Hi everyone. I have a question about car registration fees. My car is a 2000 Toyota Solara---21 years old. My registration fee for this car is $145.00 this year. I live in California. I'm thinking this is expensive for an old car. How much are your car registration fees and what state do you live in?
Some states have a set fee regardless of age of the car. If they are basing it on the value of the car, that's more like a Personal Property tax, not actual registration. We have different rates in different counties, plus some have a 'wheel tax' added on to fund local infrastructure needs. Mine in specific is $29 registration, $50 wheel tax.
I live in Wisconsin. Our registration fees vary, depending on where you live in the State. Our base Statewide rate is $85.00, and then particular counties and cities tack on their own "wheel tax". For instance, if you live in rural Dodge County (bleeds red), then you pay $85. If you live in rural neighboring Dane County (bleeds blue), then you pay $113. If you live in the heart of uber liberal loony hellhole Madison (in Dane County), then you pay $153. Registration used to be $75.00 until the statewide increase (and various counties and municipalities began to implement wheel taxes).
Mine is about the same, but for an old Ford Bronco (a full size truck), and WA prices reg fees by vehicle weight, as a simplified way to reflect its likely impact on the roads (for which the reg fees go towards maintaining). So I'm guessing your Solara would be quite a bit cheaper to reg here.
In 1991, while living in San Diego, I bought a new 36' Southwind motorhome. I towed a three year old Suzuki Samurai behind it. A year later I registered both vehicles in Livingston, Tx and the cost of the (then one year old) Southwind was less than I had paid to register the Samurai in California the year before.
Is is done by weight and type of vehicle in my state as far as the state goes with the top base rate being $88.20 for EV. Mine was the same $30.75 for my new vehicle and my older than yours vehicle too I also have to pay an additional city fee of something like $26.50 per year per vehicle which people still call a city sticker fee even though they haven't required the stickers since I was a young un in addition to whatever personal property tax I owe on them. Don't pay the city their money and you can rest assured that the DMV will not be renewing your registration and you will inevitably wake up one morning with a giant orange sticker on your car giving you 30 days to get rid of it or else they are going to tow it and slap you with a $250 fine plus towing and storage fees to get it back. My city is staffed by Nazis when it comes to getting their money one way or the other.
Yes, trucks are more expensive. It feels like California is squeezing as much money out of us as possible. Thanks for responding.
That's nice. My nephew left California for Texas years ago; he loves it there. Thanks for responding.
You can't compare state to state as easily as some apply ad valorem taxes some don't, so locations have parking stickers added, some tax by curb weight some by value. That being said my two a 2013 and a 2006 are both about half that.
