AdamNJ

I guess my dealer (Open Road in East Brunswick NJ) is somewhat honest. I got a $40 refund check in the mail the other day for DMV fees. I would have never known.

I'm rich biatch!

Any other dealers 'honest'?

Parrothead

Yes, I had the same thing happen, but I think mine was only for about $20.

SI Guy

same here - Acura of Ocean

chill_dog

Why would you get a refund of DMV fees? You either transferred a plate or got a new one, both of which cost. Did your dealer jack you on the front end?

AdamNJ

According to my purchase agreement, I paid $279 for NJ reg/title fees. I got new plates and a 4 year registration (to my suprise).

chill_dog

Whoa! That's a lot of money for 4 years of reg. No wonder you got a refund...heck, I'd be wondering where the rest is!

AdamNJ

What kind of fees to you pay down in NC?

I'm used it to costing around 70/year for my last vehicle.

Lore

I paid something like $280 for a year of registration here in California!

crazymjb

Quote: Why would you get a refund of DMV fees? You either transferred a plate or got a new one, both of which cost. Did your dealer jack you on the front end?

Wait, new plates? You get new plates free(with same number). What about the price of custom plates. Excuse me if I am way off.

ChuckDu

NJ went to four year registrations in 2004. In my cynical view they did it to help balance this fiscal year's budget.

When I signed my paperwork at Acura of Ocean, they said that I would receive a small refund due to estimating the DMV fees. I received a $40 check about a week later. As the business manager said, better to estimate the fees a bit high at the time of purchase, because not too many people would be happy about ponying up another $35 check after just spending $35K.

What I don't get is why they don't know the exact fees at the time of purchase.

JoganJani

werd....

professor7

I received a check today for $9.50. Anyone want to party!!

AdamNJ

I would love to know why they don't know the exact amount. Does NJ charge differently based on how many regs the dealer brings in that week?

AdamNJ

Yes new plates, but with a new number. If i wanted the same plates I would have just transferred them, but I haven't found a buyer yet for my last vehicle....so then I wouldn't be able to drive it. I have no idea how much custom plates are.

Ron A

It's not unusual for this to happen. They estimate the fees based on their best information, but when it gets to the DMV, the DMV processes it and determines the actual fees.

I didn't notice anyone getting a bill because the dealer estimated low, and the checks or refunds are low so the dealer didn't estimate too high, so they are doing the best they can.

scrb09

$20 Registration Fees for a Year...

Vehicle Tax every year (depends on the value of the Car) 04 TL cost me $340 last year will have to see what it costs this year I guess this is the price we pay for not have Tolls on the Road Back in NY I dont remember paying any vehicle tax except for $35 for 2 years of Registration.

Shoot2Thrill

The was a major lawsuit in NJ and as a result a significant number of dealers had to issue refund checks. Could be honesty, could be result of the lawsuit, could be CYA

AdamNJ

So if youa re paying $340 a year in taxes on your vehicle does that mean you don't have to pay any taxes at the time of purchase? Maybe its that way in NC, so you have the yearly tax, and here in NJ we pay the tax upfront and have no yearly?

AdamNJ

But why do the fees vary? I would think that its the same no matter what ($xx for new title, $xx for plates, $xx for 4 year reg)...so each new vehicle would have the same DMV fees to pay. Or is it like they charge different amounts based on car weight, avg mpg, smog polution...etc?

Ron A

I guess there are a lot of variables involved, plus different rules for each state. My dealer has a direct link to the DMV, so he entered the info and printed out my registration transfer form, with all the fees on it, while I waited, so he knew exactly what the fees were.

If the dealer doesn't have the direct link, and you are transferring plates, he has to submit the paperwork to the DMV. On my previous car, since I was up for renewal in a couple of months, he assumed the DMV would renew through the next year, which they usually do, but this time they only transferred to the original expiration date, and charged me accordingly, so I got a refund for the charges for the additional year I didn't get.

This is in Florida, but with all the different rules in all the different states, there have to be some little quirks that affect the final price.