California Bus with expired registration

soiii · 10-04-2021, 01:18 PM

Hi everyone, I am looking at a school bus here in California and the seller states he bought from Los Angeles School District and the bus is "blacklisted" and unable to be registered in CA. I asked for a pic of the title and it shows a clear "pink slip" labeled as a commercial bus. It has a signed sale date of 06/2021 and the registration expiration date shows 1999 (this vehicle was exempt from registration when it was owned by the school district correct?). My question is, can I still register this bus as a MH and will I owe fees for the past due registration and for not registering it within 10 days of sale? Is there a way to lookup fees to register? I tried DMV website but shows "unable to calculate fees".

s2mikon · 10-04-2021, 02:49 PM

Got to a contract DMV office. MH should be okay. The fees may be a problem. I have a pickup I'm trying to do a lost pink on from CA. Not looking good for me. They are pills to deal with.

Rwnielsen · 10-04-2021, 03:33 PM

If you join AAA, the Auto Club, they can help with registration and title searches. It's a night and day difference dealing with the people there and the government employees at the DMV. Even if you don't stay a member after you handle everything, the people there are trying to help you as opposed to the DMV.

Danjo · 10-04-2021, 03:43 PM

AAA might be able to help. One thing that I’d do now is to call the DMV. Phone support is so much better. They will even call you back so you don’t have to wait on the phone.

I think the key questions are:

Can you change the title to MH if it has the attributes of one?
Can it be registered after the title is changed?

Have the VIN when you call

Crown_Guy · 10-04-2021, 06:18 PM

Quick summary.

Find a commercial private registration service. They have access to the DMV system in real time and can give you the actual status of the bus.

My experience with AAA is they will not touch any vehicle over some arbitrary weight limit. I can't remember exactly since mine was so much heavier, but it's something like 23K lbs or so. I'm pretty sure they are also not authorized to do the MH change, DMV reserves that right.

The good news is that a private registration service who wishes to do that will be able to, as long as they have a good relationship with DMV. Can't say if they all can, or will, do it but I've had good luck.

Another option is to find a way to get it transferred to an out of state address and just ignore Kalifornia all together. The Vermont option comes to mind but it also may have unintended consequences and potholes. Also if you plan on staying in Kalifornia the local LEO's may spot the plates and give you a ration of crap and threaten to impound it if you don't change the plates and get Kalifornia registration.

If that bus has been entered into the system as a scrapped/salvaged bus where the subsidy payments were made to the district in their Blackmail/Extortion scheme to get the Crowns off the road, you may be very well and truly screwed.

I know of a few cases where the records have followed the bus to all the States and they all fear Kalifonia now and won't register them anymore. It's a Criminal Enterprise and we and the Crowns are the victims. I'm only speaking from the Crown perspective, but the principal is the same no matter what brand of vehicle it happens to be. Watch yourself and have a private registration service do a record search on the VIN and find out EXACTLY what's the status of the bus. It may not be possible to ever get it registered. Heart breaking for sure, but better to know before you spend any money to buy it. You can't EVER sell it to anybody so you can't get rid of it, or drive it legally. Caveat Emptor.

Your mileage may vary. They force us all to be Pirates. So be it.
Get creative.

P.S. This may also work out very well for the Lost Pink Slip.

DoubleO7 · 10-04-2021, 06:30 PM

California has decided they no longer want that bus running in California.
Does not matter how or what state it is titled or registered in.
It is some sort of pollution from emissions thing.
You are SOL on that 1999 (or older) bus.
Banned diesels

john61ct · 10-04-2021, 06:42 PM

that is well overstated

yes the issue is serious

but evolving over time

out of state (VT) reg may work a bit longer

so long as you aren't forced to reg locally

o1marc · 10-04-2021, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

California has decided they no longer want that bus running in California.
Does not matter how or what state it is titled or registered in.
It is some sort of pollution from emissions thing.
You are SOL on that 1999 (or older) bus.
Banned diesels

I believe this applies to commercial trucks, and Calif. residents. They can't keep my bus out of the state.

john61ct · 10-04-2021, 07:11 PM

Well they could if they decide to

but for now rulemaking on that is still in process

Crown_Guy · 10-04-2021, 08:00 PM

The MH is still accepted as a Non-Commercial and therefore private vehicle exemption that avoids all the current jurisdictions regarding engines and vehicle age. I concur and advise to get the MH any way you can. And yes, I don't believe they can keep another States MH from entering the State. Federal Constitutional Reciprocity Principles.

As to weather the State tries to change the rules and come after the MH classification, there will be many thousands of stick and staple vehicles swept up in that net, which I think even Comifornia won't be able to justify.

I hear they're trying that crap with normal private pickup trucks with diesel engines past a certain age. They can do this because all pickups have forever been required to be registered with commercial plates. GOTCHA, about covers it. I'm really looking forward to getting out of my Paradise Lost.

Crown_Guy · 10-04-2021, 08:03 PM

Oops double post. Never Mind. Any way to delete this???

DoubleO7 · 10-05-2021, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crown_Guy

The MH is still accepted as a Non-Commercial and therefore private vehicle exemption that avoids all the current jurisdictions regarding engines and vehicle age. I concur and advise to get the MH any way you can. And yes, I don't believe they can keep another States MH from entering the State. Federal Constitutional Reciprocity Principles.

As to weather the State tries to change the rules and come after the MH classification, there will be many thousands of stick and staple vehicles swept up in that net, which I think even Comifornia won't be able to justify.

"Won't be able to justify" in what way??
Not enough MH's to make a difference for the effort of adding them to the commercial truck and bus regs?
If the commercial truck and bus industry did not have enough $$ to keep the lawmakers away.....
The RV industry won't either.

cadillackid · 10-05-2021, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

"Won't be able to justify" in what way??
Not enough MH's to make a difference for the effort of adding them to the commercial truck and bus regs?
If the commercial truck and bus industry did not have enough $$ to keep the lawmakers away.....
The RV industry won't either.

except the RVers will cry that its hurting the poor people and it would fly in california so they wont touch the RV world for awhile hopefully..

wouldnt vermont be the way to go? ive heard "rumors" that even EPA'd busses that "forgot to get drilled" have made it through vermont registration...

john61ct · 10-05-2021, 10:36 AM

CA can and IMO likely will ban non-compliant vehicles from its roads no matter how or where registered.

The cooperation between states accepting each others' regos is just an informal norm afaik, not mandated by the feds

and IMO questionable that the feds even have the power to so so constitutionally without new legislation.

But this has not happened yet, may never, and IMO yes the VT route is an easy way to go meantime.

But beware the local PD or staties recognizing that your vehicle has been hanging around, requiring you to register locally.

Parked out of sight from the road, only driven when necessary for your conversion buildout

after that ideally be a tourist, keep moving, not on a CA DL.

If I lived in CA planned to use it frequently and for many years within the state

I would really try to find a gasser, avoid diesel altogether.

But then that would be my preference anyway

looking for a GM based shortie with the 8.1L if anyone comes across them.

cadillackid · 10-05-2021, 12:31 PM

the 8.1 with allison 1000 is a great combo.. ive seen a few shuttle busses with them and i think there was a bluebird CV200 made in the last couple years with the 8.1

for someone who wants to build their own Body / living structure from the ground up, the U-haul store near me is always selling 8.1 / allison 1000 Cab and chassis that used to be their 26 foot trucks. obviously thats a ton of work to build on a bare frame...

many of the GMC gasser CV200 busses got the 454s and AT545, although the 2000 series was offered and ive seen a few... not sure how they did the TCM throttle input on those though.. maybe they used a GMLAN compliant TCM like the Duramaxx uses..

my way of doing it and others is different.. I just wont live in California.. and I pretty much will only travel there by Plane or Train... maybe regular car...

DoubleO7 · 10-05-2021, 02:03 PM

"The cooperation between states accepting each others' regos is just an informal norm afaik, not mandated by the feds"

Exactly right, the prior admin in DC tried to abolish and force CA to be federal, nationwide emission standards ONLY.
Did not happen.

Crown_Guy · 10-05-2021, 02:41 PM

All valid points of view. Only thing to remember is that it's a(the) Government, State or Fed, and they only want two things. All your money, and all your freedoms. Any way they can. You can never give them enough to please them, and get them to leave you alone, just not possible. They Never Stop. Changing the rules in mid-game is what they do. We can never win when they keep rigging the game to their advantage. Trying to do that only makes us tired and wears us down.

All we can do is try our best to comply, if possible, and if it isn't possible, then our best and only recourse is to go Full Pirate. Which means to stay as far below the radar as possible and move around till you find a friendlier place to live. We may end up needing our mobile living vehicles to go stealth and avoid all contact with authorities. Worth thinking about. Until this usurpation is corrected, the trajectory is very clear and, our choices are becoming more and more limited. That's my course of action. What they don't know can't hurt me. Good luck and stay Frosty.

Rwnielsen · 10-05-2021, 04:36 PM

My bus is a 40' Blue Bird and was previously titled as a motor home. It had a rudimentary shower and hand pump sink as well as on board generators. It also had a couple van type couches the fold down and some rough cabinets. No cooking, refrigeration or toilet. The people at AAA were very helpful and after looking at the engine (?) decided it qualified as a motor home. I only suggested them because they're real people that you can talk to without the "government job" attitude. I told them my plans and they were satisfied with that.

john61ct · 10-05-2021, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

the 8.1 with allison 1000 is a great combo...

for someone who wants to build their own Body / living structure from the ground up, the U-haul store near me is always selling 8.1 / allison 1000 Cab and chassis that used to be their 26 foot trucks. obviously thats a ton of work to build on a bare frame.

Yes but get exactly what I want

Are those 3500 platform? Want to be able to safely tow a 14000 pound trailer over the Rockies.

Ideal would be 4x4 and/or locker and with a PTO

Maybe forestry / cherry pickers?

For trannie, robust and simple is what I want, still find parts and shops 20-30 years from now.

cadillackid · 10-06-2021, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john61ct

Yes but get exactly what I want

Are those 3500 platform? Want to be able to safely tow a 14000 pound trailer over the Rockies.

Ideal would be 4x4 and/or locker and with a PTO

Maybe forestry / cherry pickers?

For trannie, robust and simple is what I want, still find parts and shops 20-30 years from now.

The cab and chassis are 5500/6500 platform, DRW. No front axle assist. Power steering , allison 1000, vinyl seats, and air conditioning. Regular cab looks like bench seat. Whether you can find anything for an internal combustion vehicle 20-30 years from now who knows.. all depends on whether the governments step back into reality or not when it comes to EV.

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