Dealer Car Purchase Registration Fee (Union, Morristown: sales, lease, credit)

[stopea]

Think I'm getting ripped off.

Bought a car from Toyota Morristown - about 3 weeks ago.

I had to pay $405 for what's called 'Estimated Registration Fee' - was told I would receive a refund if the fees were lower.

Received the registration card from the dealer which states a total of $144 ($59 for new registration & $85 for title fee).


I havent' received a refund yet.


This car was financed via a Credit Union - are there extra fees for recording leins?

Am I missing anything? is the dealer trying to rip me off for $261?

[njkate]

I did receive a refund check from dealer several years ago. Now if you buy a new car the inspection is good for 5 years so they hit you with 5 years of registation so yes they sometimes have to estimate. Not sure why the estimate would have been so high on a used car and I'm assuming it's used as $59 sounds like 1 year registration

[stopea]

I don't understand how that works i.e. inspection fees for 5 years? or registration for 5 years? my registration card is valid for 12 months, and I imagine I will have to pay a fee once I have to renew it 11/13.

[njkate]

Originally Posted by stopea

I don't understand how that works i.e. inspection fees for 5 years? or registration for 5 years? my registration card is valid for 12 months, and I imagine I will have to pay a fee once I have to renew it 11/13.

Correct....it only applies to new cars, but the fee is estimated and I did receive a check from the dealer a few weeks later. You can always call your sales man to find out about when they would issue a refund

[NJGOAT]

The dealer screwed up and should be giving you a refund. In fact, most of them will send it with the registration or give it to you when you pick the car up. On the contract, any registration/titling fees need to be separately itemized and they cannot legally charge you more then what the actual cost is (anything in terms of a fee for handling the paperwork needs to be placed under a separate "doc fee").

These days when you buy or lease a new car, you must pay for a 4-year registration upfront. The registration fee varies based on vehicle weight so most dealers simply charge an estimate to cover it when processing the deal and then give a refund or charge for any differences. Many vehicles now weigh enough that they require a $79 annual registration. So, take $79*4 = $316 and then add in the titling fee of $85 and you at $401. This is how they came up with the estimated fee. In this case, the dealer grossly over-estimated the fee and didn't account for the fact this was a used car purchase which only has a one year registration.

You should contact the dealer and inquire as to the status of your refund. They should cut you a check for $261 which is the difference between the charged estimate in the contract and what it actually cost.

[manderly6]

Why not give them a call and ask.

[stopea]

thanks for the advice - yes the car is a 2011 which is, obviously, used.


I asked the salesman if I would receive a refund and he stated that the actual registration fees were actually $435, and they would cover the overage.

this sounds like typical used car salesman talk. the registration clearly states $144.

[stopea]

just got off the phone with the salesman - the prevous conversation had been when I picked up the registration.

he's saying there were additional fees related to lein recording with the credit union. doensn't sound right to me. shouldn't these fees be ONLY for DMV registration?

[TonyStarksNJ]

I am pretty sure they will justify the fee as a courtesy for handling the trip to the dmv to take care of paperwork etc. Its simply a revenue generator, just like the doc fee. Right in the dealers bottom line.

[stopea]

Originally Posted by manderly6

Why not give them a call and ask.

wanted to check with the wise lot on city-data before calling. i don't trust car salesmen much....