Registering/Title in MA

[cmerrick]

I'm considering putting together a kit, but the question is, how does one go about getting a Title in the Communist state of MA? I don't want to go though the effort of building a car, only to find I can't get it titled or won't pass inspection.

Thanks

[alicarmar]

It's not awful if you pay attention to the details.

Here are the steps:

The car must be inspected by one of the inspection centers that are run by the state police. They'll look at your paperwork with a fine tooth comb, make sure that the care is road worthy, and assign you a VIN (the locations are listed on the MA DMV web site).

Get in touch with your insurance company and give them a heads up that you want to insure your new replica - With a little luck they'll add the car to your existing policy and fill out the RMV-1 form for you.

Take the RMV-1 form to the registry with all of your receipts, be really nice to the confused person behind the desk, pay your sales tax and registration fee and get plates.

Go to an inspection station that has a bunch of really interesting cars in the yard and get your inspection sticker (in other words, stay away from the local BMW dealer).

Now your legal!

A few more details and some advice: Save every single receipt that you accumulated during the assembly of your car. Create a speadsheet that lists and totals all of these receipts (it will put a smile on the face of the state police inspector and the person at the registry). Make 2 complete copies of all of this paperwork and don't forget to include the Certificate of Origan that you received from the kit manufacturer. The state police will keep one complete copy and the DMV will keep the other. Take all of the paperwork to the state police inspection station that you will use to get your VIN BEFORE you haul the car there. Develop a nice friendly relationship with one of the inspectors and ask him/her to review all of your paperwork to make sure that they'll be happy when you do actually bring the car in for the inspection. The person will tell you that all is in order or send you on a hunt for additional paperwork to prove that your 1966 427SO block is really yours. Stolen parts are their big concern.

As they say in those ads...... The feeling that you get when you bolt on those plates and legally hit the road is priceless - Much better than those midnight test runs with the lights out......

Good luck.

[cmerrick]

It sounds like you've been there before. I've dealt with the State Police at the Westfield inspection area when I needed a VIN for a 64 Jeep. A nice group to deal with, but they are meticulous regarding details.

Thanks.