No matter how prepared you are, there are always misunderstandings.
I have had the lucky experience of visiting many DMV’s since I move between states often. So I have an idea of what is needed when you get a new drivers license/car registration. Unfortunately this often means a great deal of paperwork, and it’s not cheap either.
I recently went and got plates and it cost about $170 for everything. NY apparently charges based on the weight of the car. Note to self: Don’t register a tank. I had all of my paperwork and I had studied the website to make sure I had everything I needed. I filled out my paperwork and lo and behold the agent tells me that I owe $2,467.32. I thought I was going to faint.
Apparently when you lease a car you have to pay tax on the full amount. Since the agent never asked me where I registered the car, he assumed I registered it in the state that I had the plates from. Natural assumption. However it was registered in NY since leasing requires that you register the car in the state where you reside when you bought it. Whew!
What that means is that I already paid the tax on this when I leased the car. Or rather, the leasing company paid the taxes as part of the total cost of the car. Leasing a car has some more paperwork, but ultimately I think it is a better choice for most people.
I filled out a new paperwork and got everything signed and taken care of. So that was a good feeling. It is nice to have all the paperwork in order so that there are no issues in the case of an accident. I have been involved with more people ramming into the backside of my car in the NYC area that anywhere else I’ve lived.
Now I am going to call the insurance company and make sure that everything is straight with them. I think they are overcharging me again, and I want to make sure they have all the discounts that apply on my policy.
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