05/18/2008

Old plates no good on different type vehicle
Q. I bought a small two-wheel-drive pickup truck at a local Rhode Island car dealer for my son. I filled out all the forms they gave me for the registration and left a check as requested made out to the DMV. They put my son’s old plates (from his Camry) on the truck and told me I was good for three days and to stop by the next day and get the final registration.

05/11/2008

Sales tax formula doesn’t include added fees
Q. I am about to buy a new car, and would like to know on what the sales tax is based. This particular vehicle will have a “destination charge” of $600. Since the dealership is charging this on all cars, I don’t have a problem paying it. But it seems to me that the sales tax I pay should not include this amount, or any “documentation fees” that are added. Can you help me with the answer to this question?

05/04/2008

Ask the Registry: Firefighter plates are for passenger cars
Q. My question concerns the new firefighter license plates that recently emerged. These plates are only allowed on passenger vehicles, and they keep the passenger car license plate type. Purple Heart, Veteran, and National Guard plates (among others) have their own license plate types and their own sets of numbers, and can be placed on pickup trucks, etc. Why is this not the case for firefighter plates? It is probably a safe assumption that a large number of firefighters own pickup trucks as personal vehicles.

04/25/2008

Ask the Registry: Who can supervise a permit driver?
Q. My son just received his driving permit, and he insists that he was told that anyone could supervise him driving, not just a parent. He wants his older brother to take him out driving, but his brother has only had a full license for one year. Can you clarify the law for me?

04/20/2008

April is a good time to consider becoming an organ donor
Q. How does one go about becoming an organ donor?

04/06/2008

Ask the Registry: No one is going to take your plates away
Q. I have one letter, three digit registration plates. My question is, when it is time to renew will I be able to keep this number or will I be issued the new six digit plates that I see so many of? Please let me know what these new numbers replace.

03/28/2008

Ask the Registry: Why the registry can’t handle a 50-cent error
Q. I sent my registration renewal in by mail and got it back with a slip showing that I filled the check out for too much money. It was only 50 cents more. Couldn’t the DMV keep it or just send back a check for the overage? Now I have to wait and I may not get my registration on time!

03/23/2008

Ask the Registry: Dual plates for antique vehicles gives you best of both worlds
Q. What’s the purpose or advantage of registering an older vehicle with antique plates and regular registration? Is this not just an additional expense?

03/16/2008

Ask the Registry: Division of Taxation can help with car values
Q: I recently bought a 1979 Corvette (L-82 automatic with 54, 129 miles) from a private party. I am trying to determine what my sales tax would be for this vehicle. I plan to register the car with the "dual registration" – standard registration and a antique car registration so I can use it as a daily driver if I wish. I understand that because I bought the car through a private sale, the sales tax would be based on the book value as found in the Cars of Particular Interest (CPI) guide. The problem is, this guide is not available to the general public without buying the guide itself or buying a subscription. How can I determine what the sales tax would be without having to buy the guide? Is there another source I can use? Are those values contained in the guide based on the condition of the vehicle?

03/09/2008

R.I. license plate logic, by the number
Q: I have been asking everyone I know why, when Rhode Island started with the new number license plates, they started with number 7. Why not start with 1? Then I thought 7 must be for the year ’07, but in November I saw plates that started with an 8. I would love to know the logic behind this. Am I the only one who is curious, or have you had other questions on the subject?

03/02/2008

Ask the Registry: Plate renewal date depends on last name
Q: In January, I transferred my passenger plate from one car to another and paid the $45 transfer fee. The original registration was good though November of 2009. The new registration is only good through June of 2009.

02/22/2008

Ask the Registry: Widow can keep Purple Heart plates
Q: My father passed away recently and he had Purple Heart Plates. Since he was a veteran and my mother is his widow, would she be able to keep his plates? Or at the very least cancel them and keep the actual plates?

02/17/2008

Ask the Registry: No choice but to order your osprey plate afterward
Q. In January I ordered vanity plates online from the R.I. DMV. I also put in an order to Save The Bay for new osprey environmental plates, which are now available. How do I make sure only the osprey plates are made up with my new registration? Since my vanity plate order is new, I don’t have the registration paperwork to send in for the osprey plates. I’m afraid the new paperwork will come only after the wave plates have been made up, and that would be a waste.

02/03/2008

Ask the Registry: How to ham it up on your plates
Q. I am a ham radio operator — how do I go about getting my call sign on my license plates? I’ve seen others out there. Is there a fee for this?

01/27/2008

Ask the Registry: When is a car a suburban? DMV inspection will decide
Q. About a year ago you had an article about “suburban” plates along with the statute stating that the plate could be used on a “motor vehicle with a convertible or interchangeable body or with removable seats . . . or any vehicle into which access can be gained through the rear by means of a hatch or trunk and where the rear seats can be folded down to permit the carrying of articles as well as passengers.” I have a Volvo S80 that fits the above description. I attempted to register it with a family “suburban” plate at the local registry but was told it would not qualify. How do I proceed with this?

01/20/2008

There are specific regulations for buying a car out of state
Q. I am considering buying a new car in Florida, trading in my old one. I still want to maintain my veteran’s plate. How does the dealer pay for the sales taxes on the new car?

01/13/2008

Ask the Registry: Registration fees jump for big ‘cars’
Q. I just received my registration renewal form in the mail, and the fee has gone up! I own a 2006 Lincoln Navigator, registered as a passenger vehicle, and the fee has always been $60 for two years. I read on your Web site about the $1.50 increase, so I was expecting that, but this is way more . . . $97.50 for two years! What’s the deal?

12/16/2007

Ask the Registy: Dealership was wrong about transferring plate to new lease
Q. I recently leased a new ’08 Cadillac CTS from a Massachusetts dealership. I had a trade-in vehicle. Instead of transferring my plate, the dealership got a new registration from RI DMV. The finance manager said that they cannot transfer the plate since it is a lease. Somehow, I do not believe him. What do I need to do to get my original two letter, three digit plates back on the new vehicle? I hate to lose the plate; it’s my wife’s initials which we’ve had for 10 years.

12/09/2007

Ask the Registry: Turn in worn-out disability card to get new one
Q. I have had a disability plate since 1987. By now the card is quite beat up. Is there any way I can get a new one with the same number without going through a lot of red tape?

11/30/2007

Ask projoCars
The Ask projoCars column, by Gina Antonucci Zanni of the State Division of Motor Vehicles, will not appear this week.

11/25/2007

License plates with 2 letters and 3 numbers do not belong on pickup trucks
Q. I bought a small pickup truck that holds for four passengers, two in the front and two in the back. I wanted to put my auto plate on it, which had two letters and two numbers. I was told no auto plates could be put on trucks. Since then I have seen trucks with three letters, three letters and one number, two letters and three numbers, and trucks with five letters and one number. I don’t understand what the difference is between my plate and the ones I have listed.

11/18/2007

Ask the Registry: Registration refunds are limited
Q. My question concerns a refund of registration fee. Three months after registering my car I sold it and bought a new one. I mailed in the refund application over three months ago and have not received a response.

11/11/2007

Ask the Registry: You can buy a shiny new plate
Q. What is the procedure for replacing a single license plate that is damaged or scratched (possibly as the result of an accident) that is readable but just looks lousy?

11/04/2007

Ask the Registry: Notify DMV about specially built vehicles
Q. I have an antique car registered in Rhode Island. Over the past few years I have reworked the car and installed another body. The body is 30 years older and of another manufacturer than what the car actually is. My question is do I have to report this change to the DMV so it would be reflected on the registration?

11/11/2007

You can buy a shiny new plate
Q. What is the procedure for replacing a single license plate that is damaged or scratched (possibly as the result of an accident) that is readable but just looks lousy?

10/26/2007

Ask the Registry: Regular passenger plates are illegal on pickup trucks
Q. Several months ago, several readers inquired if they could use regular passenger plates on pickup trucks. Your answer was no. This morning I was at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive thru behind a newer Ford F-150 full-size pickup truck that displayed “War Veteran” plates. I have also observed numerous times since this article, pickup trucks (mostly extended cab/double cab pickups) being driven around with regular and in one case vanity plates! I am seeing this frequently. Has this policy changed on requiring pickup trucks commercial plates or can we now register with regular passenger plates?

10/15/2007

Ask the Registry: Don’t give your license to just anybody
Q. This question is about organizations asking for your driver’s license — sometimes it seems questionable to me. Two recent examples: A community group I volunteer with needs to do background checks, which I understand. However, the person taking the information wanted to collect everyone’s driver’s license make a copy and then return them later in the meeting. We politely refused and waited for the copies. Were we overly concerned? Most of the attendees thought we should not give our license to someone.

10/05/2007

Ask the Registry: Lights must be on in bad weather
Q. I would like to know if there is a law in Rhode Island regarding having your car’s headlights on when it is raining or snowing. It seems to me that a law was enacted that when your wipers are on, so should your lights. During a rain or snowstorm, I see many cars running without their lights on.

09/28/2007

Ask the Registry: Veterans get good news about their new license plates
Q. I have a question concerning the new veterans’ plate. I have a two letter, two digit passenger plate. Is it possible to request a veterans’ plate on my present plate? I am a veteran; however, I never requested a veterans’ plate because I did not want to give up my present plate.