HankG

Fees are from previous owners. I haven't actually even driven this car on the road yet and I'm still going to have to give them $700. It'd be funny if I weren't the one paying it. You guys are making me want to move with how cheap and easy vehicle registration is in other states.

I don't think the out of state thing would work. I don't know anyone that could do it unfortunately, and I have no idea what the registration fees would be like out of state then back in CA. $1200 is really a good price for the vehicle once I get it back together. This area of Northern CA values Subarus and Toyota trucks higher than most of the country. With clean registration it would probably go for at least $2000 and likely higher. I could drive it for a couple years and still sell it at a profit. My main gripe isn't that I need to spend another $700, it's that I'm basically taking the money and throwing it in the trash. Not going to see any results for it. Unless I get pulled over. Then I can have the satisfaction of knowing my fees are paying for the cop to give me a ticket. The DMV was closed today (or at least there was no one answering the phones). Going to give them a call tomorrow and see if there's any way to get the fees reduced, but I don't have much hope of that. Satan will ice skate before the government lets you give them less money.

As infuriating as these ridiculous charges are, I will probably end up paying them. Despite it all, counting the parts car, random other parts, and the $700 in registration, I'll only be about $1200 into the car, which is a pretty damned good price for a 95 Outback in awesome condition.

Jesus that looks nasty. Glad you survived, hopefully the insurance payment won't be an additional headache.

Humboldt County is Northern CA. It's high because it hasn't been registered since 2009. However, my truck was two years overdue as well and was only $400. It looks like the CHP fee is what's really raping me. Kind of infuriating that the thing I'd like to support the least is what I'd have to spend the most on. Here are the fees: Current Registration: 31.00 Current California Highway Patrol: 23.00 Current Vehicle License Fee: 17.00 Current County Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies Fee: 1.00 Current Fingerprint ID Fee: 1.00 Current Auto Theft and/or DUI Crime Deterrence Program: 1.00 Current Abandoned Vehicle Fee: 1.00 Current Air Quality Management District: 6.00 Alt Fuel/Tech Reg Fee: 9.00 1st Prior Year Registration: 31.00 1st Prior Year California Highway Patrol: 22.00 1st Prior Year Vehicle License Fee: 23.00 1st Prior Year County Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies Fee: 1.00 1st Prior Year Fingerprint ID Fee: 1.00 1st Prior Year Auto Theft and/or DUI Crime Deterrence Program: 1.00 1st Prior Year Abandoned Vehicle: 1.00 1st Prior Year Air Quality Management Dist: 6.00 2nd Prior Year Registration: 31.00 2nd Prior Year California Highway Patrol: 22.00 2nd Prior Year Vehicle License Fee: 16.00 2nd Prior Year County Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies Fee: 1.00 2nd Prior Year Fingerprint ID Fee: 1.00 2nd Prior Year Auto Theft and/or DUI Crime Deterrence Program: 1.00 2nd Prior Year Abandoned Vehicle: 1.00 2nd Prior Year Air Quality Management Dist: 4.00 Current Registration Penalty: 30.00 CHP Penalty: 180.00 Current Vehicle License Fee Penalty: 10.00 1st Prior Year Registration Penalty: 50.00 1st Prior Year Vehicle License Fee Penalty: 18.00 2nd Prior Year Registration Penalty: 100.00 2nd Prior Year Vehicle License Fee Penalty: 26.00 Grand Total Registration Fees: $667.00

Well, after doing so much work on my Subaru, I looked up the registration cost and found that it is going to cost nearly $700 to register, which I don't understand at all since my current truck had years of back registration and only cost me $400. So now I'm in the position of having to decide if it's worth registering the vehicle or just selling it and finding something with clear registration. It's a 1995 Legacy Outback in (once I finish working) basically perfect running order. Basically the question is: Is the value added by registering the vehicle greater than the cost of registration? If it makes any difference, the area I live in tends to value Subarus more highly than other areas and they hold their value extremely well here. Btw, is there any way of disputing fees or at least finding out more about them? I don't understand at all why my truck, which was just as overdue if not more, only needed $400 to register yet they want $700 for the Subaru.

Thank you for all the posts. I called up the dealership to ask for a price on the separator plate and also asked about the rear main and the guy recommended changing it. That combined with the fact that the sealant seems to point to this one not being the original, it seems like I'd be safer replacing it than leaving it alone.

The car has a practically brand new clutch and flywheel, maybe they worked on the rear main at the same time? I have no history on this vehicle beyond what I've seen from pulling it apart. Also, it looks like the rear wrist-pin access (is that the right name? the plate held in with two screws) is leaking pretty badly; is there something in there I should be replacing or resealing?

I should add that I put a few dimples in the metal housing of the seal trying to get a screw in before I stepped back and reevaluated. They aren't very deep at all, just the very tip of a wood screw. It doesn't seem like they'd be enough to hurt anything, but figured I'd add that just in case. Here's a picture of what I'm looking at: http://pages.suddenlink.net/hank-g/014.JPG

I'm mid way through a transmission swap so the rear main is completely exposed, but I don't know if I should replace it. I picked up a new one figuring I would, but my brother told me he has read that a new rear main can leak since the stock one has worn a groove in the crank that the new one wouldn't completely fill. I can't tell for sure if the rear main is currently leaking or not. There was a lot of fluid in the bellhousing and under the transmission, but I think it's just gear oil leaking from the rather bad input shaft. I've never driven the car before so I couldn't say if it's losing oil over time. So do I go ahead and put the new seal in, or not worry about it? Also, my brother said he found information about the separator plate gasket leaking and I might want to replace that too. Any opinion about that? Edit: Just realized I forgot to include vehicle info. It's a 1995 Legacy Outback.

Great, thanks for the answer.

I have a 1995 Legacy Outback that came stock with 15" rims, and the tires on it need to be replaced. My parts car, a 1996 Legacy Brighton, has a nice set of tires but they are 14s. Will the 14s clear the front and rear calipers on my Outback?