SB100

[Corsair613]

Can anyone with firsthand knowledge of California's SB100 law (pertaining to the titling/registration of out-of-state kit cars) comment on the procedure for "importing" an already-built car into the state?

I just lost a very enthusiastic buyer for my car when he couldn't get comfortable with how to re-register my Florida car in California.

Ken

[humble]

This is a tricky case since your car is already built and street registered in Florida. Once a car is registered and titled, I don't believe you can apply for SB100 retroactively as that would imply VIN manipulation. As far as I'm aware, a California purchaser could buy the car and simply register it in CA as it is titled, however, they might be subject to smog laws of the build year or titled year. Another possibility is that it would be smogged once initially at least, but if the DMV classified it as a specially constructed vehicle it might not need to be smogged again. Unfortunately, there is so much variance in the ways the laws are enforced or inspections done that it's difficult to even speculate. I have been a victim of this, and watched my friends end up with completely different results.


Here's a decent primer for the California SB100 for the curious:
http://home.thegrid.net/~ffr4776/SB100_Registratio...

Will

[crossram]

what year is the car registered as?

[Corsair613]

crossram said:

what year is the car registered as?

It's titled as a 2014.

[crossram]

Call California DMV and see what they say, if you get a millennial and don't like the answer call again but ask for a manager.

[Corsair613]

crossram said:

Call California DMV and see what they say, if you get a millennial and don't like the answer call again but ask for a manager.

The problem is that it's a badly conceived rule inconsistently and capriciously applied. The potential buyer in question couldn't satisfy himself that he'd be able to legally title and register the car such that it would be guaranteed to pass scrutiny down the road. He claimed to have been burned on another purchase a number of years ago when the state challenged a registration he'd thought proper.

Anyway, I'm fairly sure that this guy is gone. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that interested parties in future are from anywhere but California.