Guys, I am leaning towards collector car status for my new to me 360 CS but I figured I would ask a couple of questions. Where do you guys get your cars inspected? The last thing I want to do is go to the normal inspection station. Also I dod not want to put the front plate on. If I go collector, all they do is check the odometer. Let me know what you guys do. Thanks in advance
New Vernon coach and motorworks. 960 Mount Kemble Ave, Morristown, NJ 07960. I dealt with Steve last time. Great place. I think they do more old English car restorations than inspections but they do a wide variety of things. It didn't take too long. I also had a Porsche inspected there.
I went to a local sunoco gas station to do mine- no one drove it but me- only have to drive it up to the testing machine (i.e. none of that silly dynometer stuff- I think the state is phasing out the dyno testing anyway, if they haven't already..). What is collecter status? The only thing in NJ I know of is QQ plates for cars over 25 years old- I've got an old beetle that qualifies for QQ but I keep regular plates on the car as I don't want problems driving the car for errands and being asked if I'm going to a car show (technically QQ I think limits driving to car shows). I take that to the gas station for inspections as well... I would get regular plates for the car and get collector car insurance (Leland West, Haggerty, etc. ) which will give you better coverage for less money.
qq = 25 years old no inspection accept once to get a triangle sticker. limited miles collector is any car with limited miles for a better insurance rate. usually around 2500 per year. A collector has to go through emmisions. NJ only does emmisions testing currently becuase we are broke. So if your car is running on rims with no blinkers or e brake, as long as you pass emissions you are fine.
Right - so did I miss something? A 360 wouldn't qualify for QQ plates...is there some new option now?
Agree completely -- I take all of my cars to him -- exotic and daily drivers. Not a restoration shop, though -- a regular mechanic. He just sees all kinds of classics and exotics.
Just to clairify- there is no collector car status in NJ to my knowledge. My 360 (and prior porsches) were all registered like every other car we own, the only difference being with regards to insurance- I insure the "toy" with a Leland West collector policy, and the insurance policy has 2 options- 2,500 miles/year or 5,000 miles/year for a little bit more money. The only car plates I know of are QQ which as stated is >25 years old. I don't think so...still 13 years to go for the earliest 360's to go QQ
Correct.... qq is for registration purpose only. Collector is for a break on insurance premiums......
They don't require you to have the front plate attached to the car upon inspection. Just have it with you in the car. I found this out when having my 599 inspected last year. I used to run all over asking for favors, but its not necessary. Just go to the state inspection place and hand them your documents and have the plate in plain sight. You will be fine.
A couple of correctionsNJ DOES issue Collector status registrations and inspection stickers. I've gone this way with my three cars ('74, '81, and '86) for the last 10 years. I believe the car has to be at least 20 years old, whereas QQ is 25 or older. Take your registration renewal to the DMV and pay something like $15 for a Collector Car voucher. Then take the voucher to any state inspection facility for an odometer test ONLY. They usually make you drive around the block. NO emissions test! Keep the printout (with date and mileage) for the next time; it makes the process easier... Technically, QQ is not for daily use, only to drive your car to and from shows/events. CC does have mileage restrictions.
Actually, this link clarifies things even more: http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Inspections/VehiclesExempt.htm
Guys, Just to clarify, I had my last two Porsches registered as collector cars. One was a 2000 Carrera and the other a 2004 GT3. The advantage is no emmisions, no one else drives your car, you just have to prove the odometer works. Plus it is good for two years. Makes life much easier. I just wanted to see what others did. Thanks for all the replies.
I'll keep my cars registered as is as I don't want any restrictions on driving (i.e. I want to let someone else drive my 360 or beetle) etc, but this is all interesting nonetheless.
I found this to be the case with any regularly registered car- it's seems odd, but it's true. You can get a ticket on the road for no plate, but DVM is OK with it in the windshield. I now just go and pay the money at the gas station to get my weekend car inspected since years ago when I had a Corvette a large DMV guy got in the car to pull it forward and he had a knife/keys hanging on his belt- I was sure he ripped the leather seat as he plopped in but thankfully he didn't- since then I've never taken the weekend sports car through DMV again but the daily drivers go through every 2 years
I take my 1983 308 to Mc Peek's Tire & Service (201) 327-0110 99 W Main St, Ramsey, NJ A regular mechanic that also handles older exotic cars (Jag, Ferrari, MG, Lambo etc). He adjusts what needs adjusting to pass inspection. After fixing the air pump it passed with flying colors 2 years ago. My car will go back in Jan. BTW: My car is insured as a regular car. I dont want any mileage restrictions. I like to drive it. And my insurance is with NJM & is a pretty darn good rate.
Last time I renewed DMV in wyckoff told me new applications need to be 25 years old (mine was 24 yo at the time) but I was grandfathered as I already had the cc status. Only visible difference is the triangle shaped inspection sticker. Limited to 6,000 miles every two years. I get inspected at the state run Paramus DMV station, run through the re-inspection line and they never touch the care other that to scrape out the old inspection sticker and past in the new one.
Even many DMV clerks are confused by the entire collector/inspection rules. From what I gathered: I have my 76 Ferrari insured as a collector and I get a triangle sticker every two years. The inspection station only checks that my odometer works. I also have my 96 Corvette insured as a collector, but go through the regular inspection since the car is not 25 years old. It is interesting. I guess in reality my Ferrari could/should have gotten QQ plates. But, whatever works, I guess.
It should really be the other way around with safety being tested and emissions being ignored for the time being. Having a rust bucket crash into you is a bit more of an immediate threat than pollution.
The rules in NJ have changed recently regarding QQ plates and collector car registration. You used to be able to take your choice between regular registration, which requires a full inspection, or either "historic" plates for cars 25 years old or more, or "collector car" registration for any car regardless of age. All that changed about two years ago. Now, it depends on the age of the car. For cars 24 years old or less, you can register as a collector car, but you must prove that the car was of limited production and that is recognized as a model/make that is considered collectible. When I got my '86 328 a couple of years ago, I had to go through the application process, show that it was a limited production car and considered collectible, and provide "collector car" insurance. Cars registered as a collector car are not inspected, but you must present the car at the inspections station. They will check to see that the odometer is working and record the mileage. You are limited to 3000 miles per year, 6000 over the two year life of the inspection sticker (the triangular one). Collector car registration requires a front and rear plate in NJ, though NJ inspection has never bothered me about not having one. You used to be able to continue collector car status forever. Now, once the car hits 25 years, you must either do a regular registration and have it inspected, or go for "historic" plates (the QQ plates). The problem with historic plates is that it limits the use of the vehicle to basically car club events and "educational" activities. Technically, you can't drive the car to work, to the store, on vacation, etc. However, I have had historic registered cars for 15 years and never been stopped and asked where I'm going. You must also have collector car insurance for historic registration. The advantage is that the law requires only a rear plate on the car if the car was not designed to display a front plate. None of my e-type Jags ever had a front plate on them while I have owned them. By the way, with historic plates, there is no mileage limit on driving the car; it is not inspected and you don't even get one of those triangular decals. Never ceases to amaze me how much misinformation there is out there on all this stuff. Just go to the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission website and you'll find all of the information about this, including downloadable versions of the applications for collector car status and historic vehicles.
The bar for this is very low. A friend of mine registered a 1998 BMW M3 sedan as a collector car. He used public sources (Wiki? I can't recall) to show that it was a "limited" production car.
I just renewed (in Paramus) the Collector Car registration for my '81 911 this past Spring. Car is more than 25 years old, but no one gave me any problems. I purchased the Collector Car registration voucher and got the triangular sticker (that's good for another two years) without any inspection, just an odometer check. Same for my '74 BMW last year. I guess the last people to know about rule changes are the NJDMV...
Len, The registration on my 328 is coming up next year. I'm going to try to renew it as a collector car, and try to convince them it is "grandfathered". But if they won't do it, then I will probably go to the historic plates, as I don't want to deal with inspection on these old cars. I'm sure it will pass everything, except the emissions tests. Too much of a hastle. Will be interesting to see what happens. Steve p.s. I think I may go to Paramus to renew. LOL
Yes, the bar is very low, but you do have to jump through the hoops, fill out the application, supply the information they want, and wait for approval. It's more than just walking into an MVC office and registering the car as a collector car.
Steve, I'm also in the same boat with my '86 328 next year. We'll see... My experience (both with Lodi and Paramus) on all my cars has been that if you bring the printout from the last inspection (two years earlier), things go a lot smoother. For some reason its easier for the inspector to go by the indicated mileage on the printout than it is to tap into the main system in Trenton...
