I'm in Northern California and have never bought a vehicle out-of-state so I'm a little naive as to what's involved. One dealer in my area charges MSRP, the other 4 charge anywhere from $1k-$3K over. I've read that Portland charges $175 (for MC) but Oregon has no sales tax (hence saving me about $1500).

Am I missing something here? Why wouldn't we all buy from states that have no sales tax - that's a sizeable savings in most cases and easily offsets the airfare and return trip. Are there taxes or ridiculous registration fees I'll have to pay once I get back into CA? Do they make you register the car in the state of purchase first and then you have to transfer it??

It seems many Mini owners purchase out-of-state for various reasons...can you shed a little light on the details for me???

 

You will still pay California Taxes. They just collect it when you go to register the car. So you won't be skipping that unpleasantry. :smile:

 

You pay the sales tax where you finally register the car. So you will pay sales tax in Calif. The dealer will issue you a 20 day in-transit permit to allow you to drive your car legally to Calif. However you should be careful about the emissions requirements in Calif and that the car you purchase in Oregon will meet the Calif. standards.

 

Thanks for the info....I knew the whole "no sales tax" thing had to be too good to be true...guess "the man" is gonna get you no matter what!!!