I just discovered something interesting; the great state of South Dakota allows cars that are at least 30 years old to be registered as Historical Vehicles. That means that as long as the vehicle isn’t used for general transportation, you pay a one-time $10 licensing fee, and that’s it.
Here’s what the Section K of the DMV Motor Vehicle Manual says about it:
HISTORICAL VEHICLES
A. A vehicle or motorcycle over 30 years old that is used only for special occasions such as display, exhibitions, parades, etc., and not for general transportation, although the vehicle/motorcycle may be driven to and from service stations for fuel and repairs, may be licensed as a historical vehicle/motorcycle.
B. Historical plates can be obtained for a one-time $10 registration fee. Application is made directly to the Division of Motor Vehicles.
And that’s not all; if you own a vehicle that qualifies as ‘historic’ and can’t track down the title…
3. If all efforts have been made to locate the title and no records can be found, an affidavit must be submitted indicating efforts made in locating the previous owner to obtain the title.
4. It will be at the discretion of the Division of Motor Vehicles to determine if a title will be issued based upon the applicant’s documentation which is submitted.
Quite a deal for restorers and collectors. I’m sure other states have similar laws on the books, but this is all new to me!
Bummer of it though is that my BMW is a mere 5 years away from qualifying. Of course, I can’t really afford to keep a car for anything other than the dreaded ‘general transportation’, so it’s moot for me anyway. But the one thing that makes this slightly depressing is that cars built the year I graduated qualify as ‘historical’. I don’t feel like I’m historical…
