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Couple question regarding buying used car on Hawaii:
Where used car registered? DMV? Notary?
Buyer of car required to have HI DL or out of state DL is OK?
Is owner of car must be present at time of registration? ... or he/she just sign title?
New owner have to get new inspection for car or unexpired old inspection is valid?
How long it takes to receive new title?
What is main points for inspection? I know brakes, lights? What else?
I'll be hunting for car as soon as I get on Maui in September. Looked few "cruisers" on CL. Some owner say "car is not legal because driver side window is stock", how that related to anything?
1. Registering a used car is done the same way as a new car at the DMV.
2. Buyer of car isn't required to have any license but if you want to drive the car a United States Driver's license from any state is a good thing to have. I'm not sure if there is a required age or citizen ship, though.
3. The previous owner of the car signs the title and keeps the little tear off bit at the top which they send in to prove they don't own it anymore. You take the signed title to the DMV along with the vehicle inspection if it is required.
4. It will be written on the registration paper when the car requires another inspection. If the old inspection is unexpired it is still valid.
5. They give you a new title immediately at the DMV window.
6. Mostly the inspection covers lights, turn signals, horn and CAR INSURANCE ISSUED FOR HAWAII. They never look at the brakes that I've ever seen or even start up the car at all. The do check for really dark window tint on the driver's window and the windshield and once they didn't like excessive rust (a hole through the body of the car with rusted bits hanging down) but a bit of aluminum duct tape was enough of a fix that they let it pass.
I'm not sure about whether having a copy of the old registration would be necessary or not. I would think if you were taking the car from one county to the next, say from Honolulu County to Maui County, then it might be nice to have a copy of the registration. The different county DMV's don't trade information between themselves, I don't think. At least, they didn't use to, perhaps now with computers and such they do. There is probably a Maui DMV website somewhere with all this information on it.
Can't help you with the "car not legal because driver's side window is stock", that - as you noticed - doesn't make any sense at all but some ads on Craig's List are like that.
Aloha Andrew,
You take the signed title to the DMV along with the vehicle inspection if it is required.
I thought inspection is sticker on back bumper? Is there anything else? Some kind of card?
BTW: is there specific "inspection stations" or any mechanic can do inspection?
When buying a used car in Hawaii, don't trust the sticker on the back of the car.
Way too many people steal inspection stickers and place them on their car so theirs looks legal.
Also, stolen license plates are fairly common because that helps people avoid paying the annual registration fee, known locally as "tax". When you see a car advertised as "back taxes owed", that means the vehicle is not currently registered. If they are driving it, they are driving illegally.
Call the DMV to verify the VIN number matches the license plates.
Call the police to verify the car isn't stolen. You don't want to buy a stolen car!
Individual mechanics are licensed to do inspections, not the facility. Safety inspection is about $15 in Hawaii County. Each county sets their own prices.
If the inspector is doing the job legally, they will do a lot more than check lights, horn tires.
The car is supposed to be started, no lights such as "brake, ABS, airbag" can remain lighted.
Steering, brakes, wiper operation... there's a whole bunch of items on the inspection form.
Unfortunately, most inspectors ignore most of the items to save time on their end. There was some cracking down on improper inspectors a while back, and a few got suspended from the program but I suspect it has gone away with the economy being in such bad shape.
The safety inspection program is yet another example of passing a law with good intent and not following through.
If I buy such car will I be liable to pay that "tax"? Any problem registering that "illegal" car?
After reading Driver Licence manual it's looks like there is safety check card which has to be kept in car? Right?
Yes, you can buy that car, but you will have to pay all of the back taxes - don't take the sellers word on how much is owed. Verify that amount.
You may also see ads that say "plates stored" or similar. This means that the license plates were turned in to the DMV, which stops any further registration fees. This means there are no back taxes to pay. It does mean that you will have to get a new safety inspection and then re-register the vehicle.
The safety inspection must be on the back of the vehicle and you must keep the safety inspection paperwork in the vehicle as well.
Place the registration card, safety inspection paperwork and your insurance card in a ziplock baggie to prevent moisture/mold from ruining them.
I got a very decent deal buying a used car from Hertz near the Honolulu airport. Don't know if they sell on the neighbor islands.
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