questions about titling (new scamp, have to sell, no title, taxes/fees are steep)

[Milwaukee Teresa]

Hello, I purchased a brand new scamp in Feb, and now i need to sell. I found a local buyer quickly. I've only had it for about 6 months, and never got it titled/registered. Wisconsin does not require registration for trailers under 3k lbs, and plus corona hit so DMVs were mostly closed, and so it made it easy to procrastinate on titling/registering it. Now that I'm selling, the new owner obviously (and rightfully) wants a title.

So from what I can tell, I need to apply for a new title with the Wisconsin DMV. I filled out the online application and the title/taxes/fees are over $850! Is there any way around paying this? is it possible for me to just skip getting it titled, and sign over the manufactures certificate of origin to the new owner, and let the new owner apply for the title for the first time? Can I apply for the title in the new owners name? Any other advise?

Thank you in advance.

[Darwin Maring]

Does the certificate have your name on it?
If not, The new owner should be able to get a title.
You, should have a Bill of Sale.
If the new owner is in your state, You should accompany the owner to the DMV and say absolutely nothing unless asked to do so.

[thrifty bill]

Got to wonder if WI has a time limit for applying for a title. In many states it’s all about collecting the taxes.

[Milwaukee Teresa]

Everything is online and by mail right now for Wisconsin DMV, the paperwork was available to download from the website but must be mailed in to the DMV. My name, and my husband's name, is on the certificate of origin.

[stevebaz]

Do you have auto club and do they have dmv service there.

[Milwaukee Teresa]

I don’t know what auto club is.... my husband tried to go to the dmv in March to title / register it but they turned him away and said it needed to be done online (but actually going online tells you to do it by mail.)

[Milwaukee Teresa]

Everything is online and by mail right now for Wisconsin DMV, the paperwork was available to download from the website but must be mailed in to the DMV. My name, and my husband's name, is on the certificate of origin.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee Teresa

Hello, I purchased a brand new scamp in Feb, and now i need to sell. I found a local buyer quickly. I've only had it for about 6 months, and never got it titled/registered. Wisconsin does not require registration for trailers under 3k lbs, .

A Scamp is not a trailer under Wisconsin law. It is a hard sided RV. How did Scamp let you get it without registration.
How did you also skip paying the sales tax? Scamp factory collected all fees from me and sent then in. See the DOT email below:
From: [mailto:ACOGV@live.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2017 9:47 PM
To: DOT DMV BVS Vehicle Questions <vehiclequestions@dot.wi.gov>
Subject: Scamp RV trailer registration
I would like something in writing that says that I do not need to register a Scamp RV trailer in Wisconsin. It is under 3000 lbs.


RE: Scamp RV trailer registration
DOT DMV BVS Vehicle Questions <vehiclequestions@dot.wi.gov>
Today, 8:59 AMYou
Thank you for using the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s website.
If this is a recreational vehicle trailer it needs to be titled and licensed no matter what the weight is.
Per Wisconsin statute 341.05(13m), registration is optional for trailers or camping trailers weighing 3,000 pounds or less when loaded. (This does not apply to recreational vehicle trailers, i.e. hard-sided travel trailers or trailers used for hire or rental.)
The statute states that these vehicles are exempt from registration. However, it is recommended, that a plate be applied for if the trailer is to be operated in another state.
We also recommend that you apply for a Wisconsin title for a trailer of any size so you have a proper ownership document if/when you sell the trailer. By applying for a Wisconsin title you would be eligible for a replacement title if the document is lost, stolen or mutilated. Most trailer manufacturers will not issue a replacement Certificate of Origin after a few years.
Please visit the DMV Online Services page for many self-serve web applications.
If you need to respond to this message, please be sure to leave all previous messages attached by using the "reply" button on your e-mail toolbar. This will provide us with complete information in order to respond to your request. If possible, please provide us with a daytime telephone number so that we may contact you directly if necessary.
Katee RI9
The information contained in this transmission is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the designated recipient named above. This transmission may be a DOT employee-customer communication, and as such is privileged and confidential. If the receiver of this transmission is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this document in error, and that any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this message is strictly prohibited.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee Teresa

Thank you in advance.

My COO had only spaces for re-assignment by dealer and not private party. I understand the COO to be in your name? You may need to get it into your name on a Wisconsin title to sell it. Scamp should have never done this to you. No one in their right mind is going to pay 15K for an RV that they cannot prove ownership of. (We do get people buying older units without proof of ownership, then come and ask what to do.)
If anyone is financing, it then that is a whole new can of worms.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Got to wonder if WI has a time limit for applying for a title. In many states it’s all about collecting the taxes.

On Wisconsin car titles they go back to the first day it was driven on the road. That becomes your renewal date. People let cars set around for months before doing the paper work. Just claim the last owner drove it to them.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by AC0GV

..How did Scamp let you get it without registration.
How did you also skip paying the sales tax? Scamp factory collected all fees from me and sent then in. See the DOT email below:
...

This dont sound right.. Scamp (Evelands, Inc) is in Minnesota, not Wisconsin. When they sell campers to buyers who do not live in Minnesota (and maybe those who do also), they issue a temporary tag and give the proud new owner a Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin (MCO). The MCO is similar to a Title for a vehicle which is new and never has been titled. The owner then takes the MCO and bill of sale to the DMV in their state to obtain registration, and they pay any tax owed to their state.. not Minnesota.

Going back to the OPs question. There might be a cheaper shortcut but I would doubt it. It all depends on the details of Wisconsin DMV law, and if you dont adhere to the letter of the law, whether you get caught or not.

[RSchleder]

Gordon2 nailed it.
Owner must pay their states sales tax, license, title, doc fee's when a new vehicle/RV is purchased. Some dealers will process this for the new owner by collecting the $$ and sending it in to the purchasers state DMV. Others, however, do exactly as Gordon2 has so clearly described. Regardless of which process is used, the state WILL get their $$, you cannot simply pass this along to the person you wish to sell it too.
The 2nd purchaser WILL also be required to pay those taxes, fees, etc so the state just keeps collecting from every owner as time goes by and the unit gets sold multiple times.
I owned a 1929 Model A at one time, can't imagine the amount of sales tax paid by all the owners on that vehicle over 90 years! LOL

[Rzrbrn]

Gordon2 post #11 is what happened when we bought our Casita new(Texas) and brought it home to TN. You must pay taxes and title fees. Then buyer will pay taxes and related fees in his home state.

[Tony D]

Gordon 2 post 11 is how it worked for me in Ohio. One other note is the salesman at Scamp gave me clear instructions on what I needed to do. He praised Minnesota for its rules that made the sale clean. Ohio was happy to take my taxes and give me a title. I then paid my registration fee and got my license plate.

Death and taxes, no way around them.

[MyronL]

When I bought my old, used Scamp from a guy out of state there was no title. So me and the seller got a notarized Bill of Sale in his town, from a nearby bank. It wasn't worth the paper it was written on. Get a title.

[Dbasdan]

I love the fact that in Arizona, sales tax is only collected once, during the initial sale. Subsequent sales incur no sales tax liability. It only makes sense really.

[Gompka]

Perfect example of why its very important to do the research beforehand. In my case in Illinois buying used, out of state, from a private party made it possible to avoid paying sales taxes. Had I bought new from scamp i would have owed a hefty 9.5% sales tax!

[vintageracer]

You bought and failed to promptly register it in your state of residence and now you want to sell it.

The only way you are going to git a negotiable title is register the trailer in your state of residence, pay the tax and buy a tag. Your name is on the MSO so that's the way it's going to be.

Pay the tax, title, registration fees, license and git a negotiable title in your name.

THEN advertise and sell your trailer.

Don't put the cart before the horse!

[northwinds13]

I’m guessing that most of the fees/taxes due are for the unpaid sales tax. I can’t think of anything else that would cost more than $50. There’s no way to avoid the unpaid sales tax, and the new buyer will need to pay new sales tax on the next transaction if a Wisconsin resident.