Catch more flys with Honey than vinegar...
 

Auto appraisal is a lot like figure skating, or gymnastics judjing...

When I took the Stealth in they wanted me to pay depreciated value which was way more than what I paid, so I went out to the appraiser dudes...

Talked nice while he looked at the car, told him what I paid for it, and general BS... He looked it up in KBB. Somebody else came in looking for a flashlight, that worked... made a joke about bringing them batteries next time I was in since I had a Costco brick of them at home...

He said "blue book was blah..., what did I pay for it again?" I answered sevencough, I mean five thousand...

"5K it is...", and off I went back inside... WITH A BIG OLD SMILE...

Smile, be polite, funny, or in Scott's case, show some leg, stick your landings, and you get a better appraisal...

I know it shouldn't be that way, but it is...

Oh, and the trick withthe DMV is to go in, get your number, and then go get lunch and bring it back and eat while you are waiting... Tues-Thurs 10-11am is usually slowest

when I took my used car to the DMV I brought my bill of sell showing I only paid 2200 for the old car and that it wasnt worth any more or else the seller would have sold it for that :?

I dunno about htat, svx windshields aren't common. And finding one in a yard, well i've never seen one, but you've got the right idea. :)

That sucks sperry, though he could've appraised it for 5000-6000. I totally agree though you can't judge a car just by how it looks.

I think the price is primarily determined by the DMV's equivalent of a Blue Book, with a mileage modifier. Then, if the car looks beat to hell, it's the inspector's discression to lower it further. What's shady, is that the DMV doesn't seem to have their base values published. I've heard that it's the MSRP - 15% for the 1st year, and -5% for each additional year, but that's just hearsay. Also, I don't know how much they take off for mileage.

The DMV needs to publish all that info, have it available at the inspection station, and they should post that things like repair quotes and estimates are usful in getting the vehicle appraised correctly. Not having that information public basically makes the DMV look like they're intentionally bumping the appraisal value of cars in order to collect additional taxes... which is pretty much what I'm sure they're doing. :x

This is all directly from DMV's website:

Thanks Art.

Unfortunately, they don't tell you where the appraised value comes from. That whole 15% + 5% for each year deal is crap. A new car depreciated 20% the instant you drive it off the lot! And a flat rate depreciation is totally un-realistic.... hence the reason for the appraisal inspections.

For example: the SVX

MSPR in 1994: $34,000
- (15 + (5 * 9))%
= $13,600

I'm pretty sure my SVX isn't worth $13,600!! So I got it appraised... and even then they appraised it for twice what the market value of the car is! Where's the formula that the DMV used to get that $4100 value?

Anyway... enough ranting I guess. It's registered and paid for now... no use in getting my panties all wadded up.

My Brother got lucky paid said tax on his STI as WRX price. :D

Bump.

God, the DMV in Reno sucks. I got to experience the suckiness firsthand today.

What was your trip to the DMV for?

I (almost) got one of them licenses to drive.

:lol: :lol:

What went wrong?

Didn't know I needed other forms of ID, like SSN card and passport/birth certificate.

It really wasn't a bad experience, its just didn't realize how freaking packed that place can be. Its huge, and it was still crammed with people.

It's 'cause there's really only one office for the whole of Reno. True there are the little mini offices, but they can't really help you with anything other than license renewals.

I went to the mini-office at the old town mall to get a DL printout....the waiting line was 40 min. :shock: :shock: :shock:

For what it's worth I sold my old car to my step dad. He refused to pay sales tax on it to the DMV and we did the 'Gift form' that was noterized. No tax.

I also disagreeded with an appraisal they did on an old VW bug. They had it valued at $3000 and it did not have a motor. I went to a car lot and got an appraisal done for something like $900. DMV accepted that price.

As far as I know the real scam is re-taxing cars in Nevada that are brought into the state from another state. This can add up big time on newer cars.

Theo

You can download this off the web site for $7.

I think I'm going to buy my next car in CA and just pay the tax there. NV will only collect the difference (if any) over that amount.

I plan to use my discharge certificate for secondary ID, since they won't accept CA licenses as ID. Whatever. :rolleyes: Gotta do it soon, too...