[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Robustus

Nice catch. The $80 total is correct; that last $36 line-item should be $9 (typo on my part). A little distressing that it took 38 posts before someone caught that.

Damn. I work in accounting and I didn't even do the math!

[ranquet91]

Just got out of the DMV on my 2000 Cherokee for $89... I am not a huge fan of cars I usually drive them into the ground and replace them with a low mile cheapo vehicle anyhow, opting to spend my cash on vacations, entertainment and home improvements instead. If you spend 80K plus on a vehicle then expect to pay the high cost associated with owning a vehicle of that caliber. My best suggestion to anyone is check the DMV website to see what your registration fees will be, before purchasing a vehicle that way you will not have any surprises.

[marksamson]

Originally Posted by Robustus

Just registered my Altima today. Breakdown of fees:

VIN Inspection: $1
Prison Industry Fee: $1
Registration Fee - Passenger Vehicles: $33
Basic Gov Services Tax - Clark: $36
Supplemental Gov Services Tax - Clark: $36

Total: $80.

So, to everyone who complains about the vehicle reg fees: stop whining. It's hilarious that when someone brings up the lack of state income tax, inevitably someone will chime in to counter with: "yeah, but the car reg fees are really high". Oh yeah? No state income tax saves me about $7000/yr.

Granted, I was registering a 1996 Altima, so the fees were a good deal lower than for a newish car. But if you're complaining that a $400 car reg fee is unaffordable, then guess what: you should be driving a MUCH cheaper car anyway.

In hawaii I paid on an average $275 dollars per 2 cars registeration fees, I own. Small Island demand more money to upkeep roads, and other BS necessities.

[delgadobb]

Well, here's another data point to help. OP's original example was largely irrelevant given the age of his vehicle & it seems he's acknowledged as much by now.

I have a 2008 Kia Optima (boring car, but it has the best feature of any car - it's paid for! It's reliable, comfortable, travels well & compares well to the Camry/Accord class I was looking into at the time). If I knew how good this car would be I would've bought two - 35,000 miles & not a single issue. Still drives like new.

I paid $11,000 brand new for the Optima due to a variety of factors (2009 models coming out, economy tanking, excess inventory, rebate & tough negotiating). Sticker price was $19,500.

My last registration was $278.

IMHO that's still too much. Given that it was the 4th registration, it ought to have depreciated lower than that. I chose a basic vehicle over something more expensive, yet I'm getting punished for it. Why? Two reasons, I think: First, they don't care what I paid, they're depreciating from the MSRP of $19,500. Second, the state has delayed depreciation a year since they're broke & too many scofflaws aren't registering their out-of-state vehicles (so those of us playing by the rules get punished).

I don't see any way that $278 for the 4th registration of an $11,000 vehicle isn't too much, but I realize my situation's unique because of how much we negotiated off MSRP. Mostly, I'd like to see them enforce the scofflaws even more & restore that normal year of depreciation. Then my last year of registration would likely have been closer to $220.

[C_A_Braun]

Originally Posted by Robustus

Nice catch. The $80 total is correct; that last $36 line-item should be $9 (typo on my part). A little distressing that it took 38 posts before someone caught that.

It must be that quality CCSD education that everyone here has. Perhaps Croce is part of the .003% that made it to the Ivy League.

[Blazah1080]

Cost me 2200 to register a 2009 lexus in CT. Didn't matter that I paid almost nothing for it. State wanted Book value tax.

[Robustus]

Originally Posted by delgadobb

Well, here's another data point to help. OP's original example was largely irrelevant given the age of his vehicle & it seems he's acknowledged as much by now.

I have a 2008 Kia Optima (boring car, but it has the best feature of any car - it's paid for! It's reliable, comfortable, travels well & compares well to the Camry/Accord class I was looking into at the time). If I knew how good this car would be I would've bought two - 35,000 miles & not a single issue. Still drives like new.

I paid $11,000 brand new for the Optima due to a variety of factors (2009 models coming out, economy tanking, excess inventory, rebate & tough negotiating). Sticker price was $19,500.

My last registration was $278.

IMHO that's still too much. Given that it was the 4th registration, it ought to have depreciated lower than that. I chose a basic vehicle over something more expensive, yet I'm getting punished for it. Why? Two reasons, I think: First, they don't care what I paid, they're depreciating from the MSRP of $19,500. Second, the state has delayed depreciation a year since they're broke & too many scofflaws aren't registering their out-of-state vehicles (so those of us playing by the rules get punished).

I don't see any way that $278 for the 4th registration of an $11,000 vehicle isn't too much, but I realize my situation's unique because of how much we negotiated off MSRP. Mostly, I'd like to see them enforce the scofflaws even more & restore that normal year of depreciation. Then my last year of registration would likely have been closer to $220.

I think you have still managed to miss my point. You can get reliable transportation for FAR less than $11,000. So if you're electing to spend as much as you did on a car, don't whine about the fees. And furthermore (perhaps my main point), if these vehicle reg fees are the biggest gov-imposed tax/quasi-tax we have to deal with in Nevada, we're an order of magnitude better off on the taxation front than pretty much any state that has an income tax.

[Robustus]

Originally Posted by Blazah1080

Cost me 2200 to register a 2009 lexus in CT. Didn't matter that I paid almost nothing for it. State wanted Book value tax.

CT is a taxes-and-fees monster. I grew up in Litchfield County. No wonder it was recently voted the worst state to retire in. I keep hearing of more and more people leaving CT/NY/NJ for warmer and lower-tax states.

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by Robustus

I think you have still managed to miss my point. You can get reliable transportation for FAR less than $11,000. So if you're electing to spend as much as you did on a car, don't whine about the fees. And furthermore (perhaps my main point), if these vehicle reg fees are the biggest gov-imposed tax/quasi-tax we have to deal with in Nevada, we're an order of magnitude better off on the taxation front than pretty much any state that has an income tax.

No, I didn't manage to miss your point.

I'm well aware that I can get reliable transportation for less than $11,000 tho I'd argue that below $4-5,000 it can be a crapshoot unless you know what you're doing. I was looking for a used car around the $5-7,000 range when the lack of value drove me to look into new. In the past I haven't been a new car guy, but given the chance to know a car's entire history & keep it a long time in this climate ... I decided to purchase new since I was able to negotiate a very good deal. $11K amortized over 10 or maybe even 15 years doesn't seem bad at all. It's certainly not extravagant. You make it sound like electing to spend $11K on a car is over the top - $20K gets you a basic new vehicle these days. I'd be willing to bet the average vehicle value is more than mine at this point; does Joe Average expect to spend $278 to register their vehicle?

Using a 16 year old car as a data point doesn't tell us much. MMoB used his new vehicle to show the other end of the spectrum, which tells us registration here can get pretty expensive. I tried giving a data point in the middle ground. Any way you cut it, a vehicle on its 4th registration in a value-based system shouldn't cost $278 to register when it was $11K new.

Although I wouldn't love it, I could see a system where one pays about 1% of a vehicle's value per year (akin to property taxes on a home), as long as there was a floor so everyone contributes (say $50). Paying close to 3% of the new purchase price on the 4th year of registration doesn't cut it. I hope you don't miss MY point & can understand.

I will agree with you that if this is the biggest government imposed tax we face, it's something with which we can live. I'm actually mostly OK with the setup, but would like to see them remove the recently introduced delay in depreciation. Public comments have been made about it being related to lack of compliance by scofflaws; perhaps if those people complied (or were forced into compliance), we could go back to the old depreciation schedule. I'd be fine with that. I wish I had a nickel for every car I see here either without any plates or with out-of-state plates when they're obviously living here. I spend enough time in Chicago that I could try to register there but I've decided to comply with Nevada's wishes. If only others would do so as well. We have a number of neighbors who live here full time with California plates; it frustrates me but not enough to be the bad guy & tattle on them. I will address it, however, speaking to them in person.

[Trash Can]

Originally Posted by delgadobb

I will agree with you that if this is the biggest government imposed tax we face, it's something with which we can live. I'm actually mostly OK with the setup, but would like to see them remove the recently introduced delay in depreciation. Public comments have been made about it being related to lack of compliance by scofflaws; perhaps if those people complied (or were forced into compliance), we could go back to the old depreciation schedule. I'd be fine with that. I wish I had a nickel for every car I see here either without any plates or with out-of-state plates when they're obviously living here. I spend enough time in Chicago that I could try to register there but I've decided to comply with Nevada's wishes. If only others would do so as well. We have a number of neighbors who live here full time with California plates; it frustrates me but not enough to be the bad guy & tattle on them. I will address it, however, speaking to them in person.

CA is notorious for trying to get out-of-state residents to pony up income taxes. People doing this are giving them ammo to legitimately collect. It's not worth the hassle IMO. I have no sympathy for anyone who gets caught, by either CA or NV, for trying to scam the system.

We're fortunate here. I'm willing to accept the higher registration fees here in exchange for a lower burden overall. As much as I hate a bloated government at any level, I realize that it must be funded to provide basic essential services. As mentioned a few times in this thread, it's one of the few taxes we pay that we have some control over. Don't like the high fees - don't drive an expensive car. Or move to another state.