[Croce]

Does anyone know if I have to pay sales tax twice? The California dealer says I must pay sales tax to him. That is fine, but I don't want to pay it over again in Nevada. Anyone have experience with this? Thank you.

[Cold Warrior]

I recall that in CA sales tax is due when you register a used car, not when you buy it. I think you could just have the title signed over to you and bring it to Nevada.

[MediocreButArrogant]

I could be mistaken, but I think the only way you can avoid paying CA sales tax is to actually not take possession until it's over the border. I believe that's the only way to avoid paying sales tax to a CA used car dealer. CA makes it difficult, but not impossible, to not pay sales tax.

You don't have to pay sales tax twice. From http://tax.nv.gov/FAQs/Sales_Tax_Information___FAQ_s/: "Sales Tax legitimately paid to another state is applied as a credit towards Nevada Use Tax due."

If you buy privately, the sales tax is due at registration time.

[waltman]

A few years ago we bought a used car from a dealer in California. He had the car trucked to us in NV. No CA sales tax was due. I paid the NV sales tax at the Henderson DMV.

[BBMW]

Can you get a temporary tag to drive the car until it's properly registered? I think that's the usual mechanism for handing this situation.

Originally Posted by MediocreButArrogant

I could be mistaken, but I think the only way you can avoid paying CA sales tax is to actually not take possession until it's over the border. I believe that's the only way to avoid paying sales tax to a CA used car dealer. CA makes it difficult, but not impossible, to not pay sales tax.

You don't have to pay sales tax twice. From http://tax.nv.gov/FAQs/Sales_Tax_Information___FAQ_s/: "Sales Tax legitimately paid to another state is applied as a credit towards Nevada Use Tax due."

If you buy privately, the sales tax is due at registration time.

[Croce]

Originally Posted by MediocreButArrogant

I could be mistaken, but I think the only way you can avoid paying CA sales tax is to actually not take possession until it's over the border. I believe that's the only way to avoid paying sales tax to a CA used car dealer. CA makes it difficult, but not impossible, to not pay sales tax.

You don't have to pay sales tax twice. From http://tax.nv.gov/FAQs/Sales_Tax_Information___FAQ_s/: "Sales Tax legitimately paid to another state is applied as a credit towards Nevada Use Tax due."

If you buy privately, the sales tax is due at registration time.

Thank you very much - this answers the question. I'm not trying to avoid paying sales tax as I said. I just don't want to get dinged in two states. So I appreciate the reference. Seems that the California dealers have a much better selection and way better prices on the Certified Pre-Owned type cars I am looking for. So I don't mind a five hour drive to save $5000.

[beachhead]

Originally Posted by BBMW

Can you get a temporary tag to drive the car until it's properly registered? I think that's the usual mechanism for handing this situation.

In California, the plates stay with the car, so as long as the tags haven't expired (often the case with dealers though), and you have existing insurance (in CA, your insurance covers a new car up to 30 days after purchase), along with the bill of sale, you are good to go. If you were registereing it in CA, you get a temporary registration that's taped to the front window, but I don't think you want to pay for that too! Oh, and CA requires you process the change of ownership with 10 days IIRC.

Originally Posted by Croce

Thank you very much - this answers the question. I'm not trying to avoid paying sales tax as I said. I just don't want to get dinged in two states. So I appreciate the reference. Seems that the California dealers have a much better selection and way better prices on the Certified Pre-Owned type cars I am looking for. So I don't mind a five hour drive to save $5000.

Just be aware of where you buy it. Certain counties, the sales tax is higher than NV (Los Angeles is nearly 10% for example), while others will be slightly less, and you'd probably end up with a slight "extra" due to NV when you register. If the price difference is that great, it's likely that the dealer may even be familiar with purchasers from NV, and know the process, or even collect the NV state tax.

[richzx14]

I purchased a new vehicle from a dealer in California and I paid a small fee (I forget exactly about $30) for a DMV one-way move document good for 60 days and drove to Nevada and and registered the vehicle here and paid the Nevada sales tax. Very simple and no issues.
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1...bk/ch25/ch25_3


ALSO - In Nevada there is no sales tax on private party vehicle purchases (documented on NV DMV web site and I also confirmed with speaking with DMV rep on the phone). This policy applies to in Nevada and also out-of-state purchases. Just need a bill of sale, signed off title from the seller and any other NV DMV documents completed - i.e. VIN verification, smog certification if necessary and completed DMV registration form.