Maybe Wisconsin ain't so bad...

[John Miliunas]

It's no secret that Wisconsin is one of the highest taxed states around, but after talking with my daughter this evening, I'm feeling a bit better about the Land of Bucky. To explain: After I got my "new" used car, I had my old one shipped down to Florida for her. I sent her the title beforehand, with instructions to take care of the registration, plates and insurance, figuring that when the car came off the carrier, she'd be all set. Surprise #1: Can't get registration unless the car is there. Surprise #2: $200.00 bucks just for the plates. Surprise #3: No registration until you have proof of insurance. BIG Surprise #4: Right about $1800.00/yr for insurance!!! And that's just liability! Granted, it's a '95 vehicle, so full coverage may be a bit much, but come on!

Us Cheeseheads get off a bit easier. First, we can register and get plates for a vehicle, as long as we have a clear title in hand. Plates have just recently gone up to $55.00/yr. and I think I fresh registration is under $40.00. Yes, I would've forced her to have insurance, but it's not a pre-requisite for getting plates. We also have provisions for some discounting if the young driver (she's only 19) has a good school record. Her insurance here would've run her about $6-800.00/yr. for liability only and $3-400.00 more for full coverage. And that's the rate for our area, which is deemed to be in a higher range, due to a high concentration of deer/vehicle hits.

So, are we Wisconsinites living under some kind of beer bubble or is Florida just an exception? I know of other Southern states with high registration for vehicles, but the rest of their taxation is quite low and I'm not sure at all about insurance rates. Any advice I can give her? She's working two jobs now, so transportation has become a major issue with getting people to tote her back and forth everywhere, but if 1-1/2 of those jobs is going to pay for that transportation mode, it hardly seems worth it! :cool:

[Ken Garlock]

John, I surely would be calling every insurance salesman in the book, that is absurd :mad: I don't know if Progressive is licensed in Fla, but they say that will give you their rate and several others for comparison.

In Texas, it costs about 40-60 dollars a year to renew your license plates, depending on the age of the car. My auto insurance is in the area of $2K/yr for two drivers and 3 vehicles. That is with a 10% deductible. OH yes, you MUST provide proof of insurance when you get your auto registration renewed, and when you have your manditory annual car safety inspection.

BTW, we don't have a state income tax, but we do have an 8.125% sales tax. Texas, where a union is a pipe fitting. :p

[Jim Becker]

Ditto on the Progessive suggestion...they did well by me when I switched to them last year.

On the registration thing, more and more places are requiring proof of insurance before registration and justifiably so...there are so many un-insured cars on the road right now, it's scary. In some large cities, it's more than half of the cars on the road! I've only been in two accidents in my life with another vehicle and one out of the two had fake insurance information and consequently, no insurance to pay for my damage. They were also from "out of town" so they never got prosecuted by the local police, either. I really was glad it was only damage to the car rather than to myself! (Yea, my insurance would have paid the medical bills, but it's the principle of the thing)

PA has required proof of insurance for a long time for registration and they get tougher all the time. Folks who live in Philadelphia actually have to have their registration sticker in the back window rather than on the plate now to keep the plates from being cut to steal the registration stickers! These little gems are a hot item to try and avoid the insurance hassle for some dishonest folks...

[Kevin Beck]

It's no secret that Wisconsin is one of the highest taxed states around, but after talking with my daughter this evening, I'm feeling a bit better about the Land of Bucky. To explain: After I got my "new" used car, I had my old one shipped down to Florida for her. I sent her the title beforehand, with instructions to take care of the registration, plates and insurance, figuring that when the car came off the carrier, she'd be all set. Surprise #1: Can't get registration unless the car is there. Surprise #2: $200.00 bucks just for the plates. Surprise #3: No registration until you have proof of insurance. BIG Surprise #4: Right about $1800.00/yr for insurance!!! And that's just liability! Granted, it's a '95 vehicle, so full coverage may be a bit much, but come on!

Us Cheeseheads get off a bit easier. First, we can register and get plates for a vehicle, as long as we have a clear title in hand. Plates have just recently gone up to $55.00/yr. and I think I fresh registration is under $40.00. Yes, I would've forced her to have insurance, but it's not a pre-requisite for getting plates. We also have provisions for some discounting if the young driver (she's only 19) has a good school record. Her insurance here would've run her about $6-800.00/yr. for liability only and $3-400.00 more for full coverage. And that's the rate for our area, which is deemed to be in a higher range, due to a high concentration of deer/vehicle hits.

So, are we Wisconsinites living under some kind of beer bubble or is Florida just an exception? I know of other Southern states with high registration for vehicles, but the rest of their taxation is quite low and I'm not sure at all about insurance rates. Any advice I can give her? She's working two jobs now, so transportation has become a major issue with getting people to tote her back and forth everywhere, but if 1-1/2 of those jobs is going to pay for that transportation mode, it hardly seems worth it! :cool:

This is what I remember from my move 8 years ago when I moved back to my native state:

1) No registration without car. Someone in the tag office actually verifies the VIN against the title I believe.

2) $200 bucks for the licence plates is a little misleading. The renewals on my license plates are in the $50 - $70 range. I believe the $200 includes some sort of impact fee if the car hasn't been registered in Florida before.

3) Proof of insurance is required to both register a car and to maintain a driver's license. I believe the state actually keeps up with whether insurance is maintained on a vehicle. I don't have a problem with this. I've had friends involved with accidents with uninsured motorists and it is a major pain. I lived in Texas in the mid-80's and this was required there also. You could post a bond with the Secretary of state (or some such official) or maintain insurance.

4) The insurance sounds a bit high but she is a teenager. I have two boys and will be going through this in the next 4 - 5 years.

Hope your daughter enjoys the sunshine. Maybe you could send her some cheese and she could send you some warm weather about January.

Kevin

[Bud Duffy]

John tell her to move to Idaho i bought a 93 ford escort wagon for my doughter the other day the reg. & plates cost me $36.25 26 for registration 6 for plates 1.25 for EMS and 3 for admin fee ,im not sure about insurance for her but to put it on my policy is $232 a year for liabilityand $600 for full coverage. I told her i provided the car she can provide the insurance, she needed a dependable car with working and getting the baby back and forth to day care and couldnt afford one so i bought it for her .oh yea and a $8 title fee.

[Tony Falotico]

John, a few clarifications:

There is a $100.00 assessment for a new tag. That is, if you transfer a tag from another vehicle registered in Florida you don't pay the fee, but if you acquire an additional tag, you pay for the impact of an additional vehicle on the highway.

Insurance rates vary by county, dependent upon the crash / claims rate in that county. It sounds like your daughter is in one of the higher populated areas of Florida. Thirteen yrs ago I moved my family from a highly populated county in south Florida to a rural county in north Florida, my insurance premiums dropped by almost 60%. Her rates are high because she is 19 and will remain high until age 26.

Insurance is Mandatory in Florida. You must carry liability insurance; comprehensive & collision are optional. You are also required to have uninsured motorist coverage due to the high volume of tourists we have visiting from states that do not require insurance. My wife was in a crash a few years back caused by an unlicensed, uninsured drunk (.226 bac) from out of state. My uninsured motorist coverage paid all the vehicle replacement and medical expenses.

[John Miliunas]

Thanks for the responses and tips. Guess I had never heard of an "impact fee" for out of state vehicles. Personally, I think it's kind of a rip-off, but that's just my opinion. I don't have an issue with the insurance requirement for registration. It makes much sense and protects everyone. I do have a problem with the amount, though. I did already advise her to do some serious shopping around.

BUT, the actual registration process is really the kicker. You can't drive a vehicle without proper registration/plates, but you need to have the vehicle at the DMV site to get above said plates! Say what?! Is a person supposed to have the vehicle towed there? I don't know...Maybe a lot of places are like that, but up here, I can register and get plates for a vehicle before it's ever even in my posession, much less there for them to see. All I need is a clear title and sales receipt (if purchased from a dealer.)

At any rate, I think the whole thing was a bit of a shock to her (and me, actually) after having dealt with vehicle registration here in WI. I'll pass any relevant information on to my daughter. Thanks again! :cool:

[Jim DeLaney]

Here in California, I just paid $425.00 to license my 2001 Toyota Solara, and also had to provide proof of insurance to re-license it.

My 1997 Toyota truck cost $187.00, plus I had to get a $60.00 smog test/certification.

Our soon-to-be-governor, Arnold, has promised to do something about the cost. Time will tell...

[Dennis Peacock]

I feel your pain buddy.....

My license plate for my Nissan Sentra this past year was $725 and my insurance on ME is almost $600 a year and the car is only driven to work and back....with the occassional trip to the BB store. We also have to have proof of insurance before they will issue a license plate.

We have personal property taxes that have to be paid every year, taxes on my utility trailer, I even paid a luxury tax when I bought my lawn mower....$50.....When I moved to Arkansas, my car insurance went UP by almost 100%. I have checked on insurance to cover my oldest son when he turns driving age in a few years and that will be $150 every month just to cover him.!!!

Don't get me started on taxes.......as I feel we are paying way too many taxes and paying taxes on taxes really gets my blood boiling.!!!