Buying a car or truck....which state is cheaper?

[Terence]

I would suggest holding on to whatever cars/trucks you have and bring them with you to WY. Older vehicles are cheaper to register. Used car parts can easily be found via internet if needed.

That's the conclusion I came up with as well, FDNY.

Ps. If I had my druthers I'd much rather pay a high vehicle registration (personal property tax) than a high real estate property tax (like in SD). Rather pay nothing, but that's not in the cards I've been dealt.

Absolutely! Though Don's example of the tax he paid on his non-motored 5th-wheel is quite a bee-sting of a tax.

Terence

[kylben]

Thanks, Terence and FDNY.  I'll keep that conclusion in mind.

[Paul Bonneau]

I am really surprised that the costs for regisstartion of a vehicle are so extreme in WY. That is (one) political fight that should be fought to reverse or lower this "hidden tax."

Wyomingites are not very feisty, politically. They think all they have to do is vote "R" and their taxes will be kept low. 

There was a big blow-up about registration fees in Washington state. One angel (I call him) just took on the whole establishment and got an initiative passed to knock the fees down to about the same as Oregon's. You should have heard the parasites moan and beat their breasts. Did a person good to hear it.

[bobcat]

Another alternative is to form an LLC in MT, purchase vehicles in MT, pay zero sales tax, title and plate them in MT through the LLC and drive/live where ever you wish.  It is easy to do...but it must be done correctly as some unfortunate souls in Colorado learned the hard way.

A nifty advantage to MT is vehicles older than 11yrs get permanent plates.  No more fees or effort again as long as you own it and keep up the LLC.  RV's, some trailers and ATV's get perm plates right out of the box.  Go to the MT website to learn more.

An LLC will cost ~$500+/- to form and there is an annual registered agent fee of $50 to $100.  Annual reports are required, but are simple boilerplate if the LLC is just a holding company for assets.  No taxes would be due as no income would be generated.  One downside is that whatever addy you use in filling out the LLC paperwork is public domain.  There are legal ways around that, but it's more $$.

Depending on age, number of vehicles and type, the LLC costs can be easily covered as opposed to paying sales tax.

YMMV

[Don Wills]

The only gotcha with the MT LLC is you won't be able to get financing.  You'll have to pay cash for the vehicle.  Other than that, it's a great idea.