"Are people still that ignorant about New Mexico?" (sales, vehicle registration)

[MissNM]

A family member from NM bought a car in California - better selection and better price.

When you take a car back to another state from California, you must pay a $300 fee to be escorted to the border. Otherwise you have to pay the outrageous sales tax of ~10%.

All of the paper work lists NM. The driver's license was from NM. The isnurance was from NM. So they needed an escort to the California/Arizona border.

The dealership tried to take them to the Tijuana border! We couldn't get them to understand that NM was a state.

Edit: Dang - I just read the title I put in. Now I sound like the ignorant one. I can't fix it - AAARGH.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by MissNM

Edit: Dang - I just read the title I put in. Now I sound like the ignorant one. I can't fix it - AAARGH.

Ever consider DMing a moderator to fix it?

Ever consider saying what title you wanted if you did not know how to DM a moderator?

This friendly moderator will change the title. He is old and at times senile, but he will guess at a title....

Here goes, woosh!!!

It's done I hope....



Rich

[MissNM]

Originally Posted by Poncho_NM

Ever consider DMing a moderator to fix it?

Ever consider saying what title you wanted if you did not know how to DM a moderator?

This friendly moderator will change the title. He is old and at times senile, but he will guess at a title....

Here goes, woosh!!!

It's done I hope....



Rich

Never crossed my mind! I was shooting for something like "Are people still that ignorant about New Mexico?" 40 years ago, I could still understand that some people just don't have a clue about geography. Just because the internet is full of information, it's just more knowledge to ignore.

And no . . . the moderator is far from old.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by MissNM

When you take a car back to another state from California, you must pay a $300 fee to be escorted to the border. Otherwise you have to pay the outrageous sales tax of ~10%.

Has nothing to do with California.... This is what really happens:

1. When you buy something, you normally pay some sales tax, unless you have some exemption...

2. When you register a car in a state you usually have to pay sales tax unless you can prove you paid sales tax on it in another state. If the sales tax is less where you register the vehicle, then you normally do not pay sales tax. If the sales tax is more, then you can pay just the diference...

Originally Posted by MissNM

All of the paper work lists NM. The driver's license was from NM. The isnurance was from NM. So they needed an escort to the California/Arizona border.

No. All the paperwork did not list NM. The vehicle registration was not from New Mexico...

If this was a new car, you could have demanded/gotten the title of origin with temporay tags, (or take the business elsewhere), for the purposes of registering in another state... Sometimes you can do that...

But if you stay legal, you will pay sales tax to some state one way or another....



Rich

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by MissNM

"Are people still that ignorant about New Mexico?"

Whoosh done!

[green_mariner]

I think alot of people are ignorant about many places, period.

[MissNM]

Oh no - the issue wasn't about the taxes at all. The dealership thought my family was Mexican and tried to take them to the international border at Tijuana. They had never heard of the state of New Mexico.

If you are exporting a car to another state, you have to pay a use tax (in lieu of sales tax). You pay a use tax and the dealership is supposed to physically escort the car to the California/Arizona border. The dealership actually risks a fine if you drive it yourself.

[GregW]

The New Mexico Magazine has a page called "one of our states is missing" with a number of these tales.

If I mention New Mexico around here I usuall get something like;

"I ant eard a New Mexico. Theas a Mexico inta Maine, Its cross ta river from Rumford."

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by MissNM

Oh no - the issue wasn't about the taxes at all. The dealership thought my family was Mexican and tried to take them to the international border at Tijuana. They had never heard of the state of New Mexico.

If you are exporting a car to another state, you have to pay a use tax (in lieu of sales tax). You pay a use tax and the dealership is supposed to physically escort the car to the California/Arizona border. The dealership actually risks a fine if you drive it yourself.

This is partly because some people can't tell the difference between New Mexico and Mexico. This is also due in part to the relative ignorance of geography.

[MissNM]

My husband and I used to RV. At one park, we had a neighbor who kept telling us how much she loved the beaches in New Mexico. No matter how many times we tried to explain it, she couldn't get it.

Maybe she's been to Tingley Beach?