My Recent Experience with SB100 & Bringing a Used Cobra into California

[RB60]

I realize this thread is primarily for those of you who live in CA, but I would like to share my "adventure" in titling and registering my Cobra in PA.
I bought my Cobra from a very kind and patient gentleman from AL. who waited over 4 weeks for me to transfer my funds to a savings account, then 2 more weeks until I could access them.
That said, apparently, Al. is one of a few states that doesn't have a "paper" title, they just have a registration certificate that must be kept in the car along with the yearly licensing and insurance papers. Naturally, eager to drive it, the following day after it arrived, I had my Cobra insured and went to the local tag service and got a temporary plate and registration, assuming everything was in order. Apparently it wasn't. Our DMV wouldn't accept the photocopy of AL.'s registration and returned everything to the local tag service, but they never notified me. After 8 weeks and not receiving my "official" PA. title and registration, I contacted our state representative's office and had them look into it, they got back to me and said that they spoke to the person who rejected it and they sent it back to the tag service. I went to the tag service and they said they forgot to contact me (Grrr!) and they needed the actual copy of the AL. registration. I then had to contact the previous owner to get a duplicate to send into our DMV. The kind gentleman drove to AL's DMV, obtained another copy and mailed it to me. I received it early last week and immediately took all the paperwork to the rep's office and they personally delivered it to our DMV. As of this Monday, they haven't heard from the DMV, so apparently (hopefully) that was the only holdup. But there is another issue I've been made aware of.
PA. requires a "kit car" or "reproduction" to go through an (I think they call it a 101 point) inspection by a certified inspection station (there's only one of those anywhere near me). Since the Cobra was registered as a "1965 Ford Cobra" in AL, I'm hoping it comes back registered as the same.
PA. has 3 types of licensing/registrations.
1. Standard-requires yearly inspection and yearly renewal of registration.
2. Classic Car-lifetime registration and yearly inspection/w limited mileage.
3. Antique- lifetime registration, no annual inspection/w limited mileage and cannot be driven at night.
Now, I'm hoping that my Cobra comes back registered as a "1965 Ford Cobra" as it was in AL. so I can apply for the Classic Car plate, but at this point, I just hope I don't need to "jump through any more hoops" and really don't care how it gets licensed and registered as long as it does. I just want to be able to drive it legally!
Sorry for the long rant, but if it helps anyone here from PA. who buys a Cobra from another state understand what requirements we have here, it's well worth it.

[Ron61]

It seems that almost every California DMV and referee are different on doing this. Up here we all go to a DMV South of here because this one is anti car of any kind and won't even attempt to help you get one registered. In fact if you buy a regular car, Ford, Chevy, or whatever out of state they will run you in circles for hours because it is an out of state car and you should have bought it in this state. Our DMV is so bad that I received a letter with my last registration asking if I would use the one here as s o many people are going elsewhere they are having trouble keeping anyone using this one. Maybe a change of people would help. And another thing is they will drag a 10 minute thing out for an hour or so and I can get it done by driving 30 miles in about 15 minutes.

Ron

[Cobalt289]

I recently heard from another guy who bought a used ERA Cobra from out of state, brought it to California, and went through the SB100 registration process.

For him, the CHP didn't assign a new VIN number - they just went with the ERA number already on the car. I wish they had done that with mine, but they didn't. Just another example of how it changes from place to place and person to person.

His BAR inspection also went smoothly.

But when he went back to the DMV after his BAR inspection with all of his completed paperwork, the guy at the DMV counter asked, "Where is your brake and light inspection?"

Because he had read my posts here, he anticipated that might come up, so he explained that because he had a used car that was previously registered in another state and was not a new build, he didn't need that form - and, in fact, DMV hadn't given it to him as part of the paperwork to complete and return. I am told the desk worker called over the supervisor, and calls were made to Sacramento - and the supervisor told the Cobra owner he absolutely needed the brake and light inspection to get his car registered.

He called me with the update, and I thought he was joking, because of what had happened to me with DMV that I posted here - the desk guy had said I needed the B&L form and was about to send me away, but the supervisor I got at DMV said I didn't need it and got my car registered without it.

I said it might be worth a shot just to go to another DMV and see if they approve the paperwork as is. He said he thought he'd just get the inspection done, to be sure there'd be no more problems.

He emailed the next week:

"Just thought you would love this. So, after interviewing several brake & lamp stations in my area to insure they will pass me without a back-up light, I go in and tell them, 'I'm only here for the certificate, be as brief as you like, the less you do the better.' 5 minutes and $142 later I was out of of there with the paperwork. After stopping at home briefly, I thought 'Hey, it's only 10 a.m., I'm going to the DMV and get this DONE.' So, without an appointment, I headed to Santa Ana DMV. Two hours later (not bad) I get to window 26, hand all my paperwork to the clerk (who said he had prior SB100 experience), and upon review he picks up the small Brake and Lamp certificates and says.......(you ready)...............he says 'What did you need these for?' Kill me now."

[tom williams]

While the SB100 process was an exercise in frustration for many of us, I have to feel for the poor DMV clerk who usually has never been involved in the process before. Figuring there are approximately 180 DMV offices in the state and each one employs roughly 30 window clerks, and SB100 applications now run around 300 per year, means that the each clerk will see one SB100 application EVERY 18 YEARS. How can we expect them to be on top of that game? My advice from my experience is to do what I did. Be as familiar with the process as possible before you start. Make sure your vehicle has been prepared so that it can breeze through everything the CHP, BAR and Brake and Light station wants to throw at it, then set up your appointments so when one is done, the next is right around the corner. Do that and you should be able to knock it all out in under 30 days easily. I'm available to happily help anyone with the process.

[Igofastr]

Having gone through the SPCNS process several time, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AT THE DMV WOULD SURPRISE ME.