Question about car title

[mel3535]

So I am trying to sell my car, I bought the car when I was 18, 4 years ago, and it was cheaper to insure under my dad so I put the car in his name. Is there anyway I can transfer the title to me without paying taxes on it because from my understanding, even if he gifts it to me, I still need to declare a value at the DMV and pay taxes.

Or does it even matter, legally speaking as long as the title is signed by my dad, I can still sell it right?

 

[Rel]

As long as you have the pink, and signed, you're good.

 

[Caddywumpus]

Mel- was your name on the title as well? cars can have 2 registered owners (and a leinholder)

 

[mel3535]

Mel- was your name on the title as well? cars can have 2 registered owners (and a leinholder)

I should have also put my name of the title when I bought it , sadly I did not do that

 

[jh2586]

Three words.. BILL OF SALE

As long as you have the title and it's signed by previous owner or leinholder, you're good. Just do a bill of sale. You can download the forms from the DMV website or they have them at your local DMV.

 

[ThumperX]

As long as your dad signed off on the title you are good to go. No need to put the car in your name now since you are selling it.

 

[mercurial]

DMV does not charge tax for transfers between immediate family members (except sibling -> sibling.)

 

[MikeyRocks]

How Is a Family Member Transfer Different from a Regular Transfer?

There are three primary differences between regular transfers and family member transfers:

1. A regular transfer requires smog certification in most cases before the vehicle can be registered in the new owner's name. A family member transfer does not require smog certification (See Smog Certification section) if the vehicle is currently registered and the biennial smog inspection is not due.

2. On a regular transfer, use tax based on the purchase price of the vehicle is due at the time of transfer. A family transfer is exempt from use tax with the exception of a transfer between siblings who are not minors. Transfers between siblings are exempt from smog certification regardless of age, unless a biennial smog is required.
3. A regular transfer requires the department to reestablish the vehicle value (reclassify) to determine the appropriate Vehicle License Fee due. The license fee is based on the purchase price or current market value of the vehicle. A transfer between family members is exempt from reclassification of the vehicle value.

To establish eligibility for the use tax or reclassification exemption, be sure to let the department know that this is a family member transfer.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/howto/htvr1.htm

Don't know why you had to put the title under your dad's name to save on insurance, that doesn't make sense. You could have put the title under your name and still insured him as the primary driver. Who advised you to put the title under your dad's name? :wtf

You should probably do your research through the proper sources (DMV website for example) rather than asking for advice on public forums to avoid any further misinformation.

As others have already stated, if you're selling the car, there's no problem with selling the car if it's in your dad's name. No need to transfer it to your name if you intend on selling it, but if for some reason you'd like to transfer the title to your name, you're exempt from paying any transfer taxes.