Thinking about buying a HotRod in NJ

"........ Considering how few miles one puts on a street / hot rod , some would say it worth the little white lie ......"


Yup clear up until the time he gets caught.

I've seen guys do that here in Az only it's usually for emissions. There are only a handful of areas in AZ that require emissions testing (Tucson and Phoenix area). Some people get a friend or relative in a non-smog county to let them use their address for registration (I've heard of some go so far as to rent a mail box in another county for this purpose) in order to get out of the emissions testing.

Some get away with it for a long time, other not so much. Cops can tell at a glance of the license plate if the vehicle is registered in a county that requires a smog check or not (the colors of the background and printing are reversed between the 2). When you get pulled over, you are asked for license, registration and insurance. Big red flag when you're registered in a smog exempt county and the address don't match. It can get real ugly and real expensive real quick.

Any traffic stop where the state for the plates, drivers license address. and insurance address don't match made by a cop with no sense of humor is not going to be pretty regardless of the state.

Funny thing is the guys who get caught with the "little white lie" are the ones that cry the loudest.


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That is going on over on the west coast right now big time. All those people trying to skate emissions laws. I'll just be glad our state isn't to that point. Yet.

Having owned a car previously brought into NJ by the seller, I can't speak to that part, but I can tell you that an antique vehicle is your best choice. It flies under the radar of most NJ vehicle law with respect to inspection (not required) and registration (one-time fee). Considering that NJ is "the land of laws", it amazed me to learn that. I owned the car in NJ from 1992 to 2014 when I moved to PA and am now trying to figure out how to title the car in PA, having put it into storage for two and one-half years, but that's another issue.

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Originally Posted by Dorsey

Having owned a car previously brought into NJ by the seller, I can't speak to that part, but I can tell you that an antique vehicle is your best choice. It flies under the radar of most NJ vehicle law with respect to inspection (not required) and registration (one-time fee). Considering that NJ is "the land of laws", it amazed me to learn that. I owned the car in NJ from 1992 to 2014 when I moved to PA and am now trying to figure out how to title the car in PA, having put it into storage for two and one-half years, but that's another issue.

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Each state has their own interpretations, but here in KS an "antique" has to be original through and through, other than some allowance for safety issues. For example, converting to hydraulic brakes vs mechanical is seen as an acceptable modification, but upgrading the driveline is not. We also have a "street rod" designation, which allows for the obvious changes in power train, wheels & tires, suspension, stance, etc, but the kicker is that it has to be OEM steel, matching body & chassis for the starting point. Anything else falls into the Assembled Specialty Equipment Vehicle classification, and is titled by year first registration, and taxed based on the documented dollars spent for the build.

It pays to research and understand the rules for your specific state, then follow them to the letter. The horror stories are becoming much more common, with cars registered improperly in one state being turned away when a new owner in another state tries to register them at home.

One of the interesting things about America is that there 50 states, each doing things differently. Not being an attorney, I am only relating a personal experience that began when I sought to legally register this vehicle in NJ in 1992. Apparently, KS is fussier now than NJ was at that time, and I'm learning that things are slightly different in PA, and have found that in the end, it's always better to follow the law. My biggest challenge is figuring out how to register the car in PA without fenders. Posies's facility (if he's still in business) used to be about ten minutes from where I now live, so I might get some information from him, but that's another story.

Back to the main thread - when I bought the car pictured in my avatar in NJ, I took the clear title and three photos (front, rear, and 3/4 views) to the DMV in Trenton (state capital), where I showed them to the agency representatives. All they cared about was the year on the title, and all the police care about is what Trenton says. It may be different now, but that's how it was for me for the 22 years I owned and drove the car in that state, including cruise nights, car shows, parades, and around town. Because it's an antique, I only needed one license plate, another NJ surprise.

Speaking of the police, I was often pulled over, but only out of curiosity. The first (and often only) question was: "what kind of car is this?" Yes, very annoying to be stopped like that on the way to work or the hardware store (you can't say "no"), but after showing my credentials (that matched the historic "QQ" license plate), I was soon on my way after reiterating my short "elevator speech" about it being a '29 hiboy roadster rebuilt by my wife and I. As soon as I got into the engine and running gear details, their eyes glazed over and the conversation ended.

One thing that even a vehicle such as this must have is valid insurance. At the time, that cost about a tenth what I was paying for my other two "normal" cars.

I didn't notice that you had resurrected an old thread from last year. Good luck with your registration & insurance issues.