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I'm also in Washington state. Last time I licensed my 57 Plymouth the clerk lady did a Google search to find the weight of the car. I have a vanity plate that I have had for many years, "FINZ", so it costs me around 85 smackers a year to license it. Don
Jan & Roger van Hoy <vanhilla@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Hi Dan--
I'm from SW Washington, and of course face the same registration issues.
For the rest of you, one of our tax repeal advocates, before he got busted
for paying himself out of donaqtions, put an initiative on the ballot to
repeal Washington's yearly tab by value and enact a flat $30 per year tab
fee. Needless to say it passed with flying colors.* Even though it was set
aside by the state Supreme Court, the legislature saw the handwriting on
that wall and enacted a $30 per year tab
fee.
So the Department of Licensing has stayed up nights thinking of ways to
stick us for revenue. The weight surcharge Dan mentioned is but one.
Dan, one way around it is to license your cars as classics. Costs about $36
the first year and there is never another renewal. The is a weight
surcharge the first year, but it's still a bargain. On my '56 F brand
pickup, they accepted sales literature for the weight. Most anything
official-looking will do.
For example, I have the Hemmings Book of Dodges and of Plymouths and they
list the following:
'56 Plymouth- Plaza 6 business coupe 3,030#
Fury 8 sport coupe 3,650#
'59 Plymouth- Sport Fury convertible 3,670#
'60 Chrysler Valiant V200 four door sedan 2,655#
Sorry, no '64 Dodge Polara, but almost every Hemmings Classic Car article
lists weights.
Failing that, if your car runs you can take it to a commercial scales and
get a gross weight for only a
few bucks.
The restriction is no more than 2,500 miles per year and for recreational
driving only, but most everyone concerned says those provisions are not
enforceable.
My local DOL says some of the cars registered as classic are just old
clunkers, but there's no requirement that the car be restored.
Sorry for the long post, hope it helps.
--Roger van Hoy, Washougal, WA, '55 DeSoto, '58 DeSoto, '56 Plymouth, '66
Plymouth, '41 Dodge
----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel Davids"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 1:41 PM
Subject: [FWDLK] Mopar Weight Dilemma in WA
> Hello FWDLOOKers.
>
> I'm from Washington state and I have twenty or so Mopars in the 57-65 year
> range.
> Recently, our legislature decided to impose a "weight-based fee" on top of
> the basic vehicle
> licensing fee (here referred to
as a tab fee). The problem is that the
> state's Dept of
> Licensing computers don't have any weight information in them for vehicles
> pre-1981.
> So, for each of the cars that I keep licensed, the state is now sending me
> a Special
> Notice that, since they don't have any weight data, I must provide proof
> of my car's
> weight before they'll renew my tabs. Acceptable to them are data from:
>
> * Owner's manual for the vehicle
> * Value guide like NADA or Kelley Blue Book
> * Vehicle manufacturer's website showing weight for vehicle
> * Weight obtained by taking the car to a certified scale (costs money, of
> course)
>
> The first of my renewals has come in, and it's for a 64 Dodge Polara w/
> slant six.
> The owner's manual has no weight information. There's no weight placard
> anywhere
> to be found on the car itself. For the instant car, can
someone on the
> list point me
> to a bonafide source of weight info? I Google'd and this is about the best
> I could
> come up with:
>
> http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z9592/Dodge_Polara/default.aspx
>
> Since the lack of weight data in the state's computer is going to cause
> literally
> thousands of us in Washington with old cars to face the same problem, does
> anyone have a better idea of how to attack this problem, rather than
> having to
> tediously spend time and money, car by individual car. The break point in
> the
> fees, by the way is at 4,000 pounds.
>
> Thanks for any help you can provide,
>
> Dan Davids
> Woodinville, WA
>
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