Full-timers, buying out of state advice?

[DC Bruce]

Re out of state registration:
South Dakota is unique in that it will title and register a motor vehicle to a non-resident. Since the District of Columbia is very small and I have no plans to ever take my Airstream into DC, there's no chance I'm going to get pinched for not registering the trailer in DC. The truck is another matter, but I minimize use of the truck in DC. I have another vehicle, plated in DC. If I get stopped or in a wreck somewhere, the owner's address on the registration for the truck and trailer matches the residence address on my DC driver's license. So, I don't see any reason the local constabulary 's eyebrows should go up. Likewise, I tell my insurance company (USAA) that the truck is garaged in DC (true) and the trailer is stored in Woodbridge, Virginia (also true). The one-time excise tax payable for motor vehicle registration (a percentage of the price) is 4% in SD versus 8% in DC. With the price of the combination in the 6 figures, that's serious money. Virginia allows local jurisdictions to charge personal property tax on cars, boats and RVs, which can be significant. This is based on where the property is kept, not on where the owner lives. Fortunately, Woodbridge is in a county that does not tax RVs. Maryland doesn't have this, but I couldn't find any decent RV storage.
Also, going back to South Dakota, you don't have to bring the vehicle into the state or even yourself to do this. There are services that do it for you. Since I found the truck I wanted in Colorado, it wasn't a big deal to divert through South Dakota on my way home. And there's no periodic inspection of your vehicle for emissions or anything else, so you can renew by mail.
I would caution anyone living in a state, rather than the "last colony" that the risk of doing this is that you will get nailed for not having registered your out-of-state vehicle within 30 days of bringing it into the state. Since I'm never going to bring the trailer into DC and I can be out of DC in the truck in 15 minutes, I figure my risk is minimal, especially if I don't use the truck as a grocery-getter.

[BoldAdventure]

I'm going to look into that DC Bruce, I knew a lot of fulltimers use S. Dakota as a residency state, but I didn't know about the plate thing. That would be extremely useful if we decide to swap trucks at some point.

When we moved to Florida, we kept our VA plates and licenses for nearly a year and half to avoid the high cost of Florida's DMV fees.

[Tater]

I bought from an out of state dealer and they collected sales tax for FL and handled info to transfer the tags. Bought an Airstream in Georgia and they collected the tax but did nothing to transfer the tags. If purchasing from an individual I would pay only the agreed upon price and handle registration myself.

[Adiredneck]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

It is pretty straight forward to register in NYS.....BUT save $$$$$ on taxes, now thats a first.......

I NY

Bob

I know - I tried to post quietly so I wouldn't give Andy-Boy any ideas!

[FreshAirStmr]

Originally Posted by BoldAdventure

I'm going to look into that DC Bruce, I knew a lot of fulltimers use S. Dakota as a residency state, but I didn't know about the plate thing. That would be extremely useful if we decide to swap trucks at some point.

When we moved to Florida, we kept our VA plates and licenses for nearly a year and half to avoid the high cost of Florida's DMV fees.

South Dakota used to be a great residency state for full-time RVers, but ACA (Obamacare) has changed that for pre-Medicare travelers, at least through 2015. Currently, SD offers no exchange health insurance plans with a nationwide network needed by full-timers -- current plans require proof of 6-month residency in SD. Texas and Florida are the best domicile options right now. Of course, this could always change in the future.

More about it here:
Health Insurance & SD Domicile -> Are There Any Options Left For Younger Fulltime RVers?? – Wheeling It

[BoldAdventure]

We have Platinum Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, it's accepted nationwide. So that's not really a concern of mine.

[tjdonahoe]

. You aren't too far from a high volume ram dealer in Idaho .