Mitsubishi fuso 4x4 --register in california or not

[safariman]

I just bought a mitsu fuso 4x4,2001 for a steal in new York state . I live in california ! I had a good friend of mine from phildelphia who actually lived real close , buy it in his name for me (dealer wouldnt put in mine cos i wasnt present ). so truck is now registered in his name in philadelphia. planning on doing a title transfer into my name and shipping her over to cali. current bid on shipping is $3400
im planning a build out . bunk, toilet , Ac , solar , Basic cooker, small dinnette for 2.

now , what should i do.
1> leave it registered in philly in my name , register it as a truck out there, bring back to cali and use here as my camper.

2> bring it out to CA, register as non op, build out camper and then try to register as RV (floor area is 11x7)

3>bring to CA, register as commercial truck

On another note, how do the turbo diesel rigs do with the smog test in CA?

also any line on cheap shipping company ?


Really appreciate any info you peps can offer

 

[LostInTheWorld]

Hi safariman,
I live in CA. I also recently purchased an out of state truck (not a Fuso though) for a expedition vehicle project, so I am in a similar situation. I plan to go with your option #2. I think it is the best and most legal way to go. Because it is a Fuso, it might need to go "commercial truck non-op" when you get it here. I have several friends that have converted trucks in CA and registered them as "RVs" without much trouble.

My truck is old, so I have a different thing going for smog, but I think once it is a diesel "RV" you don't need to get it smogged in CA. However, in order to register it when you first get it here, I think it needs to pass smog if it is newer than 1997.

I have had vehicles shipped long distances multiple time. $3k for sipping coast-to-coast is fairly normal for a vehicle that size as far as I have found.

Looks like you have a nice project. Have fun.
Michael

 

[dlh62c]

Looks like a good clean truck to base a build off of.

Sourcing insurance on these trucks is problematic because they are considered commercial.

If you do get a commercial policy, make sure to read the fine print. Some insurers place a radius restriction on the distance the vehicle can travel from the address on the policy. It can be as little as 25 miles.

Source your insurance for what the truck currently is, not for what you intend to make it into.

Until the conversion is complete, Option '2' is most likely the way things will go.

 

[kerry]

Wouldn't it be considerably cheaper to fly out and drive it home? I know I can get one way red eye flights from Denver to NY for about $130. When I got mine it had a service body but I put the camper on it almost immediately and have it insured as an RV.

 

[canter tourer]

Any pictures of the inside, I assume your modifying the body that's on it now to live in??

 

[scubagai]

What year is it? Doesn't look new enough to smog..... diesels don't require smog if older. Easy to register as rv.

 

[safariman]

probably go with option 2 .think its 2001 . cant remember .lol . thats pretty bad . dont want to drive cos i dont have the time or patience. could have somone drive it and save maybe 1500 but i rather make sure its in good shape before going 3k miles.

whats handy is I already have a commercial insurance policy for an electrical company i own. will be a write of for me aswell. :wings:

not to sure what ill do with it yet. will leave the body /bed as is . i do a lot of sports aswell as track racing cheap cars so i like all the storage bins. probable change door to the side, put a bed , small toilet , refrigerator. cook outside and outdoor shower. might by a cabover camper for cheap and swap over the parts as i need them . im sure i will get inspired when i see it in person. not looking to spend a fortune on stuff i dont need. going to try and keep build under 23k including the purchase of the truck ,ship. build.

have a broken hand right now so build wont start for a few weeks.

probable do a build/blog thread on this one.

Thanks for all the info.

 

[HINO SG]

pm sent.

 

[Czechsix]

One of the other things to note is that California is going to nail you on sales tax. Yep, even though you bought it in another state.

That's one of the primary reasons I'm not about to register our rig in Cali. I'll have to drop all the CA ID - residence, license, etc....but it'll be worth it to register the truck in another state.