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Mulcheese
Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004
Posts: 548
Location: Maple Grove, Mn
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 Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:41 pm Post subject: Oregon plates |
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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?
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82 Westy: Air is cool! |
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rcook52459
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2011
Posts: 492
Location: PORTLAND ORE
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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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.
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85 westy tiico conversion.auto trans triumph TR250 1980 Suzuki GS1000l
Last edited by rcook52459 on Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:41 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Bman
Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2005
Posts: 895
Location: South Coast, Oregon
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:39 pm Post subject: PlaTES |
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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 
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~Bryan
1990 Burgandy Tintop (Wife's Daily Driver)
1989 Tiico Westfalia "Taj"
2WD Doka build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=503578&highlight=
FaceHook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/VW-T3-DokaSinka/129026087217120?ref=hl |
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Winky_D
Samba Member
Joined: September 01, 2011
Posts: 17
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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randywebb
Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2005
Posts: 3815
Location: Greater Metropolitan Nimrod, Orygun
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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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??
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1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans. |
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GWTWTLW
Samba Member
Joined: April 22, 2008
Posts: 2174
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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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.
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89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
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PDXWesty
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2006
Posts: 6344
Location: Portland OR
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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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.
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WestyBob
Samba Member
Joined: June 11, 2004
Posts: 2346
Location: Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:42 pm Post subject: Re: PlaTES |
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| 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  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. |
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Bman
Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2005
Posts: 895
Location: South Coast, Oregon
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 9:27 am Post subject: Re: PlaTES |
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| 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 ?
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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.
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~Bryan
1990 Burgandy Tintop (Wife's Daily Driver)
1989 Tiico Westfalia "Taj"
2WD Doka build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=503578&highlight=
FaceHook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/VW-T3-DokaSinka/129026087217120?ref=hl |
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GWTWTLW
Samba Member
Joined: April 22, 2008
Posts: 2174
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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Just got renewals for both the wagon and westy: Westy registered as an RV: $54 for 2 years, wagon $124 for 2 years.
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89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
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Tram
Samba Socialist
Joined: May 02, 2003
Posts: 23034
Location: Northwest of Normal
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| Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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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.
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Немає виправдання для війни! Я з Україною.
| Bryan67 wrote: |
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Those who can- do.
Those who can't? Subaru. |
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rcook52459
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2011
Posts: 492
Location: PORTLAND ORE
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| Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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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.
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85 westy tiico conversion.auto trans triumph TR250 1980 Suzuki GS1000l |
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Mulcheese
Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004
Posts: 548
Location: Maple Grove, Mn
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| Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 7:45 pm Post subject: |
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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.
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