Car registration cost (Bellingham: sales, loan, how much)

[8tsixed]

I just recently move to the area and am planning to buy a new car soon. I can't seem to find an answer online anywhere that tell me how much the title and registration on a new car will be.

Also, where I lived previously, sales tax was on applied to the first $2000 of single purchase. I understand here that the entire amount is taxed?

Thanks

[scirocco22]

It's been awhile for me so I can't tell you the exact fees I paid when I bought a new car but the state's site can give you an idea and they tell you to contact an office by phone to get the exact fees for the vehicle you're thinking of buying.

http://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/fees.html

And yes, unless something has changed recently, you have to pay sales tax on the full amount of the negotiated price you are paying in the jurisdiction you are purchasing the vehicle. Example: I lived in King County but I bought a new car in Bellingham once. I paid the sales tax rate in Whatcom county which was over a full percent less at the time. Consequently it saved me a little over $300 on a $30k car. Not much but every little bit helps.


Thanks.

--'rocco

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by scirocco22

It's been awhile for me so I can't tell you the exact fees I paid when I bought a new car but the state's site can give you an idea and they tell you to contact an office by phone to get the exact fees for the vehicle you're thinking of buying.

http://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/fees.html

And yes, unless something has changed recently, you have to pay sales tax on the full amount of the negotiated price you are paying in the jurisdiction you are purchasing the vehicle. Example: I lived in King County but I bought a new car in Bellingham once. I paid the sales tax rate in Whatcom county which was over a full percent less at the time. Consequently it saved me a little over $300 on a $30k car. Not much but every little bit helps.

If you trade in a car at the dealership, you pay sales tax only on the difference between the trade-in price of the car and the price of the new car. The dealership will be happy to skew that for you, as they only care what you pay them, not what the relative amounts are. Is that ethical? Mmmmmaybe.

Often, though, the difference between what you can sell the used car for and what the dealership will give you in trade-in is not worth it - you don;t save enough on sales tax to make up the price difference.

The registration fee is trivial, it's under $40, though I think there are new plate fees on top of that, which are also pretty small.

[scirocco22]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

If you trade in a car at the dealership, you pay sales tax only on the difference between the trade-in price of the car and the price of the new car. The dealership will be happy to skew that for you, as they only care what you pay them, not what the relative amounts are. Is that ethical? Mmmmmaybe.

Often, though, the difference between what you can sell the used car for and what the dealership will give you in trade-in is not worth it - you don;t save enough on sales tax to make up the price difference.

The registration fee is trivial, it's under $40, though I think there are new plate fees on top of that, which are also pretty small.

Yup, good point, PNW. I left the trade-in equation out ...I just assumed he was buying the car without a trade-in for some reason. I've never traded in a car when buying new because you really get taken by the dealer; no question about that. But to some, it's just less hassle to give the dealer a trade-in.

Thanks.

--'rocco

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by scirocco22

Yup, good point, PNW. I left the trade-in equation out ...I just assumed he was buying the car without a trade-in for some reason. I've never traded in a car when buying new because you really get taken by the dealer; no question about that. But to some, it's just less hassle to give the dealer a trade-in.

Thanks.

--'rocco

It also depends on car value - I traded a 10 year old BMW for a 6 month old Mini Cooper S. The private-party cars I looked at were all financed (so I'd have to give them a check, they'd pay off the loan and THEN I'd get the title), and the people who wanted to buy my Beemer wanted to finance it, too. So we were going to have to do the check versus title swap, and I didn't want to do that. This way the dealer took care of all that, plus all the out-of-state plate hassle, and it was done in 4 hours. (2 of which were me saying "no, I don't want to negotiate - here is my deal, and I'm sticking to it, and I DON'T want to talk to your manager.")