Posted: 4/20/2025 9:38:52 AM EDT
|
kiddo heading to grad school there this fall. Texas resident. her college car needs replacing anyway. should we get what we want locally then ship to Mass and register there or buy in Mass? I'd like to use the Mass option of buying here, shipping, and keeping registered here which is doable as a non-resident student under Mass law, but our county requires annual inspection for registration renewal so its not really feasible. i'm all ears if anyone has any experience or suggestions |
So this is what it looks like from inside looking out at the death of a republic.
|
Does your home state/county offer any exclusions or extensions on the inspection requirement for cars that are being operated out-of-state (e.g. by individuals attending an out of state college/university)? Does your home state/county offer accept any out of state inspections for registered vehicles that are being operated out-of-state (e.g. by individuals attending an out of state college/university)? [I don't know the answer to either of those questions but it may be worth looking into.] Though all of my degrees are from Connecticut schools, I did some of my graduate coursework at a University in the Boston area. I vividly remember having to fill out a Massachusetts RMV form each semester which included a very specific insurance disclosure, and getting a blue sticker that I had to put in a very specific place on my windshield.... |
|
@jad thanks for that reply, i hadnt even considered that as an option and sure enough Texas does allow an exemption for cars located out of state. and youre right about the student registration with the state for a special sticker. from what i can tell it looks like that is to avoid having to register the car in Mass and convert to Mass tags. |
So this is what it looks like from inside looking out at the death of a republic.
|
Only thing I can offer is cars in NE are exposed to salt. Unless diligently undercoated/cleaned a used car will have rust to a certain extent. A southern car w/o rust would be preferable. ETA-What school? If in Boston, having a car is more of a pain/cost than not having one. |
|
MA will want their share of taxes if you buy a car in that state, and it will be subject to yearly excise taxes based on the the valuation. Take that into consideration, you might be better off buying it and registering at home in Texas and then drive it or have it shipped to MA. |
|
Originally Posted By steve8140: MA will want their share of taxes if you buy a car in that state, and it will be subject to yearly excise taxes based on the the valuation. Take that into consideration, you might be better off buying it and registering at home in Texas and then drive it or have it shipped to MA. He would only have to pay excise tax if he registers it in MA. If she is going to be living in Boston she might not need a car. Living out in the suburbs she will need a car. We have have an extensive public transit system (the MBTA or as we call it "the T") that will get you all around the city. Driving in Boston is beyond awful. We have the joke that it can take 3 hours to get to Boston from Boston.If I needed to go to Boston I would take T in and to move around. Another thing to consider is where is she going to park it? |
|
thanks for the replies. we havent decided for sure if she'll need a car but if she does i'm going the route of getting one here and shipping it. she's got a car now but it was pretty used when we bought it and just wanted it to get her through college, which it has. i dont trust it being that far away so the plan is getting another used replacement. we visited boston and the school a couple of months ago. i had only been there once before on business probably 12 years ago and driving was every bit as painful as i remembered. between long ago laid out roads, congestion, and pedestrians it takes forever to go any distance at all, for sure in and out of boston proper. i think whats gonna end up being the deciding factor is what apartment she ends up in. some are located near train stations and shopping, some arent, and we wont know which have availability until closer to when she moves. but by all accounts it doesnt look like driving to campus is really an option since parking there sucks. |
So this is what it looks like from inside looking out at the death of a republic.