welcome home party pics!
 

ok, so not much of a party, but the zhp arrived in pristine condition today. i spent 4 days worrying during the transit, but they did a great job. i felt better knowing it was riding next to a M3 and a pristine 1970 porsche 914 targa.

Welcome to CA. Off for a SMOG check I presume...

Ha, I'm going to let my current plates ride for a bit unless I get hassled before then to make the change to CA plates.

Beautiful car. What color interior?

Thanks! Black leather interior (though I wish it was Alcantara).

Depending on where you live, you may be able to ride your current registration like you say. But keep in mind that "foreigners" are easy to mess with. When I was in Hawaii, the locals were quick to suggest that I ditch the CA plates because they were often messed with.

If you find yourself in a good neighborhood 24/7, I say keep your existing plates.

Make sure you tell the DMV a little white lie when you register it then. They will register from the date you tell them it came into the state. Oh, and they will charge you tax again. They will ask how much you paid for the car and assess tax based on that.

I suggest Hawaii is its own brand of replusive.

Only if it was purchased within the last 365 days...

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/howto/htvr9.htm

See "fees that may be due"

There are so many out of state cars here you can blend in... just don't get stopped by the Po-Po and you'll be OK. Not that we don't need your money for bureaucracy, I mean road maintenance.

Yes, which is part of the reason I left. If you're a local that's never known anything outside of the state, then a lot of that is passed off as "normal". That applies everywhere though.

To the OP - I can confirm that the tax only applies if the car is purchased within the last year. And I forgot about the registration requirements for "residents". If you fit any of the definitions below of a CA resident, then the car needs to be registered within 20 days :

- Accept gainful employment in California.
- Claim a homeowner's exemption in California.
- Rent or lease a residence in California.
- Intend to live or be located here on a permanent basis (for example, acquire a California driver license, acquire other licenses not ordinarily extended to a nonresident, registered to vote).
- Enroll in an institution of higher learning as a California resident or enroll their dependents in school (K-12).

DMV link

Welcome to CA. I've moved quite a few times, each residence with a culture very different from the last. All things considered, CA is a nice place to live, just keep an open mind and form your own opinion.

Paolo

My friend moved back here from Oregon about 6 months ago and hasn't bothered changing plates back yet so don't worry about it. Everyone in California (except me obviously :SMUG: ) is from SOMEWHERE ELSE (I kid - wait no I don't) so there are literally plates from EVERY STATE flying around here.

To continue, I also saw someone with PINK headlights last night for crisssakes - how that doesn't get a CHP chopper out and Amber alert I don't know.......it probably easier for them to just pull me over every 3 years for going 3 miles over the limit.

20 days?! ha! found out my license expires in MN in March, good timing i guess fulling "using" up what i paid for as license fees.