HELP!!! Does the way a cobra is titled help/hurt resale value? And why?
 

Vintage motorsports is about two weeks away from completing my new Backdraft cobra, i'm trying to figure out whether I should title this vehicle in the state of Florida where I have a vacation home or title it in the state of Ohio which is my primary residence. I registered my last backdraft in the state of Ohio and it was titled as a 2011, I've since sold my last cobra to the second guy that looked at it but the first guy would NOT buy my car because it was a 2011 (he lived in Chicago) ... I know in Florida it can be titled as a 1965 roadster replica so my plan was to register it in Florida originally and then a couple months later transfer to an Ohio title. I was doing some research and found out that the state of Ohio could possibly change the way my Florida title reads. It's going to be a pain in the ass for me to title this car in Florida and then transfer it to ohio, and then possibly still have my ohio title read 2014 so I'm just wondering why does the way the title reads make a difference on the value of the vehicle? Even though I think it would be really cool for my title to read 1965 I'm just wondering is it worth all the hassle I have to go through just so a piece of paper (title) that I keep in my safe says 1965 on it? My car is not going to drive any better or look any nicer because of what the title reads. Any Thoughts or insight would be great :confused:

I've personally owned 24 Cobra replicas now, conservatively, brokered another 130+ deals......Does the way a replica is titled hurt resale, only if you are selling a car in to France (the French will not buy a car titled as anything but a 60's vehicle as it helps them with import fees, emissions, inspections, etc), otherwise, there is no correlation as to how a Cobra replica is titled vs it's value at time of resale.

Some people (such as the guy from Chicago) have been fed a line of crap about not being able to get a car through inspections (Mass and CT this could be true on a used Cobra replica, but not 100% certain), but Illinois is not one of those states. Most likely he wanted an excuse to not buy it, or was trying to see if you would drop your price to make the sale.........


Bill S.

Not exactly specific to resell, but my state has antique plates available for vehicles 25 years and older - pay a one-time registration/plate fee of $20 for as long as you own it. So in my case, yes if was advantageous to title as a 1965 - and they allowed me to put an antique plate on it. (No difference in practical value however.) Other states will have different policies and practices. I think you just have to study which state is more favorable to you from a registration and tax cost standpoint (if you have a choice).

The also titled it as a 1965 Ford Cobra. They were supposed to put the word "replica" on the title, but they forgot. I doubt that will convince anyone to pay me anything more for it however. :LOL:

i would just go ahead and register the car in fla. they were very good to me!!!

The City of Chicago requires a smog test every two years for cars +1968. A Cobra replica titled as a modern car would have to pass smog or file for an exemption (huge hassle).
Living in Chicago, I titled my CSX 4000 as a 1965 Shelby Cobra making all things (smog and re-sale) a non-issue.
So Bill S. it is a line of crap and the law.

Might be a city law (sorry, those I do not know as they are local to your location only), but not a state one........Cities will do just about anything they can for revenue.......



Bill S.

There are a lot of states, to include WA which require emissions testing on newer cars. It is worth money to me not to have to deal with emissions and continual related regulation changes. It would be a strong consideration for me in purchasing a car. There is no down side to registering it as a '60's. From my experience in owning many cars in 16 states, most states will accept and transfer a title on a car without changing specifics. To begin with, there's no way for them to take the time to figure out what a car actually is, with the exception of "kit" or "Assembled" titles. When given the chance on my Shell Valley, I had it titled it as a "1966 Shelby AC Cobra". No emissions, no licensing fees and collector car insurance (Grundy). This saved me at least $700 every year.

Air Team - Illinois Vehicle Emission Test Program

In the People's Republic of IL, the smog test is free. The state will not renew your license plate if you don't perform/pass the test.
I stand corrected in that it applies to 1996 and newer cars VS 1968 as posted earlier.

If you registered it as a 60's cobra (when in fact it wasn't) and tried to sell it to a buyer in California, he could be faced with fraud charges and the impounding of his vehicle if he transferred the registration to his name as a 60's car and got caught. You see, California's registration fees are based on the year of the vehicle as well as it's value. He would therefore be cheating the state out of its share of reg fees. Thus the fraud. He would need to change the year of the car to the actual year of completion, pass that year's smog regs or apply for an sb100 smog exemption.
So, yes, it can affect the value of the car to buyers in some states if it is registered improperly.

Some states (thanks to SEMA) have passed legislation that allow kit-replica-etc to be registered as the year of the vehicle they replicate. The advantage of this is mostly in the hassle that it saves and a little money. For me it meant I could get year of manufacture plates. 1966 plates, no emissions test, no front plate required, no mileage limits. As to the value for overseas sale. Some will accept the title as proof of age while others (Norway and Australia for example) don't care what the title says, but require proof of date of manufacture. Such as a title or registration (government documents) that have a date that shows required age of vehicle. 30 years old in most cases. So if you intend to sell overseas the dollar value can be significant.

Just went through all of this with the sale of my car. :CRY:

My current car was titled as a 1965 in Idaho and when I took it to the Indiana DMV they gave me the option to title as the year represented or as the year built. My tags cost less each year if titled as a 1965.

I see no benefit either way for resale.

John

Make sure it is registered as a 65 if you can! It will get you out of emissions testing here in Tennessee!! Plus you can get antique plates in most southern states. One time fee in TN!!! And you can use original 65 plates!

I would think it would be easier to sell if titled as a 65, not necessarily worth more. If I were in the market for another, all things being equal, I would choose one that was titled earlier. Cheers.

the aussies and canucks like to see the titles with 15+ years on them, makes them easier to import.

Im from California, but now live in Florida. I bought my superformance cobra in california and it was titled as a 1965 cobra. When I moved to Florida I had to file for lost title. Once again the new Florida title reads 1965 cobra. Does not say Replica. So I think it would make a difference to a lot of people.

My Contemporary was built in 1984, and it's titled as a 1984 Contemporary Cobra in Texas. I wish I could title it as a 1965 only so I can put a 1965 plate on it. That's the only advantage I see.

1965 if you can. Ignore the fact that it's a cobra. Pretend we're talking a vw beetle.

A 1965 beetle will (in most places that have it) be emissions exempt. Plates will be $15 a year and in some places can get 5 yrs at a time.

A 2019 model year (so it's 5 yrs old and not new since most places exempt new cars from emissions for a few years) beetle will cost you 300 or 400 to register declining every year. You will have to get emissions every year. (Now the ca sb100 handles the emissions part but they still tax you on model year values)

Older is better for fees and emissions

Ps. Nice resurrection of old topic

Why did you file for a lost title in Florida when you had the title from California? Why did you not file for the lost title in California first?

Then again, why did you feel the need to resurrect a thread from 2014 instead if starting a new thread?



Bill S.

When I was looking for a Cobra (Superformance) I wanted one titled as a 1965. In Michigan I am able to put an original 1965 plate on it and registration is much less expensive. I can also get classic car insurance. I do not know what $ value I would put on that but it was something I was looking for in a preowned replica Cobra.

Ray

In Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, because of emissions testing the year on the title would impact the price of the vehicle. If titled as a 1965, you are not required to have it tested. If titled as a 2023, you would have to pass emissions or try to get a show car exemption. So yes, the way it's titled would have an impact on the resale value.