New Vehicle Taxes
 

We are getting ready to purchase a new vehicle this week but a little unsure about taxes and fees the dealer is charging me that go to DMV. Anyone in Sumter County that would be will to share this info with me would be appreciated. I’m not at all interested in personal info I just have a couple add ons I question. Thank You

When you purchase a new vehicle, here are the mandatory fees from the DMV:

Sales tax, 6 percent plus $50
Title, $85.75
Tag transfer fee, $46.10

Note that, if you trade in a used vehicle, the sales tax is calculated only on the difference between the new car price and the trade value, so you save money by trading. Also, if you do not transfer a tag from another vehicle, you need to get a new tag, which will cost about $300, including the tag, registration, and plate. So, it is cheaper to transfer the tag, if possible.

What happen if I buy car out of state? Does the same 6% sales tax apply?

Yes. You can buy the car out of state, and register it in Florida, but you will still pay the Florida sales tax. I don't think you can escape the sales tax.

I also think there is a first time title fee of 225. in FL

OP, you can also stop by the Sumter County office in Pinellas Plaza (copper topped building), go in by the library, take a right, go to the end of the hall and slightly left, they will answer all of your questions.

The title fee is $85.75. I think you mean the first time registration fee, which is about $225. However, if you trade in an older car, you can transfer the registration to the new car for $46.10 and avoid the $225. Also, you don't pay the sales tax on the trade in value of the car. So, if you buy a new car for $30,000 and get $10,000 for a trade, the sales tax is only calculated on $20,000.

Why I originally asked is I paid $730 for registration and title on a new vehicle. As I understand it you cannot go to Sumter County office as I did with my car I brought from Maine, you must have dealer register and title it. The dealer of course gets a fee but I think they can charge what they want for their troubles. I suspect this is used as a profit center for dealers and is allowed by the state. If I'm off base here please someone let me know. There is no way I could come up with any where near $730 of State fees even with the $225 one time charge.

When we came to TV from out of state, we went to the DMV office at 466 and Morse. We were able to transfer our title, get our plates, get new drives license, all at the same place. Don't think you need the dealer to do it for you.

Assuming that you did not already have a car registered in Florida, then the registration and title would have cost $310.75 ($225 + $85.75). So, in my opinion, the dealer cheated you out of about $420. The dealer can charge a fee for anything they want, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it. I bought a car last year and I didn't pay the dealer anything, except the State fees. Also, I didn't pay the dealer a "document fee", which is another way dealers like to increase their profit by as much as $600. These are bogus fees. Whether or not you go to the Sumter County office yourself or the dealer transfers the title and registration for you is irrelevant. The dealer should not have charged you.

Buy out of state.
 

Never buy a car in Fl. Depending on the vehicle you will spend up to $10,000 more than you would in Tn or even Ga.

As stated, you still pay taxes/title and other fees but the price difference more than makes up for it. Plus you could have a nice getaway in the process!:a040:

DO NOT I repeat DO NOT pay dealer prep fees. Most all dealers in Florida try to get a crazy fee they call prep fees which are just charges to boost the price. The most you should pay , if any, is less than $200. This would include any money the dealer spent to get the car ready for you to take delivery. ( detailing etc.) Florida dealers are notorious for this. I went back to Illinois to buy a car for just that reason.

The only number you need to discuss with the dealer is the "out-the-door" price. If you do your homework and know what that price is, then you are just wasting time discussing anything else with the dealer. KBB.com and Edmunds.com will calculate a fair price, and almost any dealer will accept that price, if you know how to be firm. Also, KBB does not include any dealer prep or document fees because they are bogus fees.

Be careful and ONLY negotiate on the MSRP and not the additional strip next to the manufacturer's window sticker. This is a dealer ripoff that is common here in FL. I've seen an additional 1 to 3 thousand tacked on to the original window sticker. Do your homework and look up the car you want on KBB.com and find out what the actual price is. I had one Ford dealer tell me that if I ordered a car he would sell it to me for dealer invoice. Some even sell for below dealer invoice.
Bottom line is if you pay manufacturer's window sticker, you payed waaaaay too much.

The sales tax is paid in the state where the vehicle is purchased. If the purchase state is Maine, sales tax there is 5.5%. You then have to pay to FL the difference between the 5.5% and the FL state sales tax of 6% and an additional county tax (both Marion and Sumter) of 1%. For example if you pay $25k for the car Maine charges you $1,375 and FL charges you $375. If you buy in a state with equal or greater sales tax % you pay nothing to FL.

The Florida sales tax on a vehicle is 6 percent plus $50. The one percent county add-on tax only applies to the first $5,000, which is the $50. So, the difference between the Florida tax and the Maine tax is $175, not $375.

Is the dealer allowed to charge $899 "Dealer Fee" for a new car?

What about people who had older cars registed in other states and paid the sales tax there and move to florida and want to transfer the tags. What would the carges for this scenario be?

There is a computer fee charge to get a paper title $150.
All other fees are found on line to transfer current plates & title.
They may get 2 years of plates should all be explained to you or don't sign to buy the auto.
If you don't transfer plates there is a one time charge of $250.

The dealer can charge whatever "dealer fee" they want to charge, as long as you are willing to pay it.

The standard title is electronic, but, after you buy the car, you can go to the Sumter office on Powell St. and they will print you a very nice paper title for $10. I picked one up in 10 minutes. Go early and pay cash, because they charge a fee to use a credit card. I wouldn't pay the dealer $150 for a paper title. That's ridiculous.

You don't have to pay sales tax on an older car, but you do need a new Florida title and registration. The total cost is about $300 to $350 for both.

I did that in January, the car was purchased in NYS in 2016, I had the clear title and proof of Florida Insurance. I paid for a sticker through 2021 I paid $488.50 in Sumter County. I don't have my receipt for a breakdown of the fees.

Do listen to villagetinker and neikenberry and go to the DMV at 466A and Powell rd. Dealer not only overcharged but also gave us the wrong plate. DMV called the dealer and told them we were overcharged and they would handle the plate issue and title transfer. Got the overcharge back and took the wrong plate back to the dealer.

When you buy a new car from a dealer, a reputable dealer will provide the title and tag as part of the out-the-door price. This is routine, simple stuff for the dealer. There is no reason why the DMV should be involved in determining whether or not the dealer overcharged you. When you pick up the car, the tag should be on the vehicle, and the dealer should have ordered the title transfer to your name, which may take a few weeks to complete. If you want a paper title, you can always go to the DMV later and get one for $10. Florida has converted to a standard electronic title system.

I think most are missing the point of my post. I'm not asking how to negotiate with a car dealer but asking is the state of Florida complicit in the financial rape of consumers by not setting a standard fee for all dealers to charge. For my part I had no idea it was mandatory that dealers registered and titled cars here unlike in my former state. Nor did I know they could charge want they wanted. Out the door or not there are numbers on the title and registration lines on sale form.

The state is not complicit. The cost for a title and registration are the same for everyone. It is easier for the dealer to transfer the title because they own the car before you buy it. Yes, some dealers will try to charge fees that they should not charge to make more money, and some are not always honest about it. But, it is all negotiable, and knowing the actual state fees helps the buyer to make a fair deal. But, the state has nothing to do with the deal between you and the dealer. I think that the problem may be that some dealers will try to make the customer think that the state is complicit, but that is just a sales gimmick.

Paper1, read Retiredguy's posts very carefully. I don't know who he is, but he appears to know what is going on in the car-buying world.

If you paid too much money to a car dealer, don't feel bad. We all did at one point in our lives.

In my opinion, the main thing is to buy a car that you truly enjoy driving. We have a 2003 Acura RSX and a 2005 Honda Accord, both with 5-spd trannys, and we really enjoy driving them.

Although I hate the sleazy part of our capitalist system thank you for making me smile and putting this in proper perspective.

You will likely have paid sales tax in the other state at time of purchase. When you register the car here you show proof and that is credited towards the Florida tax.

Sorry but this is absolutely false especially a new car where MSRP less promotions are almost always the same. Use a car buying service and dealers are obligated to honor that price.

It is not mandatory

How a dealer sells at invoice
 

Obviously, no business can sell at cost. The unseen secret. There is something called CALL BACK. Call back in a fee to the dealer from the manufacturer when the car is sold. Depending on the car it is about 7%. Thus they show you a car show you the invoice and it is 30,000. The pitch is I have to make $250 to sell it. You, seeing tears in the saleman's eyes think wow he likes me sooooo much he is only making $250. The truth on 30,000 invoice price he makes 7% call back so 2100+250=2350.
Then if you finance, you take the paint sealer, scotch guard the seat and then they charge you for a spare tire etc etc etc

Re: Two years of plates
 

We renew one year at a time. You only get a sticker to put in the corner of your plate. You can do it for two years but the cost per year is exactly the same-NO BOGO OFFERED

We too are ex-new york
 

Don't tell anyone. Compared to NY it was a thrill to deal with government in Florida. One office. In about one hour, we had gotten a Florida License, Registered to vote, Registered for Florida plates-saving us about half the cost of auto insurance, oh and we were told to go to another office and file for homestead tax exemption. We cut our real estate tax by about 2/3. We left a 6% state tax and a 3% city tax

Suggestion
 

You should take a trip to say Mexico. We did it years ago.
You did not want to be the perosn on the plane that paid the most for your chess set.

The dealer invoice is just the first of many lies that dealers tell to their customers. I think that car manufacturers should get rid of their dealers altogether and sell their cars for a fixed, advertised price. It is shameful that some of the largest companies in the world depend on dishonest, lying dealers to sell their products.

Remember, dealer "prep" fees and "administrative" fees are just add-ons to their profit. Tell them that after those are removed is when negotiations begin.

So then, what is the BEST state to buy a new car? I can jump on a plane if need be, and drive it home.