NC or SC = less in annual vehicle tax and tag?

My Dino is registered as "Antique Auto" in SC.

I pay exactly ZERO yearly property tax on it.

We had a car guy in the legislature!

 

SC is similar. If the car is 15 years or older you don't even have to apply for antique status - the car automatically receives the minimum valuation for tax purposes, which results in an annual property tax bill of about $12 plus another $12 for the license plate renewal.

For cars younger than 15 years it varies a bit by county. Our county generally uses the Edmunds low value for most cars. Their valuation of my exotics tends to be low but fair. Taxes still seem high even with a low valuation.

Where you really win in SC is buying cars. SC has a cap of $300 on sales tax for vehicles, so you can buy a Veyron and still pay $300 sales tax. Property tax would still be ugly, but every bit helps.

SC did clamp down a lot this year on out of state people registering cars here, probably for that reason. Even if you own property here, if your ID is out of state expect a few headaches. Look here: http://www.scdmvonline.com/DMVNew/forms.aspx

Scroll all the way down and check out forms TI-005IS, TI-006 and TI-006a. These will be important.

 

I dont see why they tax you every year on the vehicle. That could make ownership a tad expensive.

 

When I had my 550 many years ago I registered to our NC address as it was way cheaper than SC. I can't remember the details as it was about 6-7 years ago. NC was a lot cheaper though at the time.

Karl

 

When you live in a low tax state it's not that bad. I think in the end it's almost a wash.
Assessed taxes in SC decrease with time and the age of your vehicle. Title fees and misc fees are usually under 10-20 bucks/year. When I used to live in New York.. the taxes NEVER went down and the money I paid to the state NEVER decreased. Sales tax on purchase of the car is outrageous. Fees every 2 years aren't that cheap.

 

Man..that seems hard to believe. NC is usually more expensive on everything, GAS in particular. Paid $3.19 for premium on the way back form the beach this past weekend. I have 4 cars in NC and own property in SC near the beach. Thinking I may need to "relocate" a couple of them down there.

 

I just moved a little over a year ago from SC to NC, so when I get home tonight I'll compare rates. Auto insurance was MUCH cheaper in NC than in SC. When I originally moved from NC to SC, my rates went up by over 100% and I'm fairly certain they went back down by that much when I moved back. It really will depend on what county you live in though for taxes. I think my auto property taxes are very slightly higher here in NC over SC.

 

Interesting. Maybe at least partially because of the very generous windshield replacement laws in SC?

 

More likely because of our huge population of uninsured/underinsured motorists, the generous glass policy and the fact that SC doesn't even fake an inspection for vehicles anymore. You can literally drive a car here with no lights, no bumpers and no glass and as long as it's daytime no one will hassle you.

 

You forgot... no brains. Worst driving decisions/habits I've seen right on the road. On the phone, in wet weather, with bald tires, in a ford Explorer, no blinker, swerving across 3 lanes of traffic to barely make an exit off of 26.

Scary.

 

No inspection is a big advantage - I own 7 cars and an rv bus that i have to get inspected every year in NC - what a pain in the butt

 

See it everywhere. I really love the guys who roll in the left lane, holding up traffic so they can do a last-second, 3 lane-wide, signal-less exit. I guess it makes them feel "racy". ; )

 

Yeah, NC held me up this year because one of my angel eyes on the 540 was out and throwing a code. No pass for me!!! Fixed it and paid another $35 fee. Multiply that by 7 and you are talking about a decent bar tab!!

 

Alright, here goes. This is for an 98 MB C43, so you're values will vary on an F-Car:

2010 Charleston County, SC
Assessed value: $7500
Assessment ratio: 6.00
Tax: $117.07
Renewal Fee: $24.00

2011 Mecklenburg County, NC
Assessed value: $7630
County tax: $63.99
City tax (Charlotte): $33.99
Charlotte vehicle fee: $30.00
Total tax: $128.98
Renewal fee: $28.00
Inspection: $30

I hope that is some what helpful. There are other things to consider such as cheaper insurance in NC but also higher gas prices.

 

What is the windshield deal in SC you guys are talking about? I'm in the military and have lived a lot of places, so I don't know what this is. Thanks.

 

If you get a rock chip or crack in your windshield, it can be repaired or replaced by insurance without any deductible or out of pocket expense.

 

Thanks for the info, that's good to know!

I've had rocks chip my glass in other states, but not here yet. And the tornado hail damage that cracked the windshield, and that other time when...