GA Title and Registration

[mysterywriter]

What a pain! But it can be done!

As soon as the car was finished I took it by trailer up to the Gainesville Salvage in Hall Co. They are one of two inspection stations in my area (there are many others around the state). A call to the state Dept. of Revenue Motor Vehicle Dept. and they can tell you the station nearest you. I called the Salvage yard directly to get information from them about the fees, forms required, and methods of payment.

I needed my MSO, about four other forms (one of which had to be notarized but all of which can be printed and downloaded from the Dept of Rev website unfortunately I don't remember the exact form #'s/names but the salvage people knew exactly what I needed so call them), and two payments -- one for the state (check) and one for the salvage yard (cash only). In addition I needed a complete list of all parts and costs for assembling the car, especially any salvage or used parts, so I needed the chassis invoice, engine invoice, mechanic invoice, transmission invoice, etc all together to submit. KEEP COPIES OF EVERYTHING!

I hung around while they inspected the vehicle and it was given an "OK" with no questions asked within about an hour. I got a "pink" approved slip.

Since it was an assembled vehicle it would need a VIN plate manufactured for it from the state. The state will make a VIN # for the car and punch it into a metal plate that then must be affixed to the driver door frame area. This is where I had my first batch of trouble. The first VIN plate they made and sent was mailed to the wrong address (not my fault!). I called and called for more than a month before they finally agreed to make another one and call the first one lost in the mail (I'd filed reports with two post offices, physically drove over to the incorrect address and asked the residents to be on the lookout for the envelope, but never got it). I had to drive to Hapeville and sign another affidavit swearing the first plate was lost, but then they made a new one and handed it to me all within about 15 minutes so it wasn't a horrible experience, but it delayed my enjoying the driving of my vehicle for more than a month! Aghhhh!

Okay, so now I had a VIN plate. Took it to a mechanic and had them rivet it into place. Then called the local police department and they had to come out and inspect and "sign off" on the car that it was actually attached to the car (this sign off form come with the VIN plate). When I told the police what I wanted I had a cop at my door in about 15 minutes! And then I had to mail this form back to the Dept of Revenue (took about two days for them to get it). KEEP A COPY!

The Dept of Revenue then took the "hold" off my car and my title arrived a few days later. A title! Now we're moving forward! Soooo, now I could drive over to the Tag Office to get my license plate and registration.

Unfortunately, there are no ways around it, but these cars are going to be titled in their year of manufacture, so mine is a 2008 Cobra MKIII according to the title. Which also means in 3 years I'll have to get emission inspections (which it probably won't pass) but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it! In addition it means that your Ad Val tax is going to be higher. They use the actual assembled value of the car which for mine was about $55,000. Ad Val will be similar to any other vehicle of that value -- a few hundred $$ a year plus the tag fee and I got a special tag that says B SEEIN U so I paid extra for my vanity!!

Now, here's the second bit of trouble, the tag office and the insurance. I got my insurance when the chassis arrived (I used Midwest Classic, Robbin Terry is the agent -- the only one's who would insure it from box to assembled and the only one that will insure it for agreed full value AND still actually let me drive it anywhere BUT that is for another thread...) Since I had the insurance for more than 30 days when I arrived at the Tag Office they couldn't take my insurance card as proof of insurance. My insurance had to be "downloaded" into the GA computer system. How do you do this? Well, the insurance company had to do it but they had mis-typed some information and it wasn't "linking" up to my account. Soooo, I had to get a "binder" from the insurance company until the link could be fixed, but you can't fax or email the binder to the Tag Office because "they don't do that." My advice, call the Tag Office before you go and have them check for you in the computer. Ask what you'll need and you won't have my problems. A quick trip to a fax machine at the corner UPS Store and I had my binder in hand, returned and paid my registration and got my temporary tag... no problem!

Hope this is helpful info for those in GA contemplating the idea of getting one of these beauties! I say it was all worth it -- 100000000000%

Now when you see me I'll have the wind in my hair!

B SEEIN U!!

mysterywriter