RV News
2009 Towable cars
1983259_DigitalMHDinghyGuide2009.pdf
PASSENGER CARS for 2009
BASE CURB SPEED/DISTANCE TOWABLE WITH TOWABLE WITH MILEAGE APPROX. RETAIL
MAKE MODEL WEIGHT LIMITS MANUAL TRANS. AUTO TRANS. CITY/HWY. PRICE RANGE
CHEVROLET Cobalt Coupe/Sedan 2,991 65 MPH/None Yes Yes 25/37 $16,330-$24,095
Malibu 3,415 65 MPH/None NA Yes 22/30 $22,275-$27,550
Malibu Hybrid 3,502 65 MPH/None NA Yes 26/34 $26,225-$27,545
CHRYSLER Aspen 4 ? 4 (1) 5,070 None NA Yes 13/17 $35,030-$38,830
PT Cruiser 3,070 None Yes Yes (2) 19/26 $17,920-$24,430
(1) Only towable with the optional low-speed transfer case that has a NEUTRAL position.
(2) With dealer-installed auxiliary transmission fluid pump.
DODGE Caliber 3,189 None Yes No 21/30 $16,840-$25,220
FORD/MERCURY Focus 2,588 None Yes No 24/35 $14,995-$16,180
Fusion/Milan 3,181 70 MPH/None Yes No 20/29 $19,035-$27,010
Taurus (FWD/AWD)/Sable/1) 3,741 65 MPH/None NA Yes 18/28 $24,125-$29,425
(1) May require procedure that includes running the engine for 5 minutes at the beginning of a trip and at each fuel stop.
HONDA Fit 2,500 65 MPH/None Yes Yes (1) 28/35 $14,550-$18,760
(1) May require procedure that includes running the engine for 3 minutes at the beginning of a trip and at least every 8 hours thereafter.
HYUNDAI Accent 2,365 None Yes No 27/33 $11,745-$16,545
Elantra 2,723 None Yes No 24/33 $14,120-$17,820
Sonata 3,292 None Yes No 21/32 $18,795-$24,645
INFINITI G37 Sport Coupe 3,662 70 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 19/26 $32,000-$34,000
G37 Sport Sedan 3,615 70 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 17/25 $33,000-$35,000
(1) Idle engine in NEUTRAL for several minutes every 500 miles.
KIA Optima 3,157 None Yes No 22/32 $17,430-$21,575
Rio/Rio5 2,365 None Yes No 27/33 $13,975-$15,920
Spectra/Spectra5 2,701 None Yes No 23/30 $14,200-$18,345
Sportage 2WD 3,230 None Yes No 20/25 $17,035-$22,380
Sportage 4WD 3,411 None Yes No 19/24 $20,530-$23,880
NISSAN 370Z 3,278 70 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 18/26 $29,930-$38,680
Altima 3,107 60 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 23/32 $19,900-$29,380
Sentra 2,853 60 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 25/33 $16,730-$20,570
Versa 2,722 60 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 27/33 $12,990-$16,210
(1) Idle engine in NEUTRAL for several minutes every 500 miles.
PONTIAC G5 2,991 65 MPH/None Yes Yes 25/35 $17,650-$20,950
G6 (all except convertible) 3,305 65 MPH/None No Yes 22/30 $21,160-$29,250
Torrent GXP 3,813 65 MPH/None NA Yes 16/24 $30,115-$32,110
Vibe 2,700 None Yes No 26/32 $16,735-$21,510
SATURN Aura Hybrid 3,529 65 MPH/Unlimited NA Yes 26/34 $26,896
Aura XE/XR 3,529 65 MPH/Unlimited NA Yes 22/33 $23,100-$26,595
SCION tC 2,905 None Yes No 20/27 $17,670
xB 3,020 None Yes No 22/28 $16,420
xD 2,625 None Yes No 27/33 $15,320
SMART USA smart fortwo 1,800 None NA Yes 33/41 $11,990-$16,990
SUBARU Impreza 3,075 None Yes No 20/27 $17,495-$29,995
Legacy 3,270 None Yes No 20/27 $20,795-$34,595
Outback 3,350 None Yes No 20/26 $22,495-$34,095
BASE CURB SPEED/DISTANCE TOWABLE WITH TOWABLE WITH MILEAGE APPROX. RETAIL
MAKE MODEL WEIGHT LIMITS MANUAL TRANS. AUTO TRANS. CITY/HWY. PRICE RANGE
SUZUKI SX4 Sport 2,668 55 MPH/200 MI Yes No 22/30 $15,739-$17,000
SX4 Crossover (1) 2,849 55 MPH/200 MI Yes No 21/28 $15,939-$18,000
(1) Console-mounted selector must be in the 2WD position.
TOYOTA Camry 3,285 None Yes No 21/31 $19,145-$21,815
Camry Solara 3,175 None Yes No 21/31 $20,180-$22,450
Corolla 1.8-L 2,767 None Yes No 27/35 $15,350-$16,420
Corolla 2.4-L 2,877 None Yes No 22/30 $18,860-$20,050
Matrix 1.8-L 2,865 None Yes No 26/32 $16,290-$18,360
Matrix 2.4-L 3,140 None Yes No 21/28 $20,760-$21,950
Yaris 2,293 None Yes No 29/36 $12,205-$13,925
BASE CURB SPEED/DISTANCE TOWABLE WITH TOWABLE WITH MILEAGE APPROX. RETAIL
MAKE MODEL WEIGHT LIMITS MANUAL TRANS. AUTO TRANS. CITY/HWY. PRICE RANGE
BUICK Enclave 2WD CX/CXL 4,780 65 MPH/None NA Yes 17/24 $34,865-$37,175
Enclave 4WD CX/CXL 4,985 65 MPH/None NA Yes 16/22 $36,865-$39,175
CHEVROLET/ Avalanche 1500 4WD 5,767 None NA Yes 14/20 $38,960-$47,150
GMC Colorado/Canyon 4WD 3,754 None Yes Yes 17/23 $18,555-$24,900
Equinox Sport 2WD 3,818 65 MPH/None NA Yes 17/24 $30,140
Equinox Sport AWD 3,915 65 MPH/None NA Yes 16/24 $32,135
HHR 3,155 65 MPH/None Yes Yes 22/30 $19,380-$25,280
Sierra 1500 4WD 4,687 None NA Yes 14/20 $21,185-$39,525
Silverado 1500 4WD 4,798 None NA Yes 14/18 $22,970-$37,985
Silverado 2500 4WD 5,556 None NA Yes NR $29,570-$40,865
Suburban/Yukon XL 1500 4WD 5,743 None NA Yes 14/20 $41,790-$53,910
Suburban/Yukon XL 2500 4WD 6,327 None NA Yes NR $43,190-$48,790
Tahoe/Yukon 4WD 5,524 None NA Yes 14/20 $39,490-$51,850
Trailblazer/Envoy 4WD 4,663 None NA Yes 14/20 $28,900-$40,075
Traverse/Acadia 5,066 None NA Yes 17/24 $28,990-$39,760
Note: Some weights may be higher, depending on model.
NR = No rating.
DODGE Dakota 4WD 4,376 None Yes Yes 15/19 $24,825-$29,995
Durango 4WD 4,940 None NA Yes (1) 13/19 $30,910-$45,340
Ram 1500 4WD 4,893 None Yes Yes 13/18 $25,725-$44,935
Ram 2500 4WD 5,792 None Yes Yes NR $31,390-$44,945
Ram 3500 4WD 6,481 None Yes Yes NR $33,500-$56,915
(1) With dealer-installed auxiliary transmission fluid pump.
NR = No rating.
FORD/ Edge (FWD/AWD) 4,078 TBD NA Yes 17/24 $26,130-$31,790
MERCURY Escape/Mariner Hybrid 3,669 75 MPH/None NA Yes 34/31 $29,305-$32,225
Escape/Tribute I-4 3,299 70 MPH/None Yes Yes 22/28 $20,100-$24,580
Escape V-6 3,421 75 MPH/None NA Yes 19/25 $23,115-$24,580
Explorer 4WD V-6 4,628 None NA Yes (c) 13/19 $29,315
Explorer 4WD V-8 4,719 None NA Yes (c) 14/19 $30,625
F-150 4WD 4,971 55 MPH/None NA Yes (d) 14/18 $25,240-$32,365
F-250/F-350/F-450
Super Duty 4WD 6,976 None No Yes (d) NR $36,255-$56,235
Flex (FWD/AWD) 4,468 TBD NA Yes 17/24 $28,295-$36,555
BASE CURB SPEED/DISTANCE TOWABLE WITH TOWABLE WITH MILEAGE APPROX. RETAIL
MAKE MODEL WEIGHT LIMITS MANUAL TRANS. AUTO TRANS. CITY/HWY. PRICE RANGE
Mariner 3,341 75 MPH/None NA Yes 18/26 $23,035-$27,900
Mountaineer 4,615 None NA Yes (c) 14/20 $28,035-$34,370
Ranger TBD 55 MPH/None Yes (a,b) Yes (c) 21/26 $16,170-$25,235
Sport Trac 4WD V-6 5,080 None NA Yes (c) 13/19 $28,510-$32,360
Sport Trac 4WD V-8 6,990 None NA Yes (c) 14/19 $29,820-$33,670
Taurus X (FWD/AWD) 4,033 TBD NA Yes 16/24 $27,575
Note: Actual weight may vary depending on brand, model, and equipment.
(a) Electronic Shift-on-the-Fly rotary control in 2-high position and transmission in NEUTRAL (with 4 ? 4 only).
(b) Manual transmission in NEUTRAL (with 4 ? 2 or 4 ? 4).
(c) Only 4 ? 4 with dealer-installed Neutral Tow Kit.
(d) Only with manual shift 4 ? 4 vehicles, not Electronic Shift-on-the-Fly or 4 ? 2 vehicles. Transfer case must be shifted to NEUTRAL.
NR = No rating.
HONDA CR-V FWD/AWD 3,500 65 MPH/None Yes Yes (1) 20/27 $21,095-$28,795
(1) May require procedure that includes running the engine for 3 minutes at the beginning of a trip and at least every 8 hours thereafter.
HUMMER H2 6,614 None NA Yes NR $59,395
H2 SUT 6,614 None NA Yes NR $60,900
H3 4,698 None Yes Yes 14/18 $32,345
H3 Alpha 4,849 None NA Yes 13/16 $40,660
H3T 4,934 None Yes Yes 14/18 $36,015
H3T Alpha 5,069 None NA Yes 13/16 $30,750
NR = No rating.
HYUNDAI Santa Fe GLS 2WD 3,727 Legal/None Yes No 17/24 $21,495-$28,872
Tucson GLS 2WD 3,240 Legal/None Yes No 20/26 $18,070-$23,920
JEEP Commander Sport U 4WD (1) 4,866 None NA Yes 13/18 $31,210-$35,625
Compass 3,329 None Yes No 23/28 $18,845-$24,955
Grand Cherokee Laredo X 4WD (1)4,640 None NA Yes 14/19 $32,500-$36,565
Patriot 3,310 None Yes No 23/28 $17,920-$24,360
Liberty Limited/Sport 4WD (2) 4,222 None NA Yes 15/21 $24,520-$27,625
Wrangler 4WD 3,760 None Yes Yes 15/19 $19,320-$30,195
(1) With 4.7-L engine and NV245 transfer case (Quadra-Trac II/Quadra-Drive II option).
(2) With 3.7-L engine and standard Command-Trac or optional Selec-Trac transfer case.
NISSAN Frontier 2WD I-4 3,675 60 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 19/23 $17,460-$19,560
Frontier 2WD V6 4,139 60 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 16/20 $20,360-$24,930
Frontier 4WD V6 4,307 60 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 15/19 $23,060-$27,630
Xterra 2WD 4,150 60 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 16/20 $22,060-$27,560
Xterra 4WD 4,360 60 MPH/500 MI (1) Yes No 16/20 $24,110-$29,560
(1) Idle engine in NEUTRAL for several minutes every 500 miles.
SATURN Outlook FWD 4,700 65 MPH/Unlimited NA Yes 17/24 $30,115-$33,940
Outlook AWD 4,905 65 MPH/Unlimited NA Yes 16/23 $32,115-$35,940
VUE FWD 3,825 65 MPH/Unlimited NA Yes 19/26 $22,770-$26,095
VUE AWD 4,325 65 MPH/Unlimited NA Yes 16/23 $23,615-$28,095
VUE Hybrid 3,789 65 MPH/Unlimited NA Yes 25/32 $27,690
VUE 2 Mode Hybrid 4,265 TBD NA Yes TBD TBD
SUBARU Forester 2.5X 3,250 None Yes No 20/26 $19,995-$29,995
SUZUKI Grand Vitara 3,611 55 MPH/200 MI (2) No Yes 17/23 $23,399-$26,299
XSport, Luxury (1)
(1) Only Grand Vitara models equipped with 4WD and transfer switch are recommended for flat-towing. Automatic transmission models: flat tow with
transfer case in NEUTRAL and transmission in PARK.
(2) Stop towing the vehicle every 200 miles and rev the engine for at least one minute with transfer case in NEUTRAL, transmission lever in DRIVE.
RV Refrigerator Recall
RV Refrigerator Recall
PDF File
Parking can take the fun out RV ownership
The former Marine base at El Toro has become a haven for oversized vehicles, but as park development progresses, they will have to move.
By Tony Barboza, Times Staff Writer
June 25, 2007
Bill Kogerman used to land his F-8 Crusader fighter jet on the runways of El Toro Marine base when he was stationed there in the 1960s and '70s.
These days, the retired Marine lieutenant colonel lives in Laguna Hills and is a member of Orange County's Great Park board of directors. He uses the same runway as a parking spot for his 35-foot, blue and white, dolphin-decaled recreational vehicle.
"It's nostalgic, but I did it mostly for the convenience," he said.
Kogerman is not alone. The expansive runways and taxiways of the former Marine base have become landing spots for more than 2,300 RVs, boats and a few cars.
At a time when many Southern California cities are banning RV parking on their streets - even in driveways - Irvine is welcoming Winnebagos, Coachmen and Holiday Ramblers to the ample stretches of concrete that are slated for demolition to make way for the 1,300-acre Great Park.
For $1.7 million a year, the city since 2005 has leased part of the runway space to All Star Services as a 55- to 65-acre parking lot. The company also leases acreage from Lennar Corp., which is developing the commercial and residential properties. The Orange County Great Park Corp. uses the money to maintain the grounds as it starts its massive transformation.
RV and storage industry experts said it may be the largest motor home storage facility in the country, and it has attracted RV owners from as far as Nevada, Wyoming and Germany.
"I've never seen anything even close to this size," said Bob Lee, 67, as he looked down a seemingly unending line of RVs parked in slanted rows. Lee, a transit supervisor from Mission Viejo, pays $145 a month to park his 34-foot Winnebago Adventurer on a former taxiway, taking it on weekend trips up the coast.
Irvine leases other parts of the base for recycling, strawberry and bean farming, and even test-car driving, but RV storage is the most lucrative, providing most of the $2.7 million the park brings in each year.
"We are trying to be good stewards of what we have and generate as much revenue as we can to offset our expenses," said Rod Cooper, operations manager for the Great Park Corp.
If all goes as planned, most of the base, which closed eight years ago, will be demolished, then sculpted, planted and irrigated into one of the largest municipal parks in the country, at an expected cost of more than $1 billion. The park will feature a tethered helium balloon ride, a man-made canyon, orchards and sports fields encircled by 3,600 houses and condos, along with commercial areas.
Those who park their RVs at the base say they'll be in a pinch to find another place to store their vehicles. "It's going to be quite chaotic," said Marti Rogna, manager of All Star Services. "I don't even want to think about it at this point."
California law prohibits street parking of oversized vehicles for more than 72 hours at a stretch. Twenty-two Orange County cities, including Irvine, have ordinances that further restrict RV and boat parking.
"It's an eyesore," said Larry Herman, a councilman in La Palma, which banned parked RVs and boats on the street or in driveways. The ordinance "really has improved the appearance of our city. You can look down the streets now and you don't see the big 35- and 40-footers people have today."
After La Palma's 2005 ban, residents of neighboring Buena Park started noticing more RVs moving onto their streets. This week the City Council will debate whether to enact its own ban.
"There's a definite sense that people are getting chased out," said Sue Bray, executive director of the Good Sam Club, a national RV owners group. "We don't want our streets to become storage lots, but with building going the way it is, a lot of people just don't have space to keep an RV even if it is permitted to be there."
Some owners are bracing for a run on space elsewhere when the El Toro RVs are given 30-day notice to leave. Some are considering heading to the Inland Empire or as far as Arizona to find a suitable spot for a reasonable price.
Irvine officials say they would like to keep the RVs around at least three more years. But there are no guarantees; the current contract runs through September.
Rogna, the lot manager, said her customers' top concern seems to be the future of their spaces. "They're always asking, 'How much longer?' "
tony.barboza@latimes.com
RV Park Fees
¡ The entry fee at popular RV destination Zion National Park has increased 25 percent
to $25 per vehicle, the first raise since 2000. Bike and motorcycle riders and pedestrians
16 and over are required to pay a $12 entrance fee, a 20-percent increase from last year.
Both fees are good for seven days. Park officials say monies collected from the increase
will go directly toward benefiting visitors through improved service and facilities.
¡ Coinciding with Zions increased entrance fee, the U.S. government began selling an
$80 America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass,
which is good for entry to federal recreation sites countrywide and is valid for one year
from the first month of use or validation. The new program replaces the National Parks
Pass, Golden Eagle, Golden Age and Access Passports, though existing passes will
continue to be honored for as long as they are valid.
The new America the Beautiful pass is offered in three different versions: an Interagency
Annual Pass (which anyone can purchase) for $80 per year; an Interagency Senior Pass
(for those who are 62 years of age or older), which is valid for the lifetime of the pass
holder and costs $10; and a free Interagency Access Pass for U.S. citizens with permanent
disabilities (requires documentation of permanent disability).
The Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of
Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation will honor all three passes at sites
where entrance or standard amenity fees are charged. In addition, the Corps of Engineers
and Tennessee Valley Authority may honor the Senior and Access passes. The new
passes are available at participating Federal recreation sites, or by calling (888) ASK-USGS,
or via the Internet at http://store.usgs.gov/pass.
¡ In an effort to tap a mobile national pool of active RVers to help solve a shortage of
workers in the service sector, the town of Gillette in northeast Wyoming recently outlined
a plan where as many as 100 full-service campsites would be made available for $12 a
day in the communitys CAM-PLEX park for RVers who come to fill temporary jobs in local
restaurants and other retail businesses. The temp jobs would last from approximately
May 1 to September 1. The plan was proposed because the local mineral and mining
industry has siphoned off a large portion of service-sector workers with higher salaries.
Under a Big Sky, They Turn RVs Into Dodges
Some motor home owners find refuge from California's sales tax behind Montana plates.
By Evan Halper
Times Staff Writer
September 25, 2006
MISSOULA, Mont. - In addition to its wide-open skies, roaming grizzlies and world-class fly fishing, Montana has another lure for Californians: the prospect of a tax dodge.
Much to the displeasure of California law enforcement officials, Montana has become a haven for motor home owners who prefer not to pay the Golden State's sales tax when they buy their costly coaches. Montana has no sales tax, and recreational-vehicle aficionados are taking a break from their road maps and AAA Trip-Tiks to set up shell corporations in the state.
Doing so allows them to take advantage of loose registration laws - without having to set foot in Montana - and shave perhaps $20,000 off the cost of a luxury motor home. Enough Californians are doing it to support a cottage industry in Missoula, where a dozen or so people make a living creating tax avoidance plans for RV owners.
Officials at the California attorney general's office say they believe as many as 10,000 Californians have put Montana plates on their motor homes over the last few years, most of them illegally. They base their estimate on comparisons of Montana vehicle records with California addresses.
"We estimate that California has lost over $160 million to this particular type of fraud," said Deputy Attorney General Robert Morgester.
And a new law signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday, Morgester said, may make it harder to catch the cheaters.
Most states make it difficult for nonresidents to get license plates. But Montana lets out-of-staters register vehicles if they own a local limited liability corporation. Setting one up merely requires some simple paperwork and about $1,300 to cover incorporation costs, registration fees and attorney hours.
In the riverside university town of Missoula, lawyer John Bennett is a pioneer in the field of helping Californians avoid their home state's sales tax - as high as 8.75%, depending on where the buyer lives. A gregarious Montana native who often brings his Shetland sheepdog to a storefront office on Main Street, he is the nemesis of the California Highway Patrol.
"Every time we get one of these Montana RVs, he was always the one who set it up," said CHP Officer David Constantini, who runs the California government's CHEATERS website. The acronym stands for Californians Help Eliminate All The Evasive Registration Scofflaws. Anyone can use the site to report people they believe are driving any vehicle in California illegally.
Since its launch in April 2004, the site has received 136,000 tips - an average of more than 100 a day - and brought in $1 million in back sales taxes and registration fees from scofflaws, including RV owners. A handful of senior citizen volunteers in Constantini's office tracked them down.
One of the RV owners they nailed is Frank Graves, a truck driver and Bennett client who boasted to a Montana newspaper that he saved $16,000 by not paying California taxes. The money helped cover the cost of a new coach with floor heating, a satellite TV system and motorized expandable rooms, he told the Missoulian.
California law would have allowed Graves to skirt the tax bill if he had kept the motor home out of state for a year.
But he quickly brought it to California, where he was nabbed by a CHP officer who saw the newspaper article and tracked him down. Bennett said Graves was traveling and unavailable for comment.
State officials say they believe most Californians registering in Montana are doing the same thing Graves did: taking their coaches home right away. Bennett says Graves was atypical, and that almost all of his clients follow his instructions to keep the vehicles out until it is legal to bring them in.
"California is taking the position that what I am doing is somehow shady or illegal," said Bennett. "It is not."
Bennett acknowledges that the Montana Legislature did not intentionally create the loophole that helps his clients. But as long as it's there, he says, he and others will continue to exploit it.
Not everyone in Montana is happy about that. Dean Roberts, head of the state's Motor Vehicles Department, has urged legislators there to update the law.
"It is an ethical issue for us," he said. "We have an obligation to help other states enforce their tax laws just as we would expect them to help us."
Roberts said Montana has gotten little out of selling plates to thousands of nonresidents beyond about $5 million in registration fees - a tiny fraction of what the practice is costing California.
But an attempt in 2001 by then-state Rep. Trudy Schmidt to close the loophole in Montana law died in committee after Bennett and some large RV dealerships organized a lobbying campaign against Schmidt's measure.
Buyers order the vehicles from their local dealers in California, or directly from Montana dealers. The plates come from Montana by mail. The new owners must take delivery of their motor homes outside California.
Gull Boats & RV, on the outskirts of Missoula, promotes the tax avoidance plan heavily in its marketing material, and it has paid off handsomely.
"We get lots and lots of calls from California," said salesman George Waters from behind his desk in a roadside trailer office.
Down the highway from Gull is Bretz RV, a huge dealership that sold half the RVs registered last year in a five-state region including Montana. Wayde Whitmire, manager for out-of-state sales, said Californians routinely account for 40% of his department's business.
The number of Californians exploiting Montana's registration laws has increased as word has spread among motor home owners who swap advice on Internet chat rooms, at RV conventions and over picnic tables in trailer parks. Montana officials say the number of RVs registered by out-of-staters has doubled in the last two years.
"People are certainly asking about it a lot," said Jennifer Graves (no relation to Frank Graves), an owner of Jim & Mary's RV Park on Highway 93 in Missoula. She keeps a stack of Bennett's business cards in the park registration office.
Bennett works with several major dealers in California, whose customers have Montana plates mailed to them. Buyers can't accept delivery of their coaches in California, but notaries are on call just over the state line, in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe.
With paperwork that confirms delivery took place outside California, the notaries meet buyers at parking lots and garages and hand over the new coaches.
At one time, buyers had to wait only 90 days before they could legally bring their vehicles home to California. But two years ago, Schwarzenegger signed a law extending that period to one year.
Now, at the behest of California RV dealers who say their service business has suffered, he has signed a law allowing vehicles registered out of state to be brought here at any time for repair or maintenance work.
"This exception," Morgester told a legislative committee, "is going to swallow any ability we have to investigate."
evan.halper@latimes.com
*
Skirting a tax
-
Some California residents are avoiding sales tax on recreational vehicles by registering them in Montana.
California sales tax can be as high as 8.75%; Montana has no sales tax.
California law requires sales tax to be paid on residents' vehicles if they are used in the state within a year of purchase. A law that took effect in California last week permits residents' vehicles to be brought here for service any time without penalty.
Most states bar nonresidents from registering vehicles. Montana permits it for nonresidents who own local limited liability corporations.