richmackey - the blog

I had the distinct pleasure of registering my car in Colorado last weekend. I intended to write about it then, but hey… I procrastinate sometimes.

Having registered a car in 5 states now (IA, NE, IL, CA, CO if you’re counting) I knew enough to find the DMV web site and figure out what I needed to do/have to expedite the process. In CO you need proof of identification (driver’s license), old title, old registration, emissions testing, VIN verification. Obviously the last two are the unique ones. Fortunately, the web site tells you where to go for your emissions test, and the VIN verification can be done by the same people who do emissions. Convenient. And a rip off. Why?

I have a 2006 BMW 330xi. It has 8,000 miles on it. I’ve had it roughly 8 months. I bought it new from BMW (was still on the boat coming to Los Angeles when I paid for it) and received it at a California dealership. So. The car is new. The car is efficient. The car is rated with California emissions. Given those things, you would think I could forego the emissions test. But no one can. You must pay the $25 to get the test. I can deal with that, it’s clean air, all good.

Now. The VIN Verification. This kills me. A girl at the emissions place looks at your license plate, looks at the VIN on your window (or inside the door in my case), and writes it down on a piece of paper. That’s your VIN verification. Follow me on this. I have a NEW car. Financed by BMW. I have the original title (with power of attorney from BMW Finance). The registration from the state of California. Yet, no one looked at those things as a piece of verifying the VIN. A girl looked at the car. Wrote it down on a piece of paper - and that’s more accurate and valid than anything provided by BMW USA or the state of California. For this, I pay $9. Granted, it’s only $9 but still. I would think the process could be a bit better.

So the car is registered. I’m legal. (If you have a Colorado license and do not have Colorado plates on a vehicle registered in your name, it’s a $1000 fine if you get pulled over. Per incident.) The rest of the process went smoothly, but oh what a joy it is to deal with the paperwork of getting ‘legit’ in a new state.

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Caffeine intake: 4 cups coffee, 1 Dr. Pepper (can)
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Days since last trip: 03 (Austin, TX 7/31-8/2)
Airline miles traveled year-to-date: 74,510
# of airline flights year-to-date: 79

*I have chosen to consolidate miles and not show individual airlines. Just easier that way.