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Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:41 pm

We recently moved to Oregon and the time has come to re-license the van. In Mn it was classified as an RV and so had RV plates. It is my understanding that here in Oregon you have options as to what plate to put on. Is this correct? If so, what do you recommend and why?

Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:36 pm

write down it's a vanagon it might get by and save $100 every 2 years when you get tags.i wrote down vw bus when i had my 68 camper and it worked,but my vanagon they caught it(motor home plates).cost 100 bucks more every 2 years.you'll see half the campers with regular plates and the other half have motor home plates.

Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:39 pm

Yes you do have options for plates.

If you are a no-frills guy go with the Douglas Fir white, blue and green plate that is common. If you want to spend the $43-123 every biennium you can go with any of the following:

Pacific Wonderland: blue/yellow plate historical
Salmon: green with salmon, supports oregon fisheries restoration
Cultural: orange/black supports cultural activities
Crater Lake: blue/white supports Crater Lake NP (only NP in OR)

Check out for full details:
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/vehicle/plateregular.shtml

As a biologist and fisherman I'm partial to the salmon plates myself. A great mod is to paint out the douglas fir on the common plate and paint in a stump, gives a more acurrate picture of the Oregon Coast where I am from :cry:

Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:53 pm

In Oregon, a "Motor Home" is defined as a vehicle "...designed to provide facilities for human habitation." (ORS 801.350) The DMV Motor Home Schedule of Registration Fees adds "(permanent sleeping and cooking facilities)" to that definition.

So, if your Westy is a full camper it's a Motor Home in the eye of DMV, but if it's a Weekender (no stove, fridge, or sink) then it's a regular Passenger Vehicle.

Motor Home registration fees are based on vehicle length; the fee for a 6-14 ft vehicle is $54 on the form I'm looking at now (but that is less than the Passenger Vehicle fee, so this form may be outdated). I paid the 6-14 ft fee the last time I renewed my full Westy camper.

Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:55 pm

I also vote for salmon. If you have a Westy then they will send you RV plates, based on the small size of the Van, it is not much.

If you use and enjoy the way we have kept and preserved our state, is $2 a month too much to pay??

Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:14 pm

It's actually cheaper to register it as a motorhome now. I had to renew both the westy and wagon at the same time and the westy was about $30 cheaper.

Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:20 pm

I had a 77 camper that was registered as a motor home. My 89 Westy is registered as a van. About 10 years ago, motor home registration was a lot more expensive. I also thought it was yearly and not every two years like cars. Things may have changed.

Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:42 pm

Bman wrote: If you want to spend the $43-123 every biennium you can go with any of the following

Last year I got the Pacific Wonderland plates for the sinka. It was a one-time $100 fee (plus reregistration) but otherwise treated like the common tree plates every two years. Is this what you're saying ?

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But to the OP ... a lot is based on whomever you get at DMV. If you have RV on your MN title then you may have no option other than the yellow/blue RV plates.

But when you fill out your application for title put down the model as a 'vanagon', as another said, and see if that flies. If they challenge then politely try a plea such as, "it's just a little van" thing .... they may ask if it has a sink/stove/fridge thing or maybe you'll get someone who'll let you slide through with the lower fee 'tree' plates.

You do have the option of going to a different DMV office and try again with your original application (within reason and not to raise too much suspicion) to try with another agent as long as the first 'bad' one hasn't already processed.

I'd recommend not driving the westy to the DMV office .... some agents may want to see it (check VIN) and others not but at first I wouldn't put it 'out there' to be declared an RV unless they insist.

Overall it's incumbent upon the agent you're dealing with to make the call. You should never lie if confronted directly at DMV but you're allowed to play the game :wink: So far I don't know of any full westy being busted for passenger vehicle plates afterward.

In the past I've encountered both dogmatic agents and those who couldn't give a rip if there was a squirrel in a cage under the hatch.

Tue Mar 06, 2012 9:27 am

WestyBob wrote: Bman wrote: If you want to spend the $43-123 every biennium you can go with any of the following

Last year I got the Pacific Wonderland plates for the sinka. It was a one-time $100 fee (plus reregistration) but otherwise treated like the common tree plates every two years. Is this what you're saying ?

It is my understanding that the specialty plates have a surcharge each time you register; I believe this is true for the salmon, culture and Crater Lake plates, but obviously not for your Pacific Wonderland.

I've got a motor home plate on my 89 Westy, and I purposely sought this out. My reasoning was that if I ever got pulled over by the Po-po and was getting hassled and they wanted to search me they would need a warrant as the vehicle was a "motorhome" and thus my "home" protected under the constitution (what can I say I'm a distrustful NYer!).

On my other rigs I just have the tree plates because I'm a cheap bastard.

Wed Aug 01, 2012 5:16 pm

Just got renewals for both the wagon and westy: Westy registered as an RV: $54 for 2 years, wagon $124 for 2 years.

Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:39 pm

I don't know where you guys are getting your info, but I have a Mercedes mini- bus registered as a motorhome, and my plate renewal is $193.50 for two years... just got the bill today.

Wed Aug 01, 2012 8:00 pm

got mine over a year ago registered as motor home cost me something like $248 including title transfer for 2 years.it's like $100 more every 2 years than regestered as a van.marked mine as vanagon and the guy caught it.30 years ago had bay window camper.girl next door used to bitch to me because mine wasn't regestered as motor home and her's was about how much more she paid back then.

Sat Aug 18, 2012 7:45 pm

I forgot about this post. I ended up registering it as a regular vehicle. I asked the guy if I needed to register it as an RV. He asked why would I want to do that because it was about twice the price. He said do I have on board sleeping? I said yes. He just kind of let if go and registered it. I dont think he realized what it was. This was in a small town in central OR, Madras. If your not driving a truck or riding a horse your odd. It worked out since I like the mountian/fir plates.