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?

A. The advantage is you would be legally able to use the car as a daily driver, if you so desired.

Antique plates are, by law, restricted to certain uses. RIGL 31-1-3, Types of Vehicles, states, “(a) “Antique motor car” means any motor vehicle that is more than 25 years old. Unless fully inspected and meeting inspection requirements, the vehicle may be maintained solely for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades, and other functions of public interest and may not be used primarily for the transportation of passengers or goods over any public highway . . .”

What this means is that a vehicle registered solely with an antique plate, which carries a reduced yearly registration fee of $5, cannot be used in the same manner as any other properly registered motor vehicle. The restrictions stated in the statute assumes limited use, and therefore not subject to the same fee as, for instance, a car registered with passenger plates, which would carry a yearly registration fee of $30 or more, depending on weight.

A dual registration allows you to display the antique plate on the vehicle, but carry the passenger plates and registration in the vehicle at all times. Also, you must comply with inspection regulations. Most antique motor vehicles cannot pass emissions inspections, but a safety inspection must be performed and the inspection sticker must be either in or on the vehicle.

Tax value isn’t sale price

Q. In March of ’05 I bought a 2005 Honda Accord for $14,921 brand new off the lot. I didn’t notice until July ’07 that the value of the car for tax purposes in my town was $17,995 in ’06, and $15,500 in ’07. Since it is too late to appeal this for my money back, would the attorney general for Rhode Island do anything about this fiasco? I understand the state sets the values, so how do I get this corrected? They know what I paid at the registry and cars do not appreciate.

A. Vehicle values for cities and towns are set by the RI Vehicle Value Commission, made up of seven members — five local tax officials named by the governor, one motor vehicle dealer appointed by the governor, all of whom serve a term of three years, and the director of the Department of Revenue. The commission annually determines the presumptive values of vehicles and trailers subject to the excise tax by using several sources — reports of average retail price of similar vehicles reported by motor vehicle dealers statewide and new and used car guides, such as the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) guide.

RIGL 44-34-11 C (1) (i) states, “The average retail price of similar vehicles of the same make, model, type, and year of manufacture as reported by motor vehicle dealers or by official used car guides, such as that of the National Automobile Dealers Association for New England. Where regional guides are not available, the commission shall use other publications deemed appropriate; and (ii) Other information concerning the average retail prices for make, model, type, and year of manufacture of motor vehicles as the director and the Rhode Island vehicle value commission may deem appropriate to determine fair values.”

You may have gotten quite a deal on your Honda Accord, but if the average retail price of a similar vehicle sold across the state is higher, that’s what your local tax assessor must base your motor vehicle property tax upon. Also, please be aware that motor vehicle property taxes and vehicle sale and use taxes are two different things. Sales and use tax is paid at the time of registration and is always based upon the price you paid at the dealership, less any trade-ins (passenger vehicles only) or rebates. In your case, you may have assumed that since you were charged sales and use tax (remitted to the state) on the lower price of $14,921 that your property tax would be based on the same figure.

For more information, you can also contact your local city or town tax assessor.

Gina Antonucci Zanni, chief of communications for the State Division of Motor Vehicles, has agreed to answer questions of general interest posed by Journal readers about state motor vehicle laws and procedures. To ask a question that would also be of interest to other readers, send a letter to Ask projoCars, Features Department, The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI, 02902. You can e-mail your question to projocars@projo.com. Please put “Ask projoCars” in the subject field. Questions or complaints of a specific nature should be posed to the DMV directly and will not be answered in this column.

Confused about road rules? Or looking for a low-number license plate? You’ll find an archive of official answers to past driving questions posed by Journal readers at projocars.com