Title & Registration for out-of-state previously titled Cobra replica

[CHP2RA]

Has anyone recently titled and plated a used Cobra replica purchased out of state and brought to Texas? I have read with interest the titling threads in this forum, and am grateful to all who have gone before me and posted their experiences. These threads, and the TXDMV Assembled and Rebuilt Vehicle Manual, mainly deal with newly built vehicles.

I have finally found a used Cobra within my scope and budget, but it is out of state, and the owner does not have the MSO or receipts for the components. All he retained is the general vehicle description from the dealer, and his title. The Assembled and Rebuilt Vehicle Manual is vague in chapters 2 and 4 regarding Texas titling requirements for previously titled vehicles: it is unclear to me if the MSO & component receipts are required for previously titled vehicles. If anyone has recently brought a previously titled out of state vehicles to Texas, I would appreciate learning from their experiences.

[gsharapa]

If the used vehicle already has a title from another state then all you need to do is get a quick state safety inspection ($ 15.00) and then go to the DVM in the county you live in and transfer to a Texas title. You will have to pay the title transfer fee and sales tax on the purchase. If you traded a vehicle plus cash then you would only pay sales tax on the cash difference. If you trade even there would be no sales tax. I believe the title transfer fee ends up around $80. and sales tax is 6.25% on a vehicle. It will be titled the way it is currently titled from the other state. If you do not have a title and only a MSO then you will need to follow the instructions in the other thread which has many more steps....

[madmaxx]

The big question is what year it is titled. If it is titled as a 2010 you must meet emissions as a 2010, as a 1965 easy as can be. Car will have to get "green sheet" from inspection station. They validate the car is what the title says it is. Pretty simple to bufflo them, just have the insurance card say 1965..........

[CHP2RA]

Thanks for the information. I will check on the wording of the current title.

[ram_g]

Originally Posted by madmaxx

Pretty simple to bufflo them, just have the insurance card say 1965..........

This is going to get harder under the new "one sticker" program. Because the inspection place no longer issues the sticker, they do the inspection and enter it in a database, that the county tax office then refers to when issuing the registration sticker.

Just did this on my VW Passat TDI. As a diesel, it only needs the safety inspection, no emissions. This is well understood by the inspection places and I never had any issues getting a sticker before. When I went for my registration sticker this time, the clerk looked it up, and then very accusingly said "why did you not get an emissions test?" I reminded her about the diesel thing and she had to look it up before she agreed and issued me the registration sticker.

So I foresee issues of this sort, going forward, if the inspection does not conform with the registration information...

[SSSammy]

You need to tell us what the out of state title calls it before we can give you accurate advice. Texas will just convert the existing title to a Texas equivalent.

If it is some kind of assembled vehicle on the existing title, then it is not a vintage vehicle unless you go for the ASE Custom and Rebuilt Vehicle inspection as described in the manual. You can be a 2010 Assembled, for instance, and still be a 1965 REPLICA FORD. But only if you file the ASE Inspection form described in the other tread. Then your ASE one time only inspection is good forever, no emissions check ever. Your insurance card needs to describe the car as whatever it is a replica of. This is what the inspector will use to determine what it represents. You will be issued a Custom Vehicle plate.

WARNING: If you have a recent year Assembled Vehicle title and you do not go for the ASE inspection and the Custom Vehicle plate, then technically you are required to get an annual inspection, fail it, and then apply for a waiver .. every year. Thank SEMA for this.

If it is titled as a 1965 Ford through some subterfuge committed in the past, then you are golden. Texas will regard it as a 1965 Ford, no inspections except the one time $15 safety inspection, ever. It is an antique vehicle. Again, first step is getting your insurance card to describe it as a 1965 Ford.

Sam

[CHP2RA]

Make: Super

Model: (blank)

Year: 1965

Body type: Conv

Remarks: (blank)

Thank you for your assistance.

[SSSammy]

Sounds like you're a 1965 antique vehicle to me .. They should just copy whatever the CA title says. I don't know if you need a DPS to verify the VIN or not. You may need one $15 inspection. Read up on antique registration and titles and give it a shot. I'd have the insurance co call it a 1965 Superformance just to be consistent. You can always have them change the description if the county tag office wants you to be a replica 1965 FORD.

Don't need to try to fool anyone .. just go in with your CA title, insurance card, bill of sale, your inspection sheet, and let them do what they do. Let us know how it goes.

Sam

[wezell]

I'm going through this exact scenario right now.

I've got a WA title, that describes my 2006 Superformance as a "2006 KITV", and has "1965 Shelby" as a remark of some sort. I'm going for a "Custom" registration, and this is what I had to bring to the tax office:

1) Insurance card states "2006 Superformance MkIII S/C, Replica: 1965 Shelby Cobra".

2) Form VTR-852 plus ASE mechanic cert sheet.

3) TX safety inspection receipt. This is new, as the Assembled Vehicle Manual says you need a VI-30 (green sheet) for a previously titled vehicle out-of-state. However, with the new "one sticker" inspection program, this form no longer exists. I had to convince the inspector to do a "safety only" inspection, skipping emissions, because that's what the county tax office supervisor said I should do!

4) Certified weight certificate. I'm not sure if I needed this or not, but the tax office supervisor made a copy of it just in case.

5) Three photos of vehicle, including front, side and back.

6) One photo of original 1965 Shelby Cobra.

7) WA title

8) Bill of Sale

9) And finally, Application for Texas Title, Form 130-U.

And, oh yeah, 6.25% tax, plus various nickel-and-dime fees.

I'll know in a couple of weeks if this goes through...

[SSSammy]

Wezell, thanks for posting this direct answer to the OP's question. And congrats on your success!

I would have thought that the VTR-852 "ASE Safety Inspection and Application for Custom Vehicle or Street Rod License Plates" would have sufficed for the state safety inspection. It did so on my new 1966 replica back in Dec. But .. you got 'er done!

Sam

[CHP2RA]

Wezell,

Thanks for the information. Congratulations on your cobra. I hope to follow in your footsteps in less than a month. I too am surprised that you had to file a safety inspection in addition to the VTR-852, but what's one more piece of paper amongst the pile you had to bring.

I'm curious to know if you filed in Lucas, or did you drive to Wiley, or Plano? (I'm trying to determine if substation courthouses have figured out this paperwork, or if it's better to go to a main courthouse.)

[wezell]

Hi All

Thanks for the congrats. I'm trying to pay back for all the great info I've gotten on this site.

I went to the Plano office off of Park, just east of I-75. The supervisor who took care of things is Regina Whitely (call ahead to make sure she's there; normal clerks are a bit fuzzy on this procedure). Everyone was very nice and patient (it took two trips).

I think there are two reasons we have to go through a state safety inspection (yes, I thought a VTR-852 would suffice, too):
1) The VI-30 verified the serial number (among other things). The safety inspector made me show him my serial number on the frame, so I'm thinking the inspection ensures that you are not pulling a switcheroo of mismatched vehicle/title.
2) Inspection records are now electronic, so I think you have to be in the system to get a registration. They verified that I'd had the inspection from their terminal.

-w

[wezell]

Hi Sam

By the way (I should probably start a new thread, but...), do you have a recommendation for a good shop up in our neck of the woods (McKinney, Allen, northeast Plano)?

-will

[CHP2RA]

The prevously titled in another state Cobra I bought arrived last week. Got the temporary tags, took it to the Firestone at NE Mall in Hurst (1233 Melbourne Rd.) for the VTR-852 form inspection. Firestone charged me $82 for a 20 minute inspection. I objected, and was told 'we have to charge that much because it's an unusual car.' Sigh. Rather like pulling up to a car dealership in a Rolls and expecting a good deal. Nowhere else in Tarrant County with a hard eight ASE master mechanic that I could find, so I wrote the check. The Firestone on Rufe Snow in N Richland Hills no longer has the ASE Master Techs.

Next day I spent Two hours at the Granbury Road Sub Courthouse, getting it registered and titled. Because I had read of my predecessors experiences on this site, I was prepared with an annotated and highlighted copy of the Assembled & Custom Vehicle Manual to show the two clerks I dealt with. Both took it back to their supervisor for long periods. I think the folks at these DMV offices get demerits for titles that Austin rejects, so they would rather take a loong time ensuring they get it right. Both clerks acted as if they had never seen a form VTR-852. 'Where is your inspection?' they both asked me. Polite, but confused. Evidently their SOFTWARE process goes more smoothly with Custom Cars if they select the license plate type FIRST, then the registration and title. Both clerks thought 'Custom Plates' meant I wanted to pay for a clever phrase to put on my license plates. Sigh....

Waiting to see what the mail brings from Austin. Thank you all for your assistance.

[CHP2RA]

My Custom Vehicle plates arrived in the mail today. Hu-rah! Still waiting on the title. I was a bit surprised to find TWO plates. Somewhere in that thing I laughably call my mind I thought Custom Vehicles only required ONE plate, on the rear. Rereading the DMV literartoore, I find no reference to the number of plates required for CUSTOM vehicles. Can anyone steer me in the right direction before I start looking for a front license plate bracket?

[CowtownCobra]

Its suppose to be the law in Texas to have a front plate. But they haven't caught me yet.

[SSSammy]

The regs require front plates for all cars except for during WWII years when they only printed one plate. In practice, you see very few front plates on Cobras in TX. That said, occasionally someone gets cited. It's rare, but it happens. Up to you ...

Sam

[BillM]

I have been driving my Cobra for 16 years, 26,000 miles without a front plate without a problem. I had a problem with the clutch slave cylinder a few years back and a police man stopped and waited with me for the tow truck,he did not say anything about no front plate.
I do carry the front plate in the trunk just in case.

[Seagull81]

By the way, welcome to the Madness of Cobra ownership. Come join us in San Marcos the first weekend in April for the Texas Cobra Club Meet. This website will be updated near the end of the year for next years event. Texas Cobra Meet

[madmaxx]

Congrats and never go to Firestone again!!!!