1 million apiece were registered in Montana, according to the Montana DMV. Not only does this save you money, it also saves you time and aggravation, since the Montana business goes to the DMV for you. Interestingly, California is by far the largest in population, roughly thirty-nine times the population of Montana. I went to car week in Montery in my 458 with Montana plates and had several CHP behind me as we were in a rally from LA to car week and no issues.