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Old 03-24-2017, 12:05 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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I'm legal, bitches! (NC title change)

I no longer own a BUS. I now own a ... House Car!

Woot!

DMV Inspector left a while ago and with the stroke of a pen I can now drive my skoolie!

Tags, title, registration, and insurance all complete and legal!

In NC you must have 4 of the following to designate a vehicle a house car.

Bed
Ability to cook (gas with lines)
Heat and or AC
Sink with faucet and water
Fridge
120v AC hook up
... and something else that I'm forgetting

I have bed, fridge, heat, gas lines, and fridge.

Magically I can now drive my skoolie on the road without a CDL!

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Old 03-24-2017, 02:11 PM   #2
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Congratulations. Is a house car something like a motorhome? It gets confusing hearing the varying requirements from state to state. I'm unclear if you're getting motorhome plates or car plates.

In Oregon we have big damn vans rather than motorhomes due to insurance issues. It takes a lot of loophole thinking to make a decent van livable. I'm not sure what complications that will bring in the future. The odd part is our DMV will gladly let you register your bus as a motorhome, knowing you won't be able to get insurance.

Now go out there and take a celebratory trip to DQ or something.
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Old 03-24-2017, 02:29 PM   #3
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Where are you at in NC? The numbers of us on here keep growing so I am interested in a farther up the east coast gathering of the NC bus folks.
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Old 03-24-2017, 05:33 PM   #4
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I'm outside of Raleigh.
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Old 03-24-2017, 05:46 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
Congratulations. Is a house car something like a motorhome? It gets confusing hearing the varying requirements from state to state. ...
Part of the confusion is that you are mixing your terms.

Drivers License - is assigned to an individual with restrictions and endorsments. That is things like glasses at night, and whether you can drive a motorcycle, commercial vehicles over 26,000 pounds and or with air brakes, a CDL.

Vehicle Title - This is a state document that describes the vehicle (make, model, year, VIN) and allows you to register with the State your ownership of that property. This is very similar to any other Title Document that you might register with the state, a house for instance.

License Plate - In all senses a license plate is a receipt proving that you have paid your excise taxes and have paid for the privilege of being allowed to use the roads.

That said, what I did today was change the Vehicle designation on my Title from Bus to House Car (it is what NC uses to designate a Motor Home/RV). because my bus does not weigh 26,000 pounds and does not have air brakes Federal laws do not apply. In effect I proved to the DMV inspector that I would not be using the vehicle for commercial purposes.
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Old 03-24-2017, 06:03 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zizzer View Post
I no longer own a BUS. I now own a ... House Car!



Woot!



DMV Inspector left a while ago and with the stroke of a pen I can now drive my skoolie!



Tags, title, registration, and insurance all complete and legal!



In NC you must have 4 of the following to designate a vehicle a house car.



Bed

Ability to cook (gas with lines)

Heat and or AC

Sink with faucet and water

Fridge

120v AC hook up

... and something else that I'm forgetting



I have bed, fridge, heat, gas lines, and fridge.



Magically I can now drive my skoolie on the road without a CDL!


Woo hoo!! You sound very happy!
Sandi


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Old 03-24-2017, 07:30 PM   #7
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Seriously? You think I'm mixing terms about a driver's license, vehicle title and a license plate? What do those three things have to do with asking you if a house car was equated to a motorhome in your state?
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Old 03-24-2017, 10:01 PM   #8
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I too would like to know the difference between RV/Motorhome and a house car. are they all the same?
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Old 03-24-2017, 10:33 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zizzer View Post
Part of the confusion is that you are mixing your terms.

That said, what I did today was change the Vehicle designation on my Title from Bus to House Car (it is what NC uses to designate a Motor Home/RV).

The only terms I was mixing were house car and motorhome. I've never heard that term before. But then it threw me the first time someone told me to get a paper poke.

I'm still curious. Does your license plate say house car or motorhome?

Am I still mixing terms?
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Old 03-24-2017, 11:18 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
Am I still mixing terms?
Yes. You are still mixing your terms. My license plate for the bus says NOTHING about the type of vehicle it is, (embossed letters, a date sticker only). My registration shows that the title has changed but the plate itself is unchanged. In fact the license plates I had yesterday are still the legal license plates today. The designation exists on the TITLE and is reflected on the registration.

When I went to the office to have THE TITLE changed from BUS to HOUSE CAR (which is a silly designation I admit but how is HOUSE CAR all that different from MOTOR HOME?) I was given a reprint of the registration with the change on it. The title will arrive in the mail in 45 days or so.

So, yes, you are still confusing your terms.

To show me that I am wrong please provide a photograph of a license plate from a car and another from a motor home so that we can see the differences that exist on the plates in your state.

Again,
TITLE = document of ownership
License Plate = proof that you have pair your excise tax/passed inspection
Drivers license = proof that you have completed the requirements to drive a certain type of vehicle

Again, yesterday it was a bus. Today it is a motor home. The same license plate has hung on the vehicle for 3 months. There was no change to my drivers license. I could not drive it as it was rated for 30 passengers and was TITLED as a BUS and I do not have a CDL. As of today because it has had the changes made to it it is no longer a bus but is a housecar/RV/motorhome.

The only thing associated with my License plates is the registration card and the only change on it was the designation from BU (bus) to HC (house car). NOTHING on the plate itself has changed.

Is this splitting hairs? Maybe. When speaking about these sorts of topics I have found that people make a mess of these 4 interconnected but entirely separate ideas. Title, registration, license plate, and drivers license.

I hope that helps. Clarity is key.
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Old 03-25-2017, 04:27 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
Seriously? You think I'm mixing terms about a driver's license, vehicle title and a license plate? What do those three things have to do with asking you if a house car was equated to a motorhome in your state?
I agree, I don't see how they came to that conclusion. It is like saying you are confused because you like pizza.
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Old 03-25-2017, 05:57 AM   #12
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Old 03-25-2017, 08:38 AM   #13
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I should know better than to try to inform someone about the actual functioning's of their government and or government agencies. Willful ignorance and the defense there of seems to be the way of the world.

There is no cause or reason to attempt to explain the finer points of licensing and registration of vehicles on a vehicle-centric web site. It is clearly unappreciated.

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
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Old 03-25-2017, 12:07 PM   #14
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Dude, sorry for trying to express an interest in your build.

Have a nice day.
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Old 03-25-2017, 12:21 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zizzer View Post
I should know better than to try to inform someone about the actual functioning's of their government and or government agencies. Willful ignorance and the defense there of seems to be the way of the world.

There is no cause or reason to attempt to explain the finer points of licensing and registration of vehicles on a vehicle-centric web site. It is clearly unappreciated.

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Dude, you're getting bent way out of shape when you shouldn't be. When Robin asked:
"Congratulations. Is a house car something like a motorhome? It gets confusing hearing the varying requirements from state to state. I'm unclear if you're getting motorhome plates or car plates. "
It would have been easier, more straightforward, and equally informative if not more so to have replied:

"Yep, that's what the DMV calls RVs around here."

And to further clarify, most states that I'm aware of do issue different looking tags for RVs than for private passenger vehicles or trucks. At least, they use a different numbering scheme, and in MD IIRC they say "Recreational Vehicle" across the bottom. And no I don't feel any responsibility to get out of the house and get a picture of this for you.
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Old 03-25-2017, 12:21 PM   #16
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back in the day, before the "motorhome" came about these were House-cars,.
..
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Ford House 01.jpg  
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Old 03-25-2017, 01:30 PM   #17
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100MPG; I like pizza.

dan-fox; Thanks. I appreciate your view.

Scott Marcano; That's a nice image of a house car. I'd never seen one of those.

I remember photos of the depression era vehicles with everything, including rocking chair, tied to a truck as people moved around looking for work. That house car looks quite clever, but small compared to a bus. Working with what they had....
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Old 03-26-2017, 08:26 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zizzer View Post
I no longer own a BUS. I now own a ... House Car!

Woot!

DMV Inspector left a while ago and with the stroke of a pen I can now drive my skoolie!

Tags, title, registration, and insurance all complete and legal!

In NC you must have 4 of the following to designate a vehicle a house car.

Bed
Ability to cook (gas with lines)
Heat and or AC
Sink with faucet and water
Fridge
120v AC hook up
... and something else that I'm forgetting

I have bed, fridge, heat, gas lines, and fridge.

Magically I can now drive my skoolie on the road without a CDL!
Congrats! We're just south of Burlington/Graham and will need to get titled soon. Is that last thing maybe a toilet/bathroom? Also, what kind of heat are you using? We want to go with a wood stove, but not sure how "the man" feels about that.

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Old 03-26-2017, 10:03 AM   #19
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If you want to see some amazing modern day "house cars"...check out the ones in New Zealand. That's what they still call them down there.

A rose by any other name...
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Old 03-26-2017, 08:06 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
Dude, you're getting bent way out of shape when you shouldn't be. When Robin asked:
"Congratulations. Is a house car something like a motorhome? It gets confusing hearing the varying requirements from state to state. I'm unclear if you're getting motorhome plates or car plates. "
See, here's the thing, this sub-forum is about Titles and Registrations. By asking a question about whether I'm getting car or RV tags is like asking if I'm getting pork or beef apples. Doesn't make much sense, does it?

Since this sub-forum is all about Titles and Registrations I figured I would take a moment and try to inform some folks about how these terms get misused. These are the sorts of things that should be taught in school but either aren't or get ignored, like civics, and the scientific method.

See, I lived with a Maryland MVA trainer and inspector for about 7 years. I know more about the damn MVA than most MVA employees. She in turn, much to her chagrin knows more about TCP/IP and the OSI model than she ever wanted to know. That's kind of how these things work out.

I find it fascinating that someone would go out of their way to chastise for trying to be helpful. Then I get ganged up on. Only to find that the statements of those folks to be as uninformed as the rest.

Bad news, in MD "the number scheme" you speak of doesn't exist. there are a few examples of coincidental patterns that were never intended. For instance there was a slew of plates that had a TR or some such and everyone thought that it meant truck. People would come in to get tags and want the TR tags for their truck. That's not how any of this works. That TR was just a random letter pattern and people ASSUMED it meant truck. It didn't mean anything at all. It was just a unique identifier and nothing more.

In Maryland and apparently in North Carolina there is no such thing as a Motor Home license plate. Please see the diagram at the bottom of this page.
Registration - Specialty Plates

Also, just because it drives me nuts. Some States have an MVA and some have a DMV. There are separate professional organizations for each. As if these folks do anything differently from each other state to state but they can't have a Union or organization that represents both. So weird.
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