From: rll@fatima.mitre.org (Roberto L. Landrau)
Subject: Re: Buying a car in New Hampshire
Organization: Research Computer Facility, MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 12:26:15 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.032446.13585@news.cs.brandeis.edu>
st883787@pip.cc.brandeis.edu writes:
>I need the expert advice of those in New England.  I'm in the market for a 
>new car.  I also happen to be graduating this semester and don't plan on 
>staying in MA, the land of the tax.  What I would like to do is this:
>1. Decide what car i want includig options.
>2. Go to New Hampshire and buy the car there since they have no sales
>tax.

True, but there is no sales tax in Massachusetts for motor vehicles,
either.  There is a ``registration tax'' instead.  It doesn't matter
where you buy the vehicle, if you want to register it in Mass (even if
you already own the vehicle when you move from another state) you have
to pay 5% (unless it has gone up recently) of the purchase price (or
the blue book value) of the car.  Don't forget there is also an
``excise tax'' (which I call ``excess tax'') imposed by the cities and
towns.  That one is 2.5% of the current value of the vehicle and it is
paid every year at the beginning of the year to your local city or
town.  In the past, they have always used very low values (about 1/2
of the blue book value) in order to avoid too many complaints.  The
valuations have been increasing over the last few years (they raise
your taxes without having to go to the legislature!).

>3. Drive my new car back to MA for the reminder of the school year, then
>   pack it up and depart for CO, my home for the next couple years.
>
>OK, my questions are, since I don't have a MA drivers license and am not a 
>MA resident, will the MA motor registry shit on me for trying to bring in a
>car from NH?

There is an old law (I don't know how much it is enforced, but
remember that MA and NH don't get along) that says if your vehicle is
driven in MA more than 30 days in a year, you have to register the car
with the RMV (registry).

>Do dealers in NH issue temporary plates?

No.  You need to bring your own plate.  Getting a plate from the NH
registry is easy: go to the city/town hall and register the car.  If
you do not own the car (if there is a lien) you get a temporary (30
day) plate until they complete their paperwork.  2 weeks later you get
a real plate in the mail.  The only problem is that I believe you have
to have an address in NH to register the car.

>If they do, I wouldn't have to even bother with MA registry.  Could
>it be possible to drive the car with the temporary plates and

They are good for 30 days only.  You only get them if you register the
car in NH.

>register in CO, or would I have to get 
>plates for the car before they let me have it (like in MA)?  In that case,

They will let you have it as soon as you give them $$$.  Don't expect
to drive too far before you get pulled over, though.

>do I have to wait to get the plates from CO, or will they be cool and let me
>go on my merry way.  I know that many people from MA buy their cars in NH

That's because they can get a better deal in most cases.  Sales tax
and excise tax have nothing to do with where you buy the car: it is
where you register the car.

>so I would appreciate their advice.  (To those of you who saw the
>same Channel 7 story about buying a car in NH, thus cheating MA out
>of revenue, I don't   
>want to hear your righteous BS, I give MA enough $$ and I'm not even a 
>state resident!)  Thanks again!

Now you know why so many people are leaving the state each year.  You
can become a resident of MA and they will be glad to take even more
from you!

>					Josh

Rent is cheap in NH.  You can always rent a bedroom somewhere around
the White Mts. and keep your MA apartment as a
``secondary address''... :):):)



--
The opinions stated above are not necessarily my employer's.
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Roberto L. Landrau    KC1YP    landrau@mitre.org  rll@linus.mitre.org
The MITRE Corporation  Bedford, MA 01730          rll@linus.UUCP
Newsgroups: rec.autos