Registering/titling out of state used 1999 caterham in NJ, how

[jlbtrans1]

Hello all. I have been looking to purchase a Caterham 7, 1999 and I was wondering if anybody has gone through the registration/titling process in NJ. The car I am presenting looking at is titled as a 1999 Caterham lotus 7 "Asse" (assembled). Does anyone know if this car can be put on the road in NJ?? It is currently registered/titled in another state. Has anyone in NJ gone through this process??

 

Thank you

Jen

[Croc]

Hi Jen - I am currently going through the process on a 2004 Caterham bought out of state. Titling was a dream (about 15 mins) in the MVC once I had the right documents (which is key!). I got it titled as a 2004 Caterham without an issue. Registering.....well.....the inspection process is driving me slightly nuts but I can finally see a way through that. If you are interested I have the inspection regs I can get scanned and email to you. Reading them you can get an idea what is likely to cause problems on your car. Strangely I am having most hassle with insurance....

 

I am happy to share experiences if you want to know more.

 

cheers

mike

[KStier]

Fellow Jerseyans!

I am just starting to look a little more seriously, aiming for a spring purchase of a caterham or birkin...(assuming I can line up the finances etc). I would be interested in any information or sources for information so that the process can go smoothly when/if I finally pull the trigger...

 

Kyle

[Boxologist]

waiting for Al to chime in would be the best input i can give. I think he did say that NJ was changing the way they title after he bought his 7 in '06.

[Croc]

The process I am following right now works on the assumption you have a titled car in another state and you have bought it out of state and then re-title it in New Jersey. This also assumes it is assembled, registered and inspected in that state before bringing it to NJ:

 

Title

Gather together the following documents:

(a) Form SS-7 "Application for Certificate of Ownership"

(b) pencil trace of the VIN

© picture of the vehicle

(d) picture of the VIN plate

(e) out of state title documents that have been signed over by the seller to you (the buyer)

(f) bill of sale - what was bought, price paid, the seller (name & address), odometer reading, sign ed by the seller

 

Once you have all this together you can send it to the address on the SS-7 (and wait several weeks) or turn up at the office in Trenton - no appointment needed. I went in since my VIN plate was not the same as the original title (number transposed). Office address is 225 East State Street, Trention NJ, hours M-F 8.30 to 3.30.

 

Once there I had a discussion with the guys whether it was a classic vehicle or under the "special vehicles" category (reconstructed vehicles, dune buggies, kit cars, etc). I was not eligible for the classic designation because my car was less than 25 years old and anyway they were planning to phase out that designation in 2009. That sounds like a looming problem for some classic-titled owners because then you have to do a full inspection. It took only 15 minutes to get a nice shiny new title....oh and pay the NJ sales tax for used vehicles....$1800 later....ouch.

 

The guys at the MVC office were petrolheads - really good to deal with. During the course of chatting they did say that a new seven without a title already from another state is not eligible for classic collector vehicle status and has to be titled as a special vehicle since it will be less than 25 years old. There are real advantages to getting collector status since it bypasses the inspection ordeal.

 

Registration

With the title you head off to another window and complete form BA-49 New Jersey Registration Application. Get the check book out since there is a another fee here ($20 from memory). You show your new title, NJ license, proof of ID/residency, proof of NJ insurance and they register your car. With this you are on the road. Again this is a quick process.

 

Inspection

This is the "fun" bit. Within 2 weeks of getting the registration you need to get an inspection done. Because a Seven is not a normal car you have to go through one of 3 (or 4?) speciality inspection sites. They are by appointment only. I am in the middle of this process and to be honest I think I would prefer a colonoscopy. This inspection is required every 2 years although the first time is obviously the worst. I was unable to get an appointment within the 2 weeks as they were busy.....car is not allowed to be driven at that 2 week point and your insurance policy is technically invalid until you get your inspection. Sigh.

 

The inspection does an OBD test for emissions and if the car does not have the OBD hookup then they put a sensor up your tailpipe. Personally I think that would be easier since the OBD readout not surprisingly shows faults in my car (e.g. my Zetec was originally an automatic with air con so thats 2 of my readout errors there I think....).

 

From reading the helpful past posts of Al Navarro on this site plus my own practical lessons (phone calls, reading the inspection regs, getting slapped around by the MVC, etc.) the key problem areas for Sevens in passing inspection are:

- NJ does not like aeroscreens or brooklands screens - real windscreen please with the DOT logo imprinted on the glass.

- high mounted brake light needed

- fuel tank needs shielding - they are not a fan of bare aluminium sadly

- exhaust needs heat shielding for the full length where it is outside and able to be touched by kids, dogs, etc.

- a new gear knob is needed to show the gear shift pattern

 

I had a copy of the inspection regs and found that very helpful

[Al N.]

Guys-

 

I titled/registered a 2004 Caterham Superlight R a few years back...I went for collector car status (it has a mileage limitation).

 

I will write on this thread when I get a chance. It is not a very straightforward process....though there was some legislation set for review this week (I got a Factory Five email about it) that may change things for the better.

 

-Al

[Al N.]

Wot. Did the "delete errant double post" button disappear during my time away from this place?

[Al N.]

NJers...if you haven't read my blog @ gardenstatesevens.org, you probably should check out the earlier posts where I document my trials and tribs...

[Al N.]

Guys...I have a heat shield for the Caterham 4 into 1 that amazingly fell off the first time I drove the car after passing the inspection. I can lend it to any interested party. Y'all know where to find me.

[Croc]

I passed NJ inspection yesterday - I am now road legal :hurray:

 

More importantly I had the chance to spend time with the inspector hitting him with questions on how the registration process works in NJ for Sevens. I have reworked my earlier post to show the process from start to finish in case there are other NJers like me out there. I have talked with 2 other guys by phone from this site who are working through the NJ process and there may be others out there. I figure there is some benefit to someone out there from writing this down for posterity. Sorry in advance this post is so long.

 

The process I am following right now works on the assumption you have a titled car in another state and you have bought it out of state and then re-title it in New Jersey. This also assumes it is assembled, registered and inspected in that state before bringing it to NJ:

 

Title

Gather together the following documents:

(a) Form SS-7 "Application for Certificate of Ownership"

(b) pencil trace of the VIN

© picture of the vehicle

(d) picture of the VIN plate

(e) out of state title documents that have been signed over by the seller to you (the buyer)

(f) bill of sale - what was bought, price paid, the seller (name & address), odometer reading, sign ed by the seller

 

Once you have all this together you can send it to the address on the SS-7 (and wait several weeks) or turn up at the office in Trenton - no appointment needed. I went in since my VIN plate was not the same as the original title (number transposed). Office address is 225 East State Street, Trention NJ, hours M-F 8.30 to 3.30.

 

Once there I had a discussion with the guys whether it was a classic vehicle or under the "special vehicles" category (reconstructed vehicles, dune buggies, kit cars, etc). I was not eligible for the classic designation because my car was less than 25 years old and it had been titled as a 2004 Caterham in the previous state. If the car has been titled as a 1968 Lotus Seven Replica in the previous state then NJ would have given it classic status on the title. The lesson here is check the title from an out of state car before you buy it.

 

They also have a collector vehicle status which came in Sept 1, 2007. This allows vehicles less than 25 years to get a sort of classic designation and bypass the biannual inspection requirement. Like the classic designation you are limited to 3000miles per year. However, the law says that the vehicle cannot be a kit or a replica or be identified as a reconstructed vehicle which was a problem for me. I attached the MVC fact sheet for this category. It may be worth exploring for someone - I confirmed yesterday that some Cobra replicas are using this category.

 

The third category Sevens fall under is Reconstructed vehicles and kit cars. This is where I ended up because thats how the previous title was interpreted by NJ NVC. Biannual inspections and no mileage limit are the features of this category.

 

Once MVC have worked out your title category then they do paperwork, you pay 8% sales tax and get your title and move on.

 

Registration

With the title you head off to another window and complete form BA-49 New Jersey Registration Application. Get the check book out since there is a another fee here ($20 from memory). You show your new title, NJ license, proof of ID/residency, proof of NJ insurance and they register your car and give you plates and a pink temporary inspection sticker. With this you are on the road. Again this is a quick process.

 

Inspection

This is the "fun" bit. Within 2 weeks of getting the registration you need to get an inspection done. Because a Seven is not a normal car you have to go through one of 3 speciality inspection sites. They are by appointment only. This inspection is not the type of safety inspection that newly built Sevens without a previous state title have to go through but it was still pretty rigorous (and frustrating).

For clarity - a newly built Seven being titled for the first time is required to go through the rigorous safety inspection b

[Al N.]

Well done Mike. Congrats...

 

I was titling from new (not the smartest move, in hindsight), but seemed to go through a similar process. In addition to the things you note, the rear exit exhaust (as my old car initially had) was deemed too low and my steering wheel too small...both things easily remedied.

 

I have heard that the rigor of any inspection really depends on the inspection site/inspector...so your contact info is very welcome. I also went through the Morristown office, but I wouldn't characterize my experience there as particularly friendly.

 

For my next car, for a few reasons, I'm definitely leaning toward vintage...to circumvent much of this process.

 

FWIW, I had read that NJ was considering legislation to allow replicas to be titled as the year of vehicle they replicate. I don't know what the status of that is, but will follow up if I get word.

[KStier]

As a guy who hopes to be close behind you with a posible purchase this spring, I say thank you very much for putting this together all in one place. Not that I look forward to the process but it should be that much easier if I have some idea what I'm doing in advance and can be well prepared...Thanks again!

 

Kyle

[KStier]

:hurray:

[Croc]

Al,

 

I know what you mean about the inspection experience depends on the inspector. Just from my personal observation yesterday I saw that the personality and outlook of the inspector makes a huge difference. I suspect at your inspection you got "the other guy" that I observed yesterday.

 

One amusing story from the inspection when they tried to enter the vehicle weight the computer would not take any weight below 2100lbs and came back with an error message "data entry error - vehicle out of acceptable range." My Seven must now be officially the world's heaviest at 2100lbs! :lol:

 

cheers

mike

[DB6]

Yes I agree,

 

Dealing with DMV even with a regular car or getting a new drivers license is normally a mind numbing experience.

Roll the dice and pray to your God that you get a "pistonhead" on the day you need to deal with a 7.

Damn, when I look back at all of the cars , registrations ,etc. etc ...that I have dealtmwith over the years as I bother to be street legal, and the hoops ,jumps and nasty ass attitude of the people at these places ( that we pay for), brrrrr...., makes me angry.

:)

I once had an inspector try and fail me as I had "3 wipers, 2 is the law" he said on a 63 E Type a long time ago.

Power to the people:hurray:

[shotgunslade]

Mike;

 

Do you know if the gas tank vapor vent on your car terminates to the outside, or does it go into a Evaporative Emissions Control system that routes the vapor into the engine to be burned, as all mainstream cars are required to have?

 

thanks

Dan

[Croc]

Dan,

 

I am away from home (and the car) right now but from reading the assembly manual (which is with me for light reading LOL) and working from memory I believe the tank vents to a some type of carbon filter which then vents into the inlet manifold to be burned. I know when I was working through the OBD readouts with the service manual prior to the inspection that there was an ECU command to dump the vapor into the manifold at some trigger point. I also remember from the inspection that my fuel tank cap was pressure tested that it was sealing and not venting - and I passed that.

 

Not sure what engine you are running - s2000? I guess the fittings are still there to vent via piping direct to the manifold (assuming this is still stock). The piece I think would be the most difficult (since I am clueless with electrics) is reconnecting it to the ECU with some controlled release valve. Is your ECU stock?

 

I will check my car on Sat when I am back home and see if I can let you know anymore.

 

Cheers

mike

[shotgunslade]

Mike:

 

Yes my 2005 S2000 engine is stock. From what I can ascertain, there are two parts to the Evaporative Emissions Control (EEC) system. One part is on the engine and is connected to the purge system. This part has a canister and all sorts of connectors and valves and it is all intricately and complexly involved with the fuel supply and return system. There is also a part that is on the fuel tank. This part involves an ORVR valve (onboard refueling vapor recovery) that sends vapor to the engine purge system, and a one-way valve that allows air to enter the gas tank but not leave it. I think the ORVR valve would be connected to the ECU. I have ordered a shop manual, so I will have a better idea in a few days. I am really hoping that the purge system is still fully in place on the engine.

 

Dan

[Croc]

Dan

 

From tracking the fuel system around the car today I can confirm I still have the fuel tank venting into the manifold. i have a metal canister (carbon filter?) mounted in the engine bay and it links to valving which goes into the manifold - so this is the purge valve you describe.

 

Whats your plan of attack from here? Can you restore the original plumbing without much hassle?

 

mike

[shotgunslade]

Croc:

 

I don't think I can restore the original plumbing. I don't have room for the S2000 fuel tank. What I'm going to try to do is to use an EEC system from a mid 90's Toyota. This system is attractive because it requires no ECU connections. The vent from the tank goes to a Y connection with one leg going to atmosphere through a one-way inlet only valve. This vent prevents the fuel tank from going into negative pressure as the fuel is used. The other leg goes into the canister with the carbon filter. There is a thermostatically operated purge valve that, when the coolant is over a certain temperature, opens to draw fresh air through the canister to purge the gasoline from the carbon. This valve is in a line that goes from the canister to a port on the intake and manifold vacuum pulls the air through the canister. The only thing I'm worried about is that on the Toyota, the purge inlet port is located so that the throttle has to open a bit before the port is uncovered. This prevents the port from being a vacuum leak that screws up the idle when the throttle is closed. I may have to create some kind of linkage so that opening the throttle also opens a mechanical valve in this line.

 

Shotgunslade (Dan)