Hello all,
I just got my 2008 Cayman last month as a dealer loaner. Just today I got a nice letter from DMV saying my registration is due in 2 months and I owe $720. This includes a $635 license fee. According to the DMV's online service, the dealer paid $307 last year. My understanding is that this value is supposed to decrease each year. Also, since I acquired the car at a greatly reduced price, I thought I should only be paying an amount based on the value I paid. What's the deal with my license fee more than doubling? Anyone familiar? I certainly don't have $720 just laying around...

p.s. does anyone else find it ridiculous that they charge $17 to file a "nonoperation"? (which isn't even a word, btw)

I bought my caymanS 2008 brand new few months ago total cash price including destionation fee was ~52k estimated values on the retail installment sale contract states as follows:
License fee 339
registration/transfer/titling fee 71
california tire fees 8.75
total 418.75
actual registration card that I received from DMV shows total paid 410$
I hope this helps

That certainly gives me a little better idea. I think I paid around 48k for the car, so $635 is still more than double what the value should be.

that's where i got the 2007 number. it says no data available for 2008.

My 2007 registration fee was due this month. I just payed $368.

Maybe the dealer didn't pay the $300 !! So your fees include past due!?
Just a shot in the dark.

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Jason

Boy, I don't miss the days of California. Car tax upon car tax. In Oregon there is no sales tax and the vehicle license fees are like $50/year. And the value of the car doesn't matter!

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Nov 16, 2007 build:
'08 CS Midnight blue metallic--6 spd
Black sport seats, Delete model designation
Fire extinguisher,Floor mats, Sport steering wheel

My fee this year was $530 for a 2006 that I paid $80,000 out the door.
Mike

My car was $72,000. Tax and License gets added at 8% and 1% respectively as an estimate (for 2006). $80K out the door.

That makes the license estimate $720 - which is about OP fee. My guess is that since the car was a demo, the state is collecting on the original value of the car. All those laws are posted on the DMV website for review. And the dealer should easily be able to explain, as they are very familiar with the tax and registration rules.

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The search tool is your friend. It is very
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Cayman S - a portable amusement park

- 2006 Cayman S
- 2003 Dakota SXT
- 1963 Studebaker Avanti, R2, 4-Speed
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LL

I for one believe that it would be more honest for a state to call such a fee structure what it actually is: a personal property tax. It smacks of "soak the rich." An $80,000 Cayman S does less damage to the infrastructure and the environment than an oil-burning, 4,000-pound 1971 Pontiac Catalina. To charge a license "fee" based on value is illogical. The notion behind a fee is a quid-pro-quo. You pay the fee, for example, for a hunting or fishing license, and you obtain a service, namely, the right to hunt or fish. To charge for the license based on the value of the fishing gear or the shotgun is analogous to the CA fee schedule for registering motor vehicles. A tax, on the other hand, is a levy on a transaction or a type of property, and has very little to with service and much more to do with "revenue enhancement." About 20 years ago, then-Gov. Mario Cuomo proposed a similar arrangement for NY. I called a friend, who happened to be a State Assemblyman. He asked me to write him a note, with my explanation of why the proposal was unfair. The plan was never approved. Sometime after it was voted down, my friend told me that he had read my note on the floor of the NY Assembly. I am sure that there must have been a lot of opposition to the Governor's proposal, but I was glad to have done my small part to help defeat it. Thankfully, economic troubles notwithstanding, no NY Governor since Mr. Cuomo has attempted to revive the "personal property tax-disguised-as-a-fee." At least, not yet! 987f

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'07 Cayman, Cobalt Blue Metallic; Natural Brown leather; clear sidemarkers; Boxster S wheels; '06 SLK 350; '04 SL 500; '73 246 GT; '72 246 GT

You are right, the State of California has inserted the word fee for auto property tax. Pure and simple.

I agree you should check with a dealer. My renewal Fee for an '07 car that I paid about $68 K for was $407. Plus the real fees of $74 total $481.

The fact that the "fee" is tax deductable is further evidence it is a tax.

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RobMason

Total $453 for my 2008 when it hit one year

reg $44
license fee $349
weight $0
Special plate $30
county/district $10
smog abatement $20

License fee is deductible

County fees vary, I am sure. El Dorado County is lower than some I suspect.

By the way, under Gray Davis it would be closer to $1500 to register this car. Punish the "rich" because they can afford it.

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2007 Speed Yellow Cayman GT 2.7 (retired)
2008 Guards Red Cayman GT 3.4
"Carpe Cayman"

Property tax is what they call it here in NC. Mine was $322 this year, and it goes down as the cars age. It was around $600 for first year. Wife's year old X5 was about $580. My 914-6 is around $30.

I also pay an annual license fee for each car and it is not tax deductible. $28 for the plain plate on the 914, $48 for the vanity on the X5, and $68 for my personalized USMC Retired plate (R986S).

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2004 Boxster S Basalt 'n Savanna
1970 914-6 Black 'n Tan