Has anyone gotten their LC registered trough Montana to drive in CA? (1 Viewer)

[SIPAEZ]

I’m planing on getting a TLC 77 and from what I can tell is going to be hard to register it in CA. I was wondering if anyone out there has gone trough a Montana LLC to register the truck in Montana and be able to drive it in CA?

Thank you

 

[augirthedude]

I did a diesel conversion in NM .. the real hurdle at The MVD was to make sure the fuel door was marked “diesel fuel only”. Which I had done , other than that noother questions. Now I’m registered as a diesel vehicle and exempt from emissions. Once titled in another state as a diesel it would seem less problematic registering in CA . Not Montana but an example. I called the NM MVD anonymously and asked about the diesel swap before I committed to the conversion.. I got an email reply that I saved just in case they changed their mind ..

 

[Nostradamus]

My rig is titled in Montana, and I've lived in AZ and WA driving with MT plates. Haven't been pulled over yet because it's hard to speed in an FJ60, so we'll see how that goes. The lady at the place in MT where my LLC sits (in some lawyer's desk drawer, I think) said to let Officer Friendly know when he asks about a WA driver's license and a MT registration that the FJ60 is my company car in MT and that I periodically drive it to WA since I live here to keep it out of the snow (winter answer) or to have it around during our nice summers so I can go paddle boarding (my summer answer). My other cars are titled in WA where I live, so having one of our 4 vehicles with an out of state plate seems plausible since it's the "company car" for an out of state company. If they were all MT cars, it might look suspicious. She also suggested getting some business cards and a website for the MT business to let the officer know it's a legit company. Then the only matter of debate is how many moths each year the truck is in WA. A cop would have no way of knowing.

I did this a few years ago because I got tired of dealing with the emissions gestapo in Phoenix when I lived there. Evey year I was failing emissions and they won't cut you any slack - a waiver is good for one year, and can only be used once. I replace nearly the entire emissions system, and went through air pumps each year (the lame O"reilly ones w / warranty) Thanks for playing - I just registered it in MT and was done with it. MT has no emissions requirements and no sales tax, plus, if your car is more than 11 years old, they'll give you a PERMANENT sticker, so no need to ever renew.

Now, with all that said, I have no idea how my scenario might play out in CA. They are likely to be more difficult to deal with.

 

[John in Utah]

I assume this vehicle is over 25 years old if it was imported? a lot of states will hand out collector plates without anything more than a title and vin inspection.

 

[Loober]

A lot of states are not california, where they make it about as difficult and costly as possible. It is still very subjective process, I've heard of people recently registering theirs with no problem, with the new changes, and others get denied. So unfortunately it is a role of the dice, which is not how it is supposed to be, but that's the reality