12 replies to this topic

[jfanning]

I am contemplating purchasing a used motorhome from an owner in Florida. We live in North Carolina. Is there any benefit one way or the other as to where the transaction takes place?

For example: If I purchase the motorhome in FL and then drive it to NC, do I have to pay sales tax in FL and NC also, or should I have the owner drive the MH to NC and possibly pay just a sales tax in NC. NC kills you no matter what you do. I just want to avoid paying taxes in two states if possible.

Any help or previous experiences will be appreciated.

[DeltaDonnie]

Some states have an exemption from sales tax, if you buy from a private party.

[jfanning]

Thanks, I thought I had read something earlier in regard to making a purchase in FL and then registering the vehicle in another state. I thought maybe someone in FMCA probably already had this experience and knew about potential pitfalls. I'll check with the vehicle tax offices in both states.

[garykd]

Hi jfanning,
The state you need to be concerned about is North Carolina. For Florida, all you need is the bill of sale, current title (with release of any lien holders) and your NC drivers license. Tell Florida your are taking the coach to NC. You'll need to purchase a FLA temporary tag. This is to get you to NC.

This is from the NC DMV site:
"North Carolina collects a 3% Highway Use Tax on vehicles in lieu of a state sales tax (General Statute 105-187.2). The tax is assessed each time a title is transferred. The maximum tax for commercial vehicles (vehicles with a weight greater than 26,000 pounds) is $1,000.00. All other vehicles are charged 3% with no ceiling.

For a more detailed explanation of the Highway Use Tax (HUT) you can view our Vehicle Titling & Registration: Highway Use Tax Section."

Please consider going to the North Carolina web site or calling the DMV with questions about your transaction.

[shaweety]

Funny you've asked this question. We just purchased our motor home in Florida and we live in California. We purchased from a dealer. He was required to collect state sales tax from Florida. He then put a temporary plate on our motorhome so we could drive across the country. When we registered it in California, we then paid the difference of what we owed to California since taxes are higher here than in Florida. The states have an agreement is seems where California then collected our sales tax from Florida.

I hope this helps. We love our motorhome by the way!

Steve and Debbie
1998 Country Coach Affinity
1st time RV'ers
delind@earthlink.net

[TnDWile]

We obtained our RV from a person in Fl; Drove it back to Ga; The tax was then under Ga rules when we went to register the unit;
I do no know the rules in NC; In Ga if you buy a used RV from an individual, there is no sales tax; However, if you buy in Ga and travel to reg. the unit in NC, you would be under NC rules!!!

Hope the Tax info helps.

[rjbidd]

I purchased a M/H in Casa Grande AZ,june of this year to take to & import to Canada. If I had taken delivery in Arizona I would have had to pay state tax,Then again when I entered Canada,The dealer arranged to have an employee drive to California & have attorney sign that I took delivery there. Note DMV AZ gave me a 3 month permit ? Just beware if buying in Arizona they have changed the rules.

[Sundancer268]

I purchased my unit in Minnesota and paid the sales tax in my home state of Michigan. Dealer sent me the title after I paid for the unit and when I went out in the spring to pick it up I had a temporary Michigan plate to drive home on. Michigan RAPES you on license plates, they still think the coach is worth what it was when the manufacturer placed the original MSRP on it. I just buy the temporary plates for two two month periods. I just do not think it is worth well over $450 for annual plates when the season is only 4 or 5 months each year. When I retire I will switch my residence to some where that the plates reflect a 20 year old coach's worth. Even if we were offered 6 month plates, I probably would consent to that. It all went to **** in 84 when we changed from a weight based fee to a Value rated fee. The only problem is the value does not fall after five years. My 98 Lincoln with 196,000 plus miles on it cost more to plate than my 2005 Focus or 2004 Silverado cost new. Enough of this rant.

[mrmoseler]

MMoseler- If you purchase from a private owner in FL you can go to FL DMV and get a Temporary Tag to transport your MH back to NC and register it there. If you are buying from a FL Dealer they will provide you with Temporary Tags. Most staes have a timeframe for having your vehicle registered before sales tax is not applicable in the new state. Usually it is 6 months or more so if for example you registered you MH in FL when you bought it and then took it to NC and re-registered it in less than 6 months you would probably have to pay the difference on sales tax if NC Sales Tax was higher. If you are going to live in NC and register your MH there, I would just get a Temp Tag from FL DMV to drive it back. Good Luck, Mike

[dumcat60]

You will have to pay the sales tax in NC but I think if you check it may be less than Fla anyway. Last time I purchased a motorhome and resgistered it in NC there was a maxium sales on motor vehicles of $1500. that was in 2006. Tht was cheaper than Fla because there no maxium sales tax in that state.

[Gorm50]

Rather than asking for information that may or may not be accurate, I'd sooner call either the DMV or SOS or Dept of Treasury for each State (depending on who licenses motor vehicles in that State) and get accurate information and perhaps suggestions on how you might reduce your tax liability from both sources so you can make an informed decision.
Gorm

[RVconvert]

I may have some special circumstances, but I was able to minimize my sales tax by using my Montana LLC to purchase and hold my RV. You can do a search for "Montana LLC" or even "Montana RV" to find help with setting something like that up.

I used the following site to set up my Montana RV LLC and then took care of the RV registration myself. Now if you don't live in Montana or you're buying from another state, you should check with your Department of Revenue and/or DMV to make sure you're staying above board. My CPA recommended this because he had gone the same route a couple of years before...for what it's worth ;-)