I’m looking into leasing a car from a dealership in Texas and having it shipped to SoCal.
Is there anything I’d have to do for DMV registration or does the dealership handle everything?
Also, is it possible to get a personalized CA legacy license plates on a leased vehicle? If not, I’d still like to have the legacy plates for my sequential license plate. Can dealership request for the CA legacy plates at the time of registering the vehicle for the first time through DMV or would I have to do that separately?
When servicing or returning the out of state leased vehicle, do I simply take it to the nearest dealership?
I’ll be honest, I’m not currently looking to lease a car (got a 3 yr lease in April) and I also really do not follow those classes of cars, but I know for a fact that there are multiple brokers/dealers in SoCal that have posted on this site with their deals that are almost impossible to beat elsewhere in the country.
I would recommend doing some more research on this forum, as there have been posts recently regarding all four of your options. Maybe check with @GeorgeCSL as he has deals for multiple makes?
I think many would argue that you live in one of the most competitive lease markets in the country - it seems silly to go out of state, pay for transportation, and potentially have to deal with complicated DMV nonsense.
depends on what type of car he’s leasing but what he stated isn’t too hard to find, no idea why op is going 500-1000 miles shipping for a mass produced car, and adding shipping, you’re looking for a deal not for an expensive muscle car or supercar.
edit: $1000 for shipping adds roughly $30 a month for your payment, plus it will take you 1-2 weeks to receive the car depending on who you book, reliability. Also have to be careful of damage when shipping. I went through my car meticulously and carefully after it was transported roughly 400 miles.
You have to do the CA DMV paperwork prior to car being delivered or you cant drive it on the street since no tax is paid. To that end, once you get VIN and bill of sales you can go to DMV and get your license plates and other stuff you want after you pay for smog, tax, license and fees.
I just went through this with two cars this year for my neighbor and friend and church. Neighbor got a Tacoma from Nevada and church friend got his flex from South Carolina. Just need to make sure the car has the 50 states emission sticker under the hood.
some states reciprocate tax but I’m not sure California and texas are partners because of their vastly different tax rates. I think california and nevada/oregon/Arizona all have something going on, I know when we leased out of state on friday, delaware and maryland cooperated and we paid delaware taxes at signing.
I’ve been getting competitive offers for a C300 loaner and Audi A4. I haven’t seen many posts about the Q60 in SoCal so I am not sure what is a good deal or not.
My favorite of the 4 is the Giulia with no doubt. However, I’ve been getting better quotes for C300/A4, but I have no idea how they stand up against the Giulia. Current lease is maturing in a month and I feel the pressure to close on a deal as soon as possible before the selection of 18 models further diminish.
I’d love to hear the different opinions on these cars.
Looking to close on a deal out of state and I need some advice.
What’s the typical process of preparing all the documents and getting approved with the bank once I have finalized on a deal with the dealership and submitted the credit application online?
Do they first get the approval of the bank then mail the papers/notary to me for my signature or is it the other way around? Is there anything I’d have to watch out for prior to signing the papers? What are some of the things to look out for when leasing out of state? Registration seems to be the complex part but my dealership seems to have experience leasing to different states and I was told they will handle everything.
It’s my first time leasing a vehicle out of state and I’m a bit anxious because I couldn’t find much information online. I’d appreciate any advice.
Closed on a deal last Friday and put a deposit down on the car however, dealership still haven’t sent out the papers claiming that they need to wait until they confirm the structures with the bank. Is this normal?
Does it normally take nearly a week for the dealership to allign things with the bank? Shouldn’t this process be much quicker since the credit score immediately determine the availability of the lease at the given rate?
I am very confused and would greatly appreciate any help.
I got my F-Type in TX and drove it back to SoCal. Was a huge PITA but mostly due to dealership incompetence.
They assigned temp plates so I could drive off. Upon arriving into CA, I had to immediately get a smog check completed, and then go into the DMV to complete the vehicle inspection report. There’s a form that has to be completed by a DMV inspection employee, and then it’s your responsibility to send it back to the dealership so they can process the registration and get plates sent to you. Your amount due may change (depending on what the estimated on your lease agreement, you may be liable for additional registration charges or a refund of overpayment).
Total process shouldn’t take more than 3-4 weeks. My dealership was full of morons and it took 4 months. So every experience will be different.
My dealership says they will handle the entire registration and there is nothing I have to do on my end. The car will be shipped to me.
Is it different for every dealer or is it because you drove the car back to CA? Not everyone seemed to have gone through the same process you mentioned. Smog, dmv inspection, etc.
@Modo, I’m on the east coast and doing the same thing as you. My local Alfa dealers 2018 stock is wearing thin, and though aggressive, they just aren’t willing to match deals that can be found elsewhere. I could’ve gotten a decent 330i close by, but something about the Giulia is magical.
@Justin_Sutton totally hooked me up with a deal too good to pass on. I found a cheap 1-way flight there, and get to become acquainted with my new Giulia on the drive home. I saved well over $1k in total ownership costs, and got a car spec’d more to my liking. Totally worth it IMO.
Personalized plates can be transferred to your leased car.
I do that every time.
I remove them when I turn her back in or sell it.
After the new plates are received, I take the registration, new plates, and personalized plates to my So Cal Auto Club (AAA) and they handle the plate change - and you get a new YEAR tag (use the new MONTH tag) and last time it was $20 ?
If that’s the case, you’re in great shape. My anecdote could be a total anomaly since the dealership I worked with was terrible and didn’t know what they were doing.
I think @Modo’s dealer doesn’t know the CA process. I don’t think you/they can register the car in CA remotely because the car needs to have a smog test and DMV inspection (it’s better have the 50-state emissions sticker).
You are right. The vehicle will need to have a smog check. What is the proper way of doing it then?
Once the car is delivered, take it for a smog check then a DMV inspection. Forward the documents to the dealership and only then, they will be able to register the vehicle and send plates to me? Am I responsible for the smog and inspection fees?
I handled the registration myself. It was a plug-in hybrid, which didn’t require smog tests at the time, but I still needed to do the inspection. Just brought it to the DMV for inspection and then registered it also then and there.
Edit: Since it was a purchase, I also paid the taxes to the DMV there.
