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| Hints - Connecticut Registration |
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1) Bill of Sale - The bill of sale is the most important step in the process of obtaining a vehicle, getting
it registered, paying for sales tax, and finally saying that the rig is yours and yours alone. A bill of sale is
simply what it says. It is a piece of paper that says how much you bought the rig for, when the sale took place, and
if you are smart, the VIN tag of the vehicle that you bought. If you have a replacement tub with another VIN, make
sure that is mentioned as well.
2) Title - Usually there is a title that will accompany a vehicle purchase if the vehicle is 25 years old or
newer. The title shows what color the rig is down to the VIN it has. This is an important piece of paper in the
registration of the vehicle. Make sure you hang on to this, as you will need it to get temporary tags and eventually
the permanent tags. They will take the title, especially if it is out of state and then issue you a new one, in this
case, a CT one.
3) Insurance - The most important piece of paper when registering a vehicle. They don't care if it is
spewing oil all over the ground and emitting toxic odors, they want to see that you have insured the vehicle with a
reputable insurance company and that you are willing to spend money to insure your rig no matter what the case. You
will need to present this the first time you go for temporary plates for your rig.
4) Temp Tags - The first step in the process. Bring your bill of sale, title, and insurance card down to the
DMV. Bring cash or a check, as they don't take plastic. Next you will fill out a registration form and then you will
get a number and sit in the waiting area for about an hour. Once your number is called, you will get temporary
plates so you can drive to the emissions station legally to have the emissions test, the gas cap test, and the
VIN verification done. They will also check to see if you have a catalytic converter under your rig, so make sure
you have this. You will be required to pay for the temp tags and the sales tax on the purchase price of the
vehicle at this point. If you have a bill of sale that says you paid less then the book value, they will charge
you the book value, so be prepared. My $1,700.00 purchase netted me sales tax of $102.00 + the cost of the temp
tags which were $20.00 for a grand total thus far of $122.00. It gets expensive quick.
5) Emissions Test - The next step in the process is to take your butt down to a certified emissions testing
center and have them test the vehicle. They will test your tail pipe and check your gas cap. My gas cap was old,
so it failed, but the emissions blew clean. This cost $20.00 for the test and then $20.00 to get a new gas cap.
It takes about 40 minutes to do the whole test and then you are on your way back to the DMV whether you passed or
failed.
6) VIN Verification - The VIN verification is checked at the emissions testing station. This is done
at the VIN on the windshield. He didn't check the engine bay VIN, but he could have if he wanted to, the
hood was up for the spark plug wire connector for the RPM's. Make sure your VIN tags are attached and match
your title.
7) Final Registration - The final step in the process for registering your vehicle. You have to go back to
the DMV, fill our yet another registration form, and then take that information with your bill of sale, insurance,
and title back up to the counter after waiting another hour in the waiting area to then get your final registration
and pay the nice person another $125.00. This is $75.00 for 2 years of registration, $25.00 for the title that you
will receive in 4-6 weeks, and finally another $25.00 in fees that I can't remember, but you have to pay them.
All in all, this endeavor will set you back about $300.00 give or take if you don't need a new gas cap. It is
a bit expensive, but in the end, you are insured, registered, and can now go out and drive in traffic while
obeying the laws... even if no one else does and you get your newly restored rig hit by an uninsured driver...
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