Finding a Motor sports dealer whose products are not only reliable but are able to be registered in the state of California can sometimes be a very difficult task. There are many Atv, Scooter and Go Kart dealers that are not authorized in the State of California to sell motor sports products but still do. It is important for you to know that if you plan to ride your ATV or Go Kart in state parks then you must have your vehicle registered or you might get a fine or worse get your vehicle confiscated.
In order for a motor sport's retailer to be able to sell and register their products in the state of California they must have a dealer license. In order to get a dealer's license you must have a Bond, which serves as insurance in case a dealer gets sued. Getting a dealers license in the state of California consist of taking a dealer education class, getting your location approved by the City and the DMV as well as taking a dealer exam, obtaining insurance for your dealership and filling out and turning in the dealer license application. Once you have met all of the criteria the DMV issues you a dealer's license and you can sell and register motor sports products such as ATV's, Motorcycles, Scooters, Go Karts and regular automobiles.
When a customer buys a vehicle from a licensed dealer there are several things they should know. The dealership can charge a fee in order to register the vehicles. These fees consist of DMV fees that are owed to the DMV as well as administration fees the dealer collects to cover operating costs. In order for a motor sport vehicle to be register the DMV needs four documents.
The first is a Vehicle Verification form, this form is obtained thru a third party vehicle verification company; there are many out there, most will come to your house and fill out the needed paper work for about $50 depending on how far they have to travel to get to your vehicle. You can find this type of service online or in your local yellow pages. Their job is to fill out a verification form that tells the DMV that your vehicle is in fact a vehicle. The next thing you need is a bill of sale; the dealer must fill this out the day you purchase your vehicle. The third thing you need is a report of sale of a new vehicle form the dealer also must have you fill out and sign this form during the purchase of your vehicle. The fourth thing you will need is the MSO, also called MCO or Certificate of Origin, this is in fact the title for your vehicle and tells the DMV where your vehicle was manufactured. The MSO is usually in the box your vehicle came in or if you had it assembled it should have been handed to you when you took possession of the
vehicle.
There are two ways a dealer can handle registration of your vehicle. He can charge you an administration fee to fill out and turn in your paper work and get your vehicle registered and then mail you the registration and sticker or he can fill out a statement of fact form which will state that you are responsible for turning in your own paper work and paying the appropriate DMV fees. The Statement of facts is the fifth form you will need if you choose to turn in the paper work your self. Most dealers are hesitant to have their customers do their own paper work for two reasons, one the dealer will loose out on the administration fee they can charge you and two if you turn in your paper work late or incorrectly the dealer can get fined.
For the most part once you have all of these documents either you or the dealer you purchased your vehicle from can register your vehicle. A company that I found did a great job in handling paper work was All American Recreational Vehicles. They made sure they were there for me throughout the process and were always there to answer any questions I had along the way. I highly recommend them if you are trying to buy an ATV you can ride and register right away. Hope this helped you out, happy riding.
