NJ Registration

[Nastasi]

Hi,
Taking delivery of a Backdraft Cobra with a 351 in about 2 weeks. I received the registration pack from the DMV and it looks like it would be impossible to register the car as is. Some of the things mentioned was the need for a catalytic converter, rear window brake light, etc.

I saw some NJ guys in another post talking about registration problems, and how they wound up pulling their 351 and buying an old 427 to get around the emissions laws. I'm in no mood to do this and figure there must be some way to own a cobra in NJ that is relatively painless.

Any NJ cobra owners have some suggestions / tips / advice on getting this thing registered?

Thanks!
Rob

[mrmustang]

Rob,

The safety inspection is not hard to get through...However, the year of your engine will determine what level of emissions your car must past. My sound advice is to go through the NJ DMV packet and start gathering the items your going to need in order to pass the safety inspection.After that, you can always register your car with the new "collectors" registration, which allows you to run your car for 3,500 miles annually, and the only item that they check is your odometer to make sure it is working properly.............


Bill S.

[Burnd]

Rob:

It's a mini nightmare in NJ. I'm going though it as we speak. In fact I am driving to Trenton on Monday or Tuesday. The path of least resistance is QQ's only. Your not getting that rig through an inspection and if you do, it probably won't be set up the way you want it. Straight pipes; I don't think so. The emissions machine will recoil in shock and horror. Secondly: drive to Trenton for the registration. DMV branches aren't set up to handle it, nor do they have a clue as to what to do. I just finished 2 weeks of Insurance Company dialing and homework. Six of the Insurance Companies out of over a dozen would insurance ANY car BUT a rep Cobra. It's like Cobra's got the plague. Then there was the restrictions, most of which were un-acceptable to me, so I ended discussions. I took a 6000 mile policy and made sure it had the "pleasure driving allowed" clause in the policy. Plus 100k/300k comp and liability. If I need more mileage, I can purchase it on a per case base at 3cents a mile (like a long drive to a show) but I don't want to eat up my pleasure mileage. Not a bad deal. $390. annually. The other clause you have to watch for is "unattended"; i.e. your out on a pleasure drive with lovely company and you stop for a bite to eat. Cars is in the lot while you are inside and some clown smacks it; YOUR NOT COVERED. Re: "unattended". Snake pit for Snake drivers. I'll PM you with other info. It's too lengthy to list everything. Or you can call me, since misery loves company.

Bernd

[S_Beaudry]

Question here . . . .

Is the QQ registration in NJ really just a one time fee of $250 or is this just another per-year charge from the dmv?

[Chaplin]

Rob-
The process described by MrMustang is correct and the only way to legally do it. I went through the state safety inspection last fall, and exepcted it to be an absolute nightmere. However, much to my surprise, the safety inspection was a breeze and the car passed with flying colors. The catch, as MrM pointed out, is to use pre-1974 block, b/c the motor must have all the emissions equipment that it came from the factory with. My block is a 1966 so I was only required to have a PCV valve.

If you get the reconstructed vehicle packet from DMV and read the regulations before going down for your inspection, the safety inspection is not that bad.

Send me private message if you want more info. Good luck.

[luke-44]

I titled mine using the collectors route - piece of cake - the year of the engine never even came up.

5 minutes at inspection....check the odometer - thats it. Piece of cake.

Don't get hung up on the QQ stuff .....my $.02.

[Chaplin]

Luke-
When you registered your car, I presume you already had a title. When you buy a new kit, it only comes with a certificate of origin, and not a title. In order to get the title for a new kit, you have to go through a special safety inspection for reconstructed vehicles before they will give you a title. They check the year of the engine during the safety inspection.

But you're right, once you've got the title, collector registration is the way to go.

[luke-44]

Originally posted by Chaplin

Luke-
When you registered your car, I presume you already had a title. When you buy a new kit, it only comes with a certificate of origin, and not a title.

In actual fact, all I had was an "Application to title a car" - originally they weren't going to go with the collector car status until I asked about it - no problem - just switch forms... A certificate of origin for a "Cobra" would likely be treated the same way I 'm sure. The big thing is - go to Trenton - don't mess with the local office. .

[Chaplin]

Luke-
I am intrigued by this. Did you buy your car directly from ERA or from someone else who had previously titled, registered and driven the car? If you bought it from someone else who had already titled and registered it, you can do what you did with no problem. However, if you bought it directly from ERA, DMV should not have given you a title without going through the safety inspection first. If you did the latter, consider yourself lucky b/c you caught someone at DMV snoozing on the job.

[luke-44]

Burnd (&Chaplin) - I am replying here to your PM as I have had problems with replies getting through in the past....so excuse me if this message is a duplicate....


You can follow the rules to a T in NJ with ease - thankfully we have common sense in this state wrt Cobra Replicas.

QQ refers to tags, not titling. As I was told in Trenton basically, you want to TITLE the car as a Collectable - this has annual milege restrictions, but DOES NOT require a safety check - only an odometer check - I think every 2 yrs.

I got regular tags (not QQ) until my personalized plate came in. A Collectable cannot use QQ's as it is not old enough - mine is titled as a 2001.

Go to Trenton - tell them you want to title the car as a collectable. If the Manufacturers Certificate says '65, you will get a '65 title. If it says 2004, you will get a 2004 title. If blank (like ERA), you will likely get a 2004 title.

As for insurance, try Condon & Skelly in Maple Shade. Or any of the other collectible car carriers - try a search on CC under "insurance". I pay $500 per yr - I know others paying less (American Classics I think)- depends on your desired coverage, deductibles, etc.

Good luck, Bruce

[Nastasi]

Thanks for all the great info guys, much appreciated. If the car is pre-titled and I tranfer that to NJ when I register, it seems like I might be able to go the QQ route with little trouble. That's my hope anyway.

Thanks for the tip on the insurance as well, I'll be sure to look for that "unattended" section.

Good news is, I've just broken my finger and when it arrives, I get to stare at it with a cast on my hand for awhile. But given that I'm dealing with NJ, it could be a bit before it's given the green light.

Thanks again!

[Burnd]

Bruce/Chap/Mustang:

Thanks for the time and input. My car is already titled as a 1979 Cobra in another state, so I'm trying to do a simple title transfer and retain the classification (which is 25 yrs old). However, paying for insurance with a 6000 mile per year allowance and then the state regulates a lesser usage allowance is not what I had in mind. There's got to be a lesser path of resistance with this obstacle course. BTW: Rally Insurance Group, Elmhurst, ILL had the most liberal policy I could find, and I spent some time on it. I tried to patronize the CC advertisers first but this is still a capitalistic system and they had a better deal. I'll post an update after I go to Trenton next week and maybe it'll help Nastasi dodge some bullets too. Thanks again gentleman.

Bern

[mrmustang]

Bern,

Since the car is already titled as a "1979", believe it or not, you are eligable for the QQ registration, as the car is now 25 years old (go figure). Swap the title to NJ, then call Trenton, ask for the special plates division, and have them send you the "historic" plates package....Simple as that......Or if you do not want to wait the 3-6 weeks for your plates, take a day off and drive down to the Special Plates division on State street in Trenton, bring a set of photographs of your car (front and side shot will do), a copy of your new insurance card for that car, and your good to go, they will hand you a temporary registration card, and your plates on the spot..............

Bill S.

[leejleej]

If you use Condon Skelly, you will need color photos of all four sides, interior and inside engine bay. I imagine other insurance companies will want the same thing. Perhaps this will save you some time.

Cheers,

Jong

[Burnd]

Originally posted by mrmustang


Bern,

Since the car is already titled as a "1979", believe it or not, you are eligable for the QQ registration, as the car is now 25 years old (go figure). Swap the title to NJ, then call Trenton, ask for the special plates division, and have them send you the "historic" plates package....Simple as that......Or if you do not want to wait the 3-6 weeks for your plates, take a day off and drive down to the Special Plates division on State street in Trenton, bring a set of photographs of your car (front and side shot will do), a copy of your new insurance card for that car, and your good to go, they will hand you a temporary registration card, and your plates on the spot..............

Bill S.

Bill:

Bingo.....Everything you said is exactly what i was led to believe, (in my case) BECAUSE it was titled as a 79. Yesterday I received an application for Historic Registration from the state and it was unsolicited by me. Imagine that. Unfortunately, I have a different issue, thats unique to my case. The seller put a (?) mark in the odometer reading line on the title (I wasn't present at the off-shore transfer, which was done in a lawyers office) and the NJ DMV folks freaked out. They were telling me i was going to have to have him re-title the car and start over with a new title and true odometer reading. No mistakes, erasures or changes in a NJ title exchange are accepted. It takes 45 days to get the new title but i have an I.D. number receipt showing the title's in process and I paid the tax. If i can pull it off next week i will use the I.D. number to get the plates before the clerks in Trenton realize that the Title has been compromised. Once I have the plates in my greasy palms, I'll be more patient to deal with the re-titling procedure. Otherwise I won't be able to legally drive this thing untill the first snow, by the time they finish with the bureaucratic procedures. However, I did NOT know there was a mileage usage limit on a QQ registration. That caught me off guard. Fortunately, their not digital speedos. BTW: Do I still have to have a vehicle inspection of some form and if so, where is it done??? Will let you know how this side-show works out when all is said and done. Thanks for the help.

On a sidenote: Hagerty; Heacock and Aon all dropped Cobra coverage as of this year. They'll insure an 800HP Tub or a blown Vette. Go figure.. The only thing i can think of is the gas holes must have set some precedent for the newbies coming in to Cobra ownership. Somebody melting asphalt on Route 10?

Bern

[Gcruz]

BURND where did you get your insurance from? im also in the process of getting my backdraft car within the next week or two thank you

[Burnd]

Gcruz:

I went with Rally Insurance Group, 188 Industrial Drive, Elmhurst, Illinois 60126. Thats not to say the others were bad, although some of them I felt were highly restrictive. The trend seemed to be 2500 mile annual limits and no pleasure cruising clauses within the policies. With this group I know I had the pleasure cruise clause within the policy, a 6000 annual mile limit that could be extended on a per incident basis for a couple cents a mile plus the agent was an authorized underwriter for the insurer. He and I directly agreed on insured value ( to which he beat me down until I provided further substantiation to meet the numbers I wanted). We agreed on a $ value for immediate coverage and then I will have a formal appraisal done and submitted to increase the value later. I sent him 4 pictures plus a CD of pics that was done for separate coverage with another insurer to bring the car from off-shore because I wanted it covered while it was floating around on a Sampam. They required copies of my other insurer's policy for my primary family cars to prove that this was an additional pleasure car for all drivers in the household and the liability & comprehensive had to equal the same coverage for the family cars ($100/$300k), which was fine with me. That includes collision. It was under $400 annual premium for everything. PM me if you want specifics on others I talked too (List of 16 Insurers). I'm not comfortable giving others poor press when it's really not bad; just not as competitive in my opinion.

Their link is as follows: http://www.rallyinsurance.com

If you need further information, don't hesitate to contact me and or feel free to use my name in discussions with them. Agent was Tim Luperini.

Bern