1974 Euro 3.0CSi on Bat again

Means nothing unless it's a daily driver. You show them the articles of incorporation from your llc in Mt. Then they give you a speeding ticket. No one gets involved.. At least not currently.

I personally know of at least 30 cars (modded, loud, wild) 911s that have had MT plates for years and nothing comes of it. Not saying it's legal but it's also way down the list of items the cops have to worry about...

If you are a raving ass to the cops you could have gold plated CA license plates and you'll get cornholled... More bees with honey and all that..
 
teahead said:
If a car is registered in MT for example purposes, how does a licensing outfit spot a grey market car? What gives it away as one?

Would the licensing agent know that BMW CSis are grey market?
Click to expand...
When you register an out of state car you have to take it to the DMV. They inspect it for the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety tag. A gray market car won’t have one unless it has been aftermarket federalized.
 
Well, all I can say is nothing has happened to me or anyone I know yet...And to my earlier statement, there are hundreds of 500k-3mil dollars cars running around Monterey during car week so they won't have to look too hard or far to find owner/drivers flaunting the rules....
 
I like cars. I really like cars. All kinds of cars. But it's not worth it to me to roll the dice that my contrived Montana LLC will pass muster and that I'm lawyered up enough to win when I am being sued for being dishonest.

I do not live in California now, but I did for most of my adult life. I enjoyed living there (I've enjoyed living every place I've lived). There are pros and cons to living in every state in the US. The fact that California is tough on gray market cars is pretty minor (to me) compared to the benefits of living there. I'm OK with playing by the rules.
 
Oh, I'll play by the rules and do with the majority of my cars but if it comes down to not owning the car or owning the car with a MT reg, then that's the way I'll go. If you really want a car, then there is a way. I'm fine with that and if I get in trouble, it's on me. No harm, no foul!
 
I just registered my 4 cars for another year. Total combined cost $115 here in Florida. My brother in law in Connecticut sold his Lotus because he used the car sparingly and it was well over $1000 every year to register the car, or it may have been some type of property tax.
 
Last edited:
tmh said:
I just registered my 4 cars for another year. Total combined cost $115 here in Florida. My brother in law in Connecticut sold his Lotus because he used the car sparingly and it was well over $1000 every year to register the car.
Click to expand...
A classic Lotus?! Or a new 100k Lotus? My 7 clone is registered as a 63 Lotus (in California) and it's sub $125 every year... That's crazy if it's 1k for a classic lotus.. Or even an Elise or Exige... Wow
 
tferrer said:
Now if your neighbor wants to play stazi and report you, that's another potential issue. That's why you should give Christmas cookies to your neighbors!
Click to expand...
Cookies if you want to be loved, but is it better to be feared?

Dealing as we speak with a neighbor that poisons neighbors dog and it is unclear if cookies will do it. Long story.
 
Well, this auction closed substantially down from the previous BaT auction. Reserve not met at $77K (prior sale was $108k in May of 2022.
 
Reserve not met at $77,000. Not sure if this is a trend downward in coupe prices and collector cars in general (prices seem a bit softer overall these days). Prices for collectible cars seemed to really shoot up the past few years….Covid effect? Perhaps an economy that is seeing high inflation and a lousy stock market is taking a toll.
 
Since the car is already registered in Montana, perhaps Beth Sutton will sell her Bentley and buy the Coupe. It would look really nice up on the Yellowstone...
 
boonies said:
Well, this auction closed substantially down from the previous BaT auction. Reserve not met at $77K (prior sale was $108k in May of 2022.
Click to expand...
How come, I am NOT surprised ? but I would have expected the high bid to reach
about the same level as in the first/previous BaT auction.
 
I'm surprised. $108 bid when the car was in Sweden. $77 7 months later with the car in the US? $30k LOWER? I would have expected more than $108 when the car was moved to the US even with a down economy and a MT title.
 
bubukitty said:
Though the car is registered in MT, it should not be an issue to re-register it in CA. As it is a 1974 vehicle, should be easy. 1975 and older vehicles are Smog exempt. 1976 and newer require smog certs. I owned a 1976 Jaguar XJ6C and smogging an old British car like that can be a bear if all systems are not working right (carbs, cats, timing, etc.). Had I owned a 1975 model of that car, I would have been home free. The BaT coupe looks beautiful, but because it is SO nice I would be afraid to take it out on the open road if preservation is the goal. If one doesn’t care, damn the torpedos and full speed ahead. My former ‘73 coupe was also Polaris but over red leather and beautiful, but it was a driver, though a very pretty one. Of course, sold mine long ago when values were much lower. I think this one will exceed $100,000 easily. My prediction is $130k. We’ll see soon enough.
Click to expand...

Comments?
 
I wonder how all the grey market cars DO get registered in CA.

My old rusty CSi was registered there when I bought it.


Hmmm....


1673630812047.png
 
Cars that were registered in CA before the restrictions were tightened (I think) have been grandfathered in.
And... back in the 1980's - the smog rules varied county by county - so it was a checkerboard of all sorts of rules and such.
For example - Monterey County was the last jurisdiction to impose smog checks (and did so just as I left CA in 1988). I never had to smog a car in CA.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top