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Old 06-20-2017, 11:07 AM   #241
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It works best to be honest with your insurer, otherwise you could be liable as well as not being covered.
Since conversion is an important part of being able to call your bus a motor home, when the build portion is completed the insurance company must be notified. They'll find out eventually anyway.

Drive carefully.

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Old 06-20-2017, 11:11 AM   #242
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after full conversion many of the RV insurers will insure it as an RV... what they seem not to like is to insure before or during conversion.. there are people here with good sam on their converted completed busses..

the commercial insurance fills thgat gap.. insuring you while its still a "bus" or "
van"
-Christopher
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Old 06-20-2017, 02:09 PM   #243
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
It works best to be honest with your insurer, otherwise you could be liable as well as not being covered.
Since conversion is an important part of being able to call your bus a motor home, when the build portion is completed the insurance company must be notified. They'll find out eventually anyway.

Drive carefully.
Agreed, just wasn't sure how all that worked.
Thanks,

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Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
after full conversion many of the RV insurers will insure it as an RV... what they seem not to like is to insure before or during conversion.. there are people here with good sam on their converted completed busses..

the commercial insurance fills thgat gap.. insuring you while its still a "bus" or "
van"
-Christopher
That's good to know, thanks,
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Old 06-20-2017, 05:51 PM   #244
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This is amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing all this. We are about to pick up our bus this Friday and man oh man what a pain in the butt to do all this. This is epic and cannot wait to get'er done like this!
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Old 06-20-2017, 10:21 PM   #245
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
It works best to be honest with your insurer, otherwise you could be liable as well as not being covered.
Since conversion is an important part of being able to call your bus a motor home, when the build portion is completed the insurance company must be notified. They'll find out eventually anyway.

Drive carefully.
+1

Honesty is always best. Answer their questions truthfully and (here's the hard part) completely. Don't hide. Being "up front" about what you are trying to do may be difficult, but it has always saved me from bigger messes "down the road".
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Old 06-20-2017, 10:45 PM   #246
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Interesting Insurance glitch

So, just wanted to post this little gem.

I live in the state of NY, and I have a bus that (thanks to this forum) is registered, titled as a MH and plated in VT. I have Progressive insurance that I bought online with no issues back in January - 6 months ago.

I got a letter in the mail from Progressive telling me that they attempted to notify my state that I had insurance, and the state had no record of the vehicle, and that I needed to call them to clear the matter up.

I called Progressive, and with the agent on the line, we figured out quickly that they were notifying NY DMV, and the vehicle is registered in VT. So of course NY DMV would reject their notification. The Progressive agent said that they can't have two states of record in my file, only my home state can be the state of record. I asked how people who live a nomadic lifestyle are supposed to work around this limitation, and he had no answer.

I told him point blank; well, I'm not re-registering mid year, as I had paid for a full year in VT. I asked: Am I still insured or does your inability to tell the wrong state that I am insured affect my status in any way?

He said that it would not. So I thanked him and rang off.

Not sure if anyone else had gotten this sort of notice.

Just wanted to share.

PS - Been to 3 camping weekends with the bus. Everyone loves the king size mattress in it (and so do I!) and the custom curtains the girl made. Sleeping dry during rain storms rocks!

Cheers.
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Old 06-20-2017, 10:57 PM   #247
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Yeah, we like metal tent camping. After we put insulation in we start getting kind of spoiled.

That's an interesting insurance hiccup, but understandable. It's good he wanted to keep your business.
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Old 06-21-2017, 07:09 AM   #248
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interesting because when i signed up for the insurance, they asked me the "garaged" address of the vehicle and then my address.. they said with cimemrcial vehicles its often different as companies located in one state register their vehicles there and actually "primarily house" or "garage" them in another location.. they needed the garaged address for the rate code.. in my case its the same.. but seems for you they have a discrepency.. I dont know how or if vermont has an insurance law.. in Ohio you dont have to show proof but they can mail you a letter at any given time requesting proof wit ha date listed on the letter and you have to show proof you were insured on that date..

you may want to contact vermont DMV and see if they show you as insured, and if not you maybe mail them a card? in ohio if you arent insured they will cancel your driver license and the registration of the vehicle and then place oyu in the same category as the drunks and be required to carry SR-71 Bond insurance if you violate the insurance law.. so its a big deal .. not sure how vermont handles it.

-Christopher
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Old 06-27-2017, 05:55 PM   #249
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Maybe I missed it somewhere, but I am beginning to doubt my PO's promise of a title. My bus is retired from a local county school. Is it normal to get a "title" as such? If I don't get one, what's the best approach to this?

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Old 06-27-2017, 11:44 PM   #250
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Today I went to my Progressive insurance provider and asked if any new vehicle I bought would be covered upon purchase as I drive it home, and she said as much coverage as I have on my van, is the coverage that covers newly bought vehicles until added to existing plan. Which is liability only in my case.

So that's lovely. Did not say the word 'bus'.
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Old 07-04-2017, 02:00 AM   #251
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Finally. In order to provide some useful intel I sprang for overnight delivery. I will let you know if there is a time bonus or penalty related to it. Thanks to warewolf and all the helpful skoolies that make this thread the skoolie-hack of the century!


Got my entire package back after 2 weeks asking for Visual Verification of VIN. All my asked for title mods were checked off ok so I'll be getting back a title with truck chassis, motor home body, color green when I figure out how to get this VIN done.


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Old 07-04-2017, 11:43 AM   #252
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Maybe I missed it somewhere, but I am beginning to doubt my PO's promise of a title. My bus is retired from a local county school. Is it normal to get a "title" as such? If I don't get one, what's the best approach to this?

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You really should have a title or transferable registration. If your bus is over 15 yrs old Vermont has a workaround where you can still register a title-less vehicle as long as you have a signed bill of sale, pay tax, and submit a VIN verification with it.
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Old 07-07-2017, 08:10 AM   #253
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Well as I am in the rusty floor stage of my build. I also just sent my app. for Vermont registration. I sent everything yesterday. Now this will be interesting as I am a DC resident living in Chicago. I have read all the posts on this subject but still don't know how to go about insurance under these circumstances. I will update on the reg. process. can someone advise me how to go about insurance under these certain circumstances.
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Old 07-07-2017, 08:25 AM   #254
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my insurance companies always ask me my home address and also the garaged address of the vehicle.. so id think you could say your home ady is DC and the garage address is chi-town? unless you are staying in a hotel then its simply that you travel.. which is what I do with my cars becauce florida sucks to insure in the cities compared to ohio rates.. so I use my ohio address instead of the florida address to insure..

-Christopher
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Old 07-10-2017, 09:34 PM   #255
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Got tags with no problem, still waiting on title

I submitted everything as recommended in this thread, got my plates in about 10 days, registration a few days later. I also got a check for $6, because apparently the warranty fee that I paid was unnecessary.

I haven't gotten the title yet, but the registration says body type MH, so I'm hoping/assuming that's what the title will say as well.

On my application form, they crossed out my husband's and my GA drivers license numbers and wrote in "Create - " with a new number after it. Maybe this means they assigned us VT license numbers even though we don't actually have licenses in VT???
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Old 07-13-2017, 11:16 AM   #256
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Hi! Thank you for posting. I also reside in new york but purchased my bus from a private school. I have a notarized letter indicating a purchase price and granting the title. It is less that 15 years old and i have the original title. I have the following questions.

Do i pay the 6 percent vermont sales tax with my application?

You said that they asked you to remove school and paint your bus. Did you have to show pictures for that?

handwritten note itemizing your costs- that means the registration, title, tax and state that I am writing to request the state of Vermont to insure my vehicle as as a motor home?


Thank you for your assistance!
Kara

Quote:
Originally Posted by warewolff View Post
UPDATE: Per the moderator of this forum, this thread will be kept updated with the most recent information based on member experiences. Registration costs increase by a few dollars every now and then so check for yourself before sending out your money.
-----
I've used this method frequently for old abandoned motorcycles I bought that had no title.

Many states have hoops that they'll make you jump through before they'll designate your skoolie as an RV. "Meet four out of seven requirements" or such nonsense. New York, where I reside, is one of those states. They are a PITA with everything vehicle related, and I know many states are following in the same suit.

Vermont, on the other hand, is not one of these states. As of the date I'm writing this, all they requested from me was that I remove the school insignia and repaint the bus. They didn't require an inspection or proof of conversion. It should be noted, however, that I have a bus with hydraulic brakes -- although, under motor home classification they don't even ask about air brakes. Check with your state to see if you need anything extra to drive with air brakes.

Vermont will offer a transferrable registration for any vehicle over 15 years old. They won't give you a title -- but fear not, you can use this registration to then title your bus in your resident state if it's really that big of an issue. Realistically, it shouldn't be. I have been using out of state plates in NY for years without issue. If your bus is newer than 15 years you will receive a bonafide Vermont title.

- First and foremost, for transferable registrations (<15yrs), make sure you include a copy of your title. If you are expecting to receive a title (>15yrs) be sure to include your ORIGINAL title. If your bus has no title, make sure you have a bill of sale and a vin verification, verifying it's not stolen. As of now (01/01/17), it seems that a vin verification is only necessary if you have no ownership papers.

Vermont's application is named VD119. It is the appplication used for title, registration, renewal, transfer, tax, et cetera. Listed below are the steps I used to complete the form:

- Fill out Section 1 with your basic personal information.

- You can skip Sections 2 and 3A. To be safe, I completed 3B with the sellers info.

- Under Section 4, check "new registration". Skip the bit about plate # and expiration, as this is a new registration. When it asks for your registration/plate type, manually write in "Motor Home" followed by 19. I believe this is the code they use in the system to designate personal use.

- Fill out Section 5 with the relevant info from your title. If you do not have a title, fill it out as best you can. Beneath that, just to be safe, I listed the amount of axles, empty weight, and gross weight of my bus under "trucks".

- Under Section 6, write in the price you purchased the bus for. Vermont uses the purchase value -- or the listed NADA value -- whichever is greater, to calculate sales tax. Most buses are not listed in NADA. In this case, simply use 6 percent of what you paid for the bus. In my case, 2550 x .06(%) = $153. Write your total under "Net Taxable".

- Leave Section 7 blank unless you are tax exempt or purchasing a vehicle over 25 yrs old. I do not know how that works if your vehicle is older.

Add up your fees in Section 9 and figure out the total. For most of us, this should just be the registration fee for a Motor Home (As of now, $76 for one year or $140 for two years) and the tax calculated previously in Section 6.

If, however, your bus is newer than 15 years, and you are expecting a title back, include an extra $35 title fee. Check should be issued to "Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles" for the total combined amount. For added comfort, add an ADDITIONAL handwritten page outlining what you would like to accomplish and itemizing the fees you are paying.

So just to be repetitive:

Transferable registrations: Buses 15 years or older, include COPY of title + bill of sale + completed application + registration fee ($76/1yr or $140/2yrs) + 6% VT tax (or proof that tax has already been paid) + handwritten note itemizing your costs

Titles: Buses newer than 15 years old, include ORIGINAL title + bill of sale + completed application + registration fee ($76 or $140) + title fee ($35) + 6% VT tax (or proof it's paid) + handwritten note itemizing your costs

**If you do not have a transferable registration or title from the previous owner, include a vin verification.**

Sign your application at the bottom and mail all that stuff in to the Vermont DMV at:

Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05603-0001

Wait 2 weeks and call to check the status of your application. If there are no problems turnaround a generally 2-3 weeks. Your bus is now legally registered as an RV regardless of your geographic location and the title or transferable registration that was issued will make it possible to retitle your bus in your home state with (hopefully) no issues, should you so choose. For most of us full timers it doesn't really matter as we're all over the place geographically.

Hope this helps everyone else struggling in the more difficult states. Leave a comment and tell me about your experiences.

Example:

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Old 07-13-2017, 11:28 AM   #257
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I am also in new york. I am about to complete this process. I have a question did Vermont issue you a new title as a motor home? Can you take the title to the ny dmv and will they just transfer registrations now that it is considered a motor home?

Let me know!
Kara






Quote:
Originally Posted by buckstar View Post
So, just wanted to post this little gem.

I live in the state of NY, and I have a bus that (thanks to this forum) is registered, titled as a MH and plated in VT. I have Progressive insurance that I bought online with no issues back in January - 6 months ago.

I got a letter in the mail from Progressive telling me that they attempted to notify my state that I had insurance, and the state had no record of the vehicle, and that I needed to call them to clear the matter up.

I called Progressive, and with the agent on the line, we figured out quickly that they were notifying NY DMV, and the vehicle is registered in VT. So of course NY DMV would reject their notification. The Progressive agent said that they can't have two states of record in my file, only my home state can be the state of record. I asked how people who live a nomadic lifestyle are supposed to work around this limitation, and he had no answer.

I told him point blank; well, I'm not re-registering mid year, as I had paid for a full year in VT. I asked: Am I still insured or does your inability to tell the wrong state that I am insured affect my status in any way?

He said that it would not. So I thanked him and rang off.

Not sure if anyone else had gotten this sort of notice.

Just wanted to share.

PS - Been to 3 camping weekends with the bus. Everyone loves the king size mattress in it (and so do I!) and the custom curtains the girl made. Sleeping dry during rain storms rocks!

Cheers.
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Old 07-16-2017, 04:56 PM   #258
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Yes, you pay Vermont sales tax. No, they do not confirm you changed the color. Yes, include itemized list and remind them you want your registration to read MH for motor home and not BU for bus. No, you will not get a title on a bus older than 15 yrs. Yes, NY will transfer it right over once its already registered as a motorhome.
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Old 07-19-2017, 12:45 PM   #259
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Originally Posted by warewolff View Post
Yes, you pay Vermont sales tax. No, they do not confirm you changed the color. Yes, include itemized list and remind them you want your registration to read MH for motor home and not BU for bus. No, you will not get a title on a bus older than 15 yrs. Yes, NY will transfer it right over once its already registered as a motorhome.
Sorry for beating a dead horse, but is the bill of sale required if you have a title? I'm in NC and in process of trying to get insurance so I can mail the above mentioned items to Vermont.

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Old 07-19-2017, 04:24 PM   #260
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I just did this in person on a Thomas HDX rear engine that I bought from a private seller in Maryland. Took about half an hour. The one thing that surprised me was that they told me I'll have to provide a VIN verification due to the out of state title. Maybe they only require this on buses less than 15 years old? It's no big deal though because they went ahead and gave me a 60 day temporary registration with real plates, and all I have to do is send in the VIN verification by mail.

I left the "trucks" section blank, including the brake type field, by the way. No problems there.

Huge thanks to everyone who's been sharing info about this process! So happy I've already got this thing registered just two days after buying it. Now for the hard part!
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