I shipped my car one time, no big deal. It cost about $1,000. I would register the car in the state of permanent residence, if it were me. You didn't mention insurance. If daughter is on your policy, probably almost certainly register it in PA? A question for your agent.I am planning to purchase a (used) electric vehicle.
It will be primarily used in CA, by my daughter, who is in school until 2029ish.
Her permanent residence is in PA.
I have two options, it seems.
1. Buy the car in CA (so it doesn't need to be driven or transported there) and register it there (and pay CA sales tax). (If purchased in CA, but registered in another state, my understanding is we could only get temp plates and it would need to be driven to PA for inspection, emissions, title, etc within a month). I may not even be able to do this, since it would be titled in my name, and I don't live in CA. (I also don't know how much titling, registration, inspection etc costs in CA vs PA).
2. Buy the car in PA (or NJ, or DE, etc), pay the (lower) sales tax, register it, and then drive it across the country, or pay $1000 to transport it.
Neither of these options is super appealing. However, PA sales tax is 3%, and CA's is appx 10% (state and local). The car will probs be in the $15-$20k range. So, the difference in price + tax might end up being the same if I have to pay to transport it (or drive across country, hotels, etc).
Leasing (vs buying) doesn't seem to be any better in terms of hassle.
Any thoughts here? Esp from those who have faced this issue.
Statistics: Posted by lereh — Sat Oct 18, 2025 7:54 pm — Replies 1 — Views 91