I just recently purchased a 87 F350 Crewcab 4X4. I knew it had a commercial vehicle listing on the title but didn't realize how bad the Communist State of California would try to stick it to me. I was wondering if anyone knows how to get around this. I'm not trying to be a cheat to the state, but I bought the truck to run my old trailer out to the dump a couple of times a year and same thing with my travel trailer to the beach a couple of times a year. I had heard, but have never been able to confirm that if you put a shell on the bed it would change the statis to "personal use". Just looking to any suggestions. And yes I know, the best suggestion would be to move out of the state. Thanks

 

Yep that's about all you can do. But you can never take that shell off and run it on the street.

 

IIRC, if you put 'Passenger plates' on your truck, you can't haul things like bricks, sacks of cement, lumber, etc.You will need to "Permanently" bolt a camper shell on it to qualify. Towing with it might be legal but I would check first. If you get caught w/o the shell on, it's a deep fine and you will have to re-register as a commercial vehicle and face hefty back-penalties. with your truck equipped thusly, it can only carry what constitutes 'materials to maintain a household' and nothing more. Cleaners, paint, food, etc.

A co-worker has a custom '66 Ch3vy 1/2T short wide box that's almost a show truck. Since he wasn't going to the dump in it, he procured passenger plates for it. It also has an open bed, to show off the highly polished oak bed floor. At the GoodGuys fall get-together, he was tagged by the CHP just outside the gates for carrying a cooler and lawn chairs in the back. He was cited and the judge upheld the violation. Can't recall the statute but he had to fork out over $2,500 in back fees and it now wears commercial plates.

I'm guessing that the DMV wanted about $350 to register your truck? When I changed the title over on my F250HD, it was over $500 for everything. That included $18 for new plates and sales tax on the $1,600 sale price. I'm not happy either with what they charge to use our worn-out roads but I need to use my truck, too.

Welcome Comrade, to Kalifornistan's DMV.

 

WA state isn't much different. Pick-ups here wear commercial plates as well. I don't fuss over it too much since our reg fees are not too much more for commercial tags.
Ray, your co-worker should have got collector vehicle plates instead.

 

Every single thing in The Peoples Republic of Kalifornia, is designed to part you from your rubles.

 

That's why I left.

 

For what, as per prior post, $300-350? Pay it.

 

Thanks for the reply, I'm still on the fence as to what to do, but your input is appreciated.

 

BTW, I looked this up on the DMV site for another post, and the only way around it is a permanently attached camper, making it a "housecar":

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/reg_hdbk_...comml_vehs.pdf

page 13-4.

Pay up!

 

Exactly. NJ isnt much better but geez cali is sticking it to you guys.

 

Not a road you want to go down.

Take your truck out on a sunny Saturday afternoon for a short cruise with the little lady, get stopped and BAM!, you're back in line paying another butt-load of fines and re-registering as a commercial vehicle. that's as long as they didn't just confiscate it on the spot.

We have no true "Collector's Plates" here in Kalifornistan. Unless you have a 16 cylinder car built prior to 1965 or a 1923 or newer vehicle, you'll have to convince the DMV that your (minimum) 25 year old vehicle has "Historical Significance". My 1958 F-250 barely stood up against their scrutiny, since it wasn't restored back to original.

BTW, after a short chat on the phone with my CHP buddy, he says a camper shell will not fly 100% to play the 'passenger plates' card. It needs to be a cabover type camper that is "BOLTED" down to the bed, not removable. Turnbuckles are temporary, meaning it can be removed relatively easy to use the truck to haul materials, etc.

A agree that Kalifornistan is a ripoff as far as fees go but what're you gonna do? I'm not walking to work.

 

Wow I'm glad I live up here in nebraska were I can have non commercial plates and haul what ever I want for my own personal use.

 

Thanks, that's the answer I was looking for. It would need to be a cabover camper. Yeah that's not really the way I want to go with the truck. Like my wife likes to say to my girls, "Suck it up, Buttercup". I'll just have to suffer the ridiculous taxation from the state. Thanks for the info.

 

Register it in Oregon.........all you need is a address!
There was a RV dealer up here that did that for folks from south of the border, gave them OR. plates and address.........no taxes, no smog, 2 yr tags, ridiculous cheap fees.
The owner of that dealership is now in the Oregon state Penitentiary.

 

I had two cars registered with collector plates while living in SoCal. One was a 51 Cadillac and the other a 63 Riviera. Granted, I registered them that way back in the 90's and I had no issue getting the plates. Things may have changed since.