TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Dec 31, 2007 11:53 pm

Fellas,
how are you registering your Manx (actually a Manx copy) in the good ol' state of CA?
As a bug?
As a special contruction?

Just got my first buggy and want to get her going soon!

Thanks!
Craig

Tue Jan 01, 2008 11:03 am

My Manx is titled as a 1961 VW Roadster.......It was built in 1965.... :?

Tue Jan 01, 2008 3:44 pm

We bought ours already registered as a '66 Special Construction, and there are no smog fees due on it.

Tue Jan 01, 2008 3:48 pm

Stay away from special construction!! Try all you can do to register it to the VW pan!!! If you do not, you are in for disaster. Do you have a pink? Research and read some of the titling forums before you act.

Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:06 am

thanks fellas.
Sounds like keeping it a beetle would be the best...
Anyone else?

Wed Jan 02, 2008 10:35 am

"Sounds like keeping it a beetle would be the best..."

That's what I did. I also made sure my insurance company knows it's a buggy, and that it's titled as a VW. The insurance card says it's a Volkswagen Dune Buggy. It's a good bit more expensive than insuring a Bug, but I have peace of mind knowing it's legit. Just don't do anything that makes you stand out in a negative way (loud exhaust, tires sticking way out, etc.) and the cops will just wave as you go by.

Lee

Wed Jan 02, 2008 1:03 pm

craigman wrote: thanks fellas.
Sounds like keeping it a beetle would be the best...
Anyone else?
Is it registered now? by the PO?
when was it registered last? date on tag? was it from CA?
Is it a buggy now or are you making one out of a bug?

Getting it registered is easy if you know how.

Wed Jan 02, 2008 8:06 pm

Right now it's just the body.
I have access to a bug pan with papers.

Craig

Thu Jan 03, 2008 2:57 pm

Mine's registered as a 1970 Volkswagen... that's it. They used the pan's 56 vin # and even got an official DMV replacement vin plate riveted onto the roll cage. That's enough to make the cops happy but I wonder if I ever get into an accident if my insurance co will use the fact that the vin doesn't match the year as an excuse to screw with me. They have me insured as a 2 door Beetle even though I've told them several times its a f/g buggy.

Thu Jan 03, 2008 4:34 pm

We registered ours as a VW. Built it from scratch starting with a '60 pan.

The title appeared to be a salvage title and all screwed up. It had been sold 4 times without anyone ever going to the DMV to transfer. To make a long story short, they did a title search and found it clean, however did require us to go to the local CHP to have the VIN verified. The CHP was the one that determinied that it wasn't actually a salvage after all or we would have had to do a certified brake and light inspection (a real pain... and expensive). They wrote a nice note to the DMV who promptly issued licenses and title.

This area is really squishy, so if you don't get the answer you want, try another agent on another day, or try a different office.

The bottom line is that it is the pan that is titled - nothing more nothing less. If you wrecked your VW and put on a different body, it would still be titled as the original pan. Our fiberglass bodies are just a body swap.

It gets even more interesting if you begin think about what constitutes a valid pan. The DMV is wise to someone cutting out just the VIN and welding that to a different pan. But our Manx's are cut in half, so theoretically you could put a different front end on valid "rear half". And you could probably weld on a new rear end from the torsions back and no one would be the wiser. So I guess the minimum amount of metal and a pink slip required to register a VW would be the tunnel section from just aft of the hand brake to the rear torsion tube.

The one thing that would make life simple is to take the original donor car and get it licensed and registered - THEN build your buggy. Doing it afterwards leaves you at the whim of the bureaucrats.

Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:39 pm

"The one thing that would make life simple is to take the original donor car and get it licensed and registered - THEN build your buggy."

That's what I did. I even drove the donor Bug to work for a couple months before I was ready to tear into it. That was back when you could get a decent Bug for $600. All it needed was a new master cylinder and to have the battery charged and it was driveable!

I kept the registration and insurance current all through the two and a half year build. At that time, it was insured as a Bug, so it was very cheap. I switched to actual buggy insurance when the car was completed. I do pay a lot more, but it's worth it to have it legit.

Lee

Fri Jan 04, 2008 6:09 am

sturgeongeneral wrote: Stay away from special construction!! Try all you can do to register it to the VW pan!!! If you do not, you are in for disaster. Do you have a pink? Research and read some of the titling forums before you act.

Just wondering whats wrong with special construction. Thats what mine is. But it was already registered when I bought it.

Fri Jan 04, 2008 12:38 pm

If you register as a new title special construction vehicle, it must meet 2008 smog and safety standards. IF it is already done it is no problem. But a NEW special construction title is pure headaches!

Mon Jan 07, 2008 12:23 am

No way am i gonna make it like a 2008!
A bug pan it is!

Thanks fellas!
Craig :D