Goodbye 55 years in California!

[roberhofer]

After having moved from California to Nevada I finally registered my 1966 230SL in Nevada today.
It was bittersweet, as I know that this car is/was a original CA car and has lived 55 years with the same number plates. And I have have nurtured it for 21 years. It's sad to see them go.
Here a picture (attached) that I took today on top of Mt. Rose which is just over the hill from Lake Tahoe. The lake in the background is lake Washoe.

One upside of registering in Nevada is custom license plates. I am happy that I snagged "66 SL" as the new plate for the car! They will be arriving in a few short weeks. The Pagoda life continues!

[Pawel66]

Good luck in this new life!

[Charles 230SL]

beautiful photo! Congrats on the move and the new 66 SL plates!

[Cees Klumper]

I don't know what the rules are or whether they are enforced but I notice many people don't register their cars in the state they live, after moving from another state. Neighbors I note keep their car registered in Texas, Nevada, Florida etc. despite living in California for oftentimes years. Probably illegal?

[FGN59]

In the Unites States of Europe, we lived for a few years in Spain (our normal residence being France). The toing and froing of people is easy, but for things, a bit less so. I refused to register our cars in Spain, which would have required certificates from the manufacturer, safety inspections, etc. when moving to Spain, and the same when coming back to France. So we lived with illegal cars for 6 years, but how can you tell a tourist car from a resident’s? I used to tell my wife: for the insurance company and the police, please don’t kill any children, and you’re allowed to kill one grandmother, but not two 😊

Nothing ever happened to anybody anywhere.

[FresnoBob]

You should meet Rick Iknoian who just bought a house in Gardnerville and owns a 280 SL.  Great guy and a true expert in these cars.  He's a member of this group. 

[kampala]

Neighbors I note keep their car registered in Texas, Nevada, Florida etc. despite living in California for oftentimes years. Probably illegal?

Cees - There are 9 USA states with Zero State Income tax - the three states you mentioned are all Zero state-income-tax states.   Coincidence?  Probably not.   These folks may have an established "residency" in those zero tax states.

[MikeSimon]

I don't know how the "smart" people do this, but when I renew the registration on any of my vehicles, I have to show a valid driver's license which is proof of residence and I sign a document/affidavit  that this is "current". I cannot renew a registration if I do not reside in the state.
Now, "historic plates" is a different issue. They do not have to be renewed. So I guess I could leave these plates on when I move out of state. One other problem would be the insurance.

[Cees Klumper]

When I renew registration here in California, I can generally do it on-line and it's basically, pay the fee and wait for the new registration and sticker to come through the mail. No affidavit (unless in small print somewhere) and definitely no driver's license or proof of residency required.