Maine resident can't take delivery in Mass??

[Robb.]

I ordered my car a few weeks ago and today received a delivery schedule. Turns out that the car is about a 600 mile round trip from where I live in Maine.
In between, there are several Tesla Centers but they have me going to NJ to pick up the car. I was under the (mistaken) impression that I could take a trip to Peabody, Mass (90 mins) and get the car there. I was notified today about the delivery via text and responded that I would like to pick up closer. Driving over 300 miles each way isn't all that appealing, especially since I would have to take time off from work.

Anyone know why delivery in Mass isn't available to Maine residents? Experiences changing delivery location? Does it add more than a day or two to the schedule?

TIA

 

[Maxdriver]

Why not get it shipped? Last I heard it was $750.00 to have it shipped to NH. Can’t speak for Maine.

 

[Robb.]

The vehicle has to be paid for in full before it is shipped. I've heard some horror stories regarding not doing a pre-delivery inspection and trying to get things taken care of after the $$ changes hands and you have accepted the car. I also think paying $1,350 to ship from Fremont to NJ and then another $750 to ship to Maine is excessive. I paid less to have a Porsche shipped from Germany ;-) Decided to cancel and wait for the Cyber Truck I ordered back in 2019 which supposedly will start production in 2024. Fingers crossed ;-)

 

[bjrosen]

Read the thread about New Hampshire, it applies to you also. The problem is the tax laws in Massachusetts, you have to pay sales tax even if you don't live in MA. NJ has no sales tax on EVs which is why they transship it through NJ. Either you have to go all the way to NJ to pick it up or you'll have to pay the $750 to have it shipped to your door, If I were you I'd pay the $750. Alternatively I'd plan a weekend in NY and then go pick up your car in NJ on the way home. The weekend in NY would make the trip less of a waste of time.

 

[srs5694]

When I took delivery of my Model 3 (in late March, 2019), there was no Tesla store in Rhode Island, where I live. Massachusetts won't issue temporary tags to out-of-state residents, and as I was leasing my previous car, I couldn't transfer its tags to the new one (which I bought). I was given two options:

• Have Tesla drive the car, using dealer plates, to my home in Rhode Island and drop it there, leaving me to get my license plates from the RI DMV after the paperwork was finalized (which took a couple of days post-delivery). Tesla originally suggested bringing it on a truck, but my street is a busy one, and getting it from the truck onto my narrow driveway would have been tricky, so they fell back to the option to drive the car to my house.
• Take delivery in New York state, which apparently does issue temporary tags to out-of-state residents.

I chose the first option because the second would have been such a big hassle, as you're describing, @Robb. I suspect something similar is happening in your case, although I don't know why they'd want you to go one more state to NJ, if NY will do. (I have no idea what RI's policies on temporary tags for out-of-state residents are; taking delivery there might be an option if the RI policies are favorable.) I was nervous about the lack of a pre-delivery inspection, but unless you turn up something really bad, that's not much of an issue. If you find a minor scratch, for instance, it can probably be buffed out pretty easily. For something bigger, even with a pre-delivery inspection, you'd need to decide whether to arrange to have it fixed under warranty or refuse delivery and probably have to wait more weeks for a replacement car.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I ordered my car a few weeks ago and today received a delivery schedule. Turns out that the car is about a 600 mile round trip from where I live in Maine.
In between, there are several Tesla Centers but they have me going to NJ to pick up the car. I was under the (mistaken) impression that I could take a trip to Peabody, Mass (90 mins) and get the car there. I was notified today about the delivery via text and responded that I would like to pick up closer. Driving over 300 miles each way isn't all that appealing, especially since I would have to take time off from work.

Anyone know why delivery in Mass isn't available to Maine residents? Experiences changing delivery location? Does it add more than a day or two to the schedule?

TIA

1) Massachusetts doesn't issue temp tags to non-Mass residents
2) Massachusetts always charges sales tax if you take delivery there

Given the place they're apparently going to open in New Massachusetts, if Tesla becomes a New Hampshire dealer it could it easier for Maine residents buying Teslas, as Maine will honor the New Hampshire inspection, and as a New Hampsire dealer they could issue a 20-day temp plate as well.

 

[jlv1]

Massachusetts won't issue temporary tags to out-of-state residents

Massachusetts won't issue temporary tags to in-state residents, either. AFAIK, we have no temporary tags.

 

[tga]

NJ has no sales tax on EVs which is why they transship it through NJ.

More generally, NJ does not charge sales tax to non-residents taking delivery of a vehicle in NJ, regardless of form of propulsion.

CA and MA are the only states I have found that charge sales tax to non-residents who take delivery of a vehicle in their state.

AFAIK, we have no temporary tags.

This is the correct answer. There is no such thing as a MA temp tag/plate/registration, period.

 

[RoiDuNord]

I drove from Hancock County in Downeast Maine..stayed overnight in NJ, and drove back the next day….about 10 hours each way.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Welp.... I'm jumping back in, and things have changed since I got rid of my X in 2021. I'm in Maine full-time now, and not transferring the car in from another state, so this is useful to me, as I'm about to pull the trigger on a Y.


Quick question: has anyone tried to do a trade-in with all these hoops to jump through?

Am I really going to have to white-knuckle it from ME to NJ hoping nothing happens to the car on the way down?

 

[cloudflare69]

Welp.... I'm jumping back in, and things have changed since I got rid of my X in 2021. I'm in Maine full-time now, and not transferring the car in from another state, so this is useful to me, as I'm about to pull the trigger on a Y.


Quick question: has anyone tried to do a trade-in with all these hoops to jump through?

Am I really going to have to white-knuckle it from ME to NJ hoping nothing happens to the car on the way down?

Dump the car somewhere else, like Carmax/carvana/vroom/rodo/etc. And take a flight/train/bus down to NJ

 

[cloudflare69]

CA and MA are the only states I have found that charge sales tax to non-residents who take delivery of a vehicle in their state.

What's interesting is that I've personally purchased several cars out of Massachusetts and registered them in Maine.

They collect Maine sales tax and the dealers typically had a guy go up and register the car. Then they hand you the car with Maine tags on it.

NH was much easier. They give you a paper plate and don't even worry about sales tax. You pay it at the DMV when you go to register it.

 

[tga]

They collect Maine sales tax and the dealers typically had a guy go up and register the car. Then they hand you the car with Maine tags on it.

They are collecting the Maine sales tax so they can pay it on your behalf when they register the car for you. By taking delivery in ME, you owed no MA sales tax.

All these hoops to jump through because of the silly "sales tax due if you take delivery in MA" rules and the fact that MA doesn't issue temp plates. But cleaning up this silliness really only benefits out of state buyers, so nothing will change.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Dump the car somewhere else, like Carmax/carvana/vroom/rodo/etc. And take a flight/train/bus down to NJ

the problem with that is that I would at least like my bill of sale/MVPA to reflect the trade-in so that I do get some sales tax relief

 

[cmaster]

Actually, I used to live in Massachusetts. If you live out of state, and buy a car in Massachusetts, you do not pay any sales tax. It does not apply to people living out of state. But, if you live in Massachusetts, and buy a car from a non-sales tax state, you will pay the sale tax at time of registration.

For the op, I bought a CA in NH. It got shipped here via the transport service no problem. Only $2000 fee through Tesla.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Actually, I used to live in Massachusetts. If you live out of state, and buy a car in Massachusetts, you do not pay any sales tax. It does not apply to people living out of state. But, if you live in Massachusetts, and buy a car from a non-sales tax state, you will pay the sale tax at time of registration.

yea, I lived in MA, but moved to ME. When I had my X(pictured), it was purchased in MA and moved to ME with us. So now I'm in the "ME resident trying to take delivery of a new vehicle" category, which seems...fun.....lol


**I don't currently have the X. not moving from X to Y. sold the X because a Faberge Egg is not the way to go when your closest service center is 160 miles away. Hoping for more reliability this time.

 

[tga]

If you live out of state, and buy a car in Massachusetts, you do not pay any sales tax. It does not apply to people living out of state.

This is true if, and only if, you take delivery of the car outside of MA. If you take delivery of the car in MA you owe MA sales tax, regardless of where you live/register it. I've gone through this many times, having bought many motor vehicles/trailers/boats from MA dealers and private sellers over the last 30 years as a resident of CT, MA, and NH.

If you live in NH, drive to a MA dealer, trade in your car on a new one, swap over the plate, and drive the new car home, the dealer is supposed to charge you MA sales tax. If they don't, they risk getting in serious trouble with the MA DOR. If you ever try to register the car in MA, they will know it was purchased in MA and no sales tax was paid, and demand you pay back penalties and interest. Trust me, it's a nightmare to sort out.

 

[cmaster]

This is true if, and only if, you take delivery of the car outside of MA. If you take delivery of the car in MA you owe MA sales tax, regardless of where you live/register it. I've gone through this many times, having bought many motor vehicles/trailers/boats from MA dealers and private sellers over the last 30 years as a resident of CT, MA, and NH.

If you live in NH, drive to a MA dealer, trade in your car on a new one, swap over the plate, and drive the new car home, the dealer is supposed to charge you MA sales tax. If they don't, they risk getting in serious trouble with the MA DOR. If you ever try to register the car in MA, they will know it was purchased in MA and no sales tax was paid, and demand you pay back penalties and interest. Trust me, it's a nightmare to sort out.

That is interesting. I was never charged any sales tax for car when I bought a Prius from Massachusetts Toyota dealership over a decade ago. They only charge me a dealership fee, $499

 

[Farmer]

That is interesting. I was never charged any sales tax for car when I bought a Prius from Massachusetts Toyota dealership over a decade ago. They only charge me a dealership fee, $499

Massachusetts Department of Revenue changed some rules or reinterpreted existing rules some time ago that changed things. It's possible you bought prior to this.

 

[cmaster]

Massachusetts Department of Revenue changed some rules or reinterpreted existing rules some time ago that changed things. It's possible you bought prior to this.

When? VT same thing, I bought a Subaru from there tax-free. Only had to pay the dealership fee. VT has sales tax on car transactions as well. I doubt that in Massachusetts, changed. I know for sure when you register the car in MA, you will need to pay the sales tax.

As long as you get a 15 day temp plate ($10 free) from a NH DMV, you can drive the car out of Massachusetts tax-free or VT tax-free.