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Last summer I looked at Asheville for possible relocation (have since decided to move to the triangle area this summer/fall). I pulled out my notes from last summer and was surprised at how all the fees add up for transferring a car to NC (not including insurance).
Here is what I researched for a 2008 Civic as of 2014 in Buncombe County:
$32.00 Driver's license for 8 years
$28.00 Registration (annual)
$40.00 Title (one time fee)
$30.00 Inspection (annual)
$14.00 Safety and emissions (not sure if that is one time or annual)
$150.00 Use tax highway fee (one time fee)
$137.00 Property tax on a 2008 Civic as of 2014 based on "value" of $11,620 (which is ludicrously high for a lower end model)
__________
$431.00 Total That's a chunk a change.
These fees may have increased since last year, I haven't checked all the various websites in the last few months. Upon renewal, it would be less, given that the Title and Use Tax are one-time fees (-$190), property taxes would decrease, but it's not clear by how much, and the driver's license fee is for 8 years. So, the following year would be about $200 to renew.
I'm not totally clear on the "use" tax, since it says on the website that it is in lieu of sales taxes. I paid sales tax on my Civic purchased new in 2008 in another state. Do I have to pay a use tax to NC on a car I've owned for 7 years?
Regarding the use tax, the website states for out of state cars:
"If the vehicle was titled in NC after 90 days of purchase from a dealer, no (sales tax) credit is allowed. Full Highway Use Tax will be due on the purchase price, less any trade-in credit." According to this, I would have to pay the use tax on the new value of a 7 year old car, on which I paid sales tax in another state (no trade in when I purchased the new car in 2008).
Has anything changed for 2015 that I'm missing? Use tax is high, as are inspections. Are inspections done by car dealers, or only at special service stations? Maine has an annual inspection that runs $20.00, but car dealers do it for free. Not sure if that's the case in NC.
Last edited by olderandwiser456; 06-28-2015 at 12:14 PM..
Yeah, the start up costs are high to get your car going in NC, especially when you have already paid in another state. Your real benefit to the system is when you buy a car here, because you don't pay taxes at time of purchase. You just pay them on the depreciated value every year.
Value of your car sounds a bit high - you can research the market value yourself and grieve the tax. I grieve every year based on mileage and won, not sure how successful others are. You'll have to do the research yourself.
You can get inspection done any service place. I have never heard of "safety and emissions" in addition to the regular inspection. I also did not have the car inspected when we moved here.
Yeah, the start up costs are high to get your car going in NC, especially when you have already paid in another state. Your real benefit to the system is when you buy a car here, because you don't pay taxes at time of purchase. You just pay them on the depreciated value every year.
Value of your car sounds a bit high - you can research the market value yourself and grieve the tax. I grieve every year based on mileage and won, not sure how successful others are. You'll have to do the research yourself.
You can get inspection done any service place. I have never heard of "safety and emissions" in addition to the regular inspection. I also did not have the car inspected when we moved here.
Good luck with your move.
Thanks! Yes, that value is high for 2008 Civic with low mileage (only 62,000 now and probably closer to 50,000 miles last summer when I got the rate from the DMV out in Asheville). Thanks for mentioning the "grieving" process for valuations. Any good websites for determining market value? Edmunds.com has a much lower value for my car. The DMV site mentions that they use "retail" value, determined by what dealers sell cars for. Ha! That would be an inflated value, IMO!
But the "use" tax seems backwards. Most states only collect sales taxes on out of state cars if they were purchased within 90 days of transferring the title, and not on cars purchased after 90 days. This is a first for me, having lived in about 6 other states in the last 30 years. States are looking for revenue, that's for sure. Thanks for posting.
One other interesting comparison: Maine has a property tax on cars as well, based on new value which decreases each year you own the car. This last December, I paid $67 in prop (excise) taxes on the 2008 Civic. States must use different databases.....and of course rates can vary as well.
Last edited by olderandwiser456; 06-28-2015 at 12:38 PM..
I have never heard of "safety and emissions" in addition to the regular inspection. I also did not have the car inspected when we moved here.
There are 52 non-urban counties in NC that only have a requirement for an annual safety inspection - the emissions systems of cars in those counties are not checked. The remaining 48 counties have both safety and emissions components to the annual inspection.
Yeah, the start up costs are high to get your car going in NC, especially when you have already paid in another state. Your real benefit to the system is when you buy a car here, because you don't pay taxes at time of purchase. You just pay them on the depreciated value every year.
Value of your car sounds a bit high - you can research the market value yourself and grieve the tax. I grieve every year based on mileage and won, not sure how successful others are. You'll have to do the research yourself.
You can get inspection done any service place. I have never heard of "safety and emissions" in addition to the regular inspection. I also did not have the car inspected when we moved here.
Good luck with your move.
You did not have to have the car inspected? I bought a 2014 leftover late last year in NJ and the NJ inspection sticker is good till the end of 2019. Will I lose the 5 year inspection period once I have to register the car in NC next year?
You did not have to have the car inspected? I bought a 2014 leftover late last year in NJ and the NJ inspection sticker is good till the end of 2019. Will I lose the 5 year inspection period once I have to register the car in NC next year?
Yup. We registered our car in October, didn't have to have it inspected when we registered it here, but we did the following October.
We had just registered the car in NY in July, and got half that money back.
When you go to register the car you should lie about the mileage. Mileage is a huge part of the value of the car. With your low milage, you are adding money to the value of the car. They aren't going to check. Maybe if you said you have 150K miles they would ask for proof, but with a 2008 you should definitely be factoring in 12K mileage per year.
Market value is just that - not book value, not Edmunds. It's what they car is selling for in the local market. Just google you car and put in the city you live in and you'll get ads for it. The mileage should be similar. Don't confuse this with registering the car - they are going to want to know the cars are comparable when you grieve your taxes. My car has very high mileage (2010 with almost 90K miles) so we always get a reduction. I'm not guaranteeing you will - seems mileage is a no-brainer for them from what I've heard.
Quote:
Originally Posted by olderandwiser456
Thanks! Yes, that value is high for 2008 Civic with low mileage (only 62,000 now and probably closer to 50,000 miles last summer when I got the rate from the DMV out in Asheville). Thanks for mentioning the "grieving" process for valuations. Any good websites for determining market value? Edmunds.com has a much lower value for my car. The DMV site mentions that they use "retail" value, determined by what dealers sell cars for. Ha! That would be an inflated value, IMO!
But the "use" tax seems backwards. Most states only collect sales taxes on out of state cars if they were purchased within 90 days of transferring the title, and not on cars purchased after 90 days. This is a first for me, having lived in about 6 other states in the last 30 years. States are looking for revenue, that's for sure. Thanks for posting.
One other interesting comparison: Maine has a property tax on cars as well, based on new value which decreases each year you own the car. This last December, I paid $67 in prop (excise) taxes on the 2008 Civic. States must use different databases.....and of course rates can vary as well.
When you go to register the car you should lie about the mileage. Mileage is a huge part of the value of the car. With your low milage, you are adding money to the value of the car. They aren't going to check. Maybe if you said you have 150K miles they would ask for proof, but with a 2008 you should definitely be factoring in 12K mileage per year.
Market value is just that - not book value, not Edmunds. It's what they car is selling for in the local market. Just google you car and put in the city you live in and you'll get ads for it. The mileage should be similar. Don't confuse this with registering the car - they are going to want to know the cars are comparable when you grieve your taxes. My car has very high mileage (2010 with almost 90K miles) so we always get a reduction. I'm not guaranteeing you will - seems mileage is a no-brainer for them from what I've heard.
Thanks for the good info! That's the value of a forum like this, good info from people who actually live in states and cities we are researching. I appreciate the post!
So, according to an average of 12k/yr, my mileage could easily be 84k vs 62k. When I paid my excise (property) tax here in Maine on the car, there was no mileage in the calculation. I never provided it. It's interesting that low mileage is assumed to be a positive factor in the value of a used car. A lot of stop/start city driving and short trips are hard on cars over the long run.....
Mileage is definitely a factor with car insurance, however. More miles, more risk.
Location: River's Edge Inn, Todd NC, and Lorgues France
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Quote:
Originally Posted by olderandwiser456
Thanks for the good info! That's the value of a forum like this, good info from people who actually live in states and cities we are researching. I appreciate the post!
So, according to an average of 12k/yr, my mileage could easily be 84k vs 62k. When I paid my excise (property) tax here in Maine on the car, there was no mileage in the calculation. I never provided it. It's interesting that low mileage is assumed to be a positive factor in the value of a used car. A lot of stop/start city driving and short trips are hard on cars over the long run.....
Mileage is definitely a factor with car insurance, however. More miles, more risk.
A great way to start your new life in North Carolina.
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That's a chunk a change. 
