rbuswell

There is a lot of worry and angst going on with the collector’s plate rules, late renewal fees, emissions and cars in restoration or rehab in Colorado. The various forums, along with other things I’ve been reading and hearing, prompted me to do the research and act on bringing my car, a 1982 911SC, up to full compliance given its status as a non-running car in rehab. I also wanted to know the deal when it comes to upgrades I want to do to the car for performance and drivability reasons. Here are some bullet points on what I found out:

• The clerk who helped me at my DMV office in Castle Rock (Douglas County) is also a friend of mine from my church so I doubt if she would steer me the wrong way. Further she is very thorough and seemed quite current on the rules.
• If you’re late when renewing your plates you’re going to pay $25 per month up to a maximum of $100, no exceptions! There is still a one month grace period after your plates expire. Even if your renewal is only $10 your late fee is still $25 a month. So a guy with a little trailer could end up paying ten times his renewal in late fees if he spaces the renewal for five months. Many of the state DMV offices are now hiring off-duty uniformed cops to guard against patron violence over this new tax. Governor Ritter is supposedly working on a modification of the rules for special cases.
• The rules for getting a collector’s plate and keeping it current haven’t changed as far as she has heard. The recent story on Pelican of the fellow with the old Mustang not being able to keep his collector’s plate because he was late in renewing his tags seemed completely wrong to her. She thought that perhaps the fellow balked at paying the late fee of $25 per month. I looked at the regs on the Colorado DORA site and it seemed to confirm that there was no change other than the late fee.
• She confirmed that once a car has collector’s plates, it won’t have to pass a formal emissions test again. The car has to pass once to get the first plates however. The new owner of a car you sell will also have to get it to pass once to get his collector’s plates.
• A car over 25 years old that can’t pass emissions because it isn’t running (in restoration, for example) will still need to have the ownership tax paid until it is running. You will need to get a tag to display on your dash to show the ownership tax was paid. The only place to pay this tax is the huge Colorado Dept. of Revenue office at 1881 Pierce St., Lakewood, CO (about four blocks east of Wadsworth on 20th Ave.). Bring your car registration, most recent renewal post card from the DMV, driver’s license and either cash or a check. You don’t need to show proof that the car isn’t running which surprised me. They prorate the ownership tax to the year-end and the tag is good until the end of December. The tax for my car was all of $1.75 and I was finished in about five minutes (your results may vary). The tag needs to be renewed every year.
• If you get the ownership tag, there’s an implied waiver (both the DMV and DOR clerks agreed) for the late fee until the car is running and passes emissions; then you need to go to your usual DMV office to apply for your collector’s plates if that’s your objective.
• For about $6 you can get a temporary permit at the DMV to put in the rear window, that’s similar to what you’d get with a new purchase, to ferry your car to the emissions station. Otherwise, if your plates are expired you may get pulled over. If you don’t have to drive really far to an emissions station it may be worth the risk. You also may be able to show the ownership tag and explain what you’re doing and get the cop to let you go.
• You’ll pay for five years all at once when you get your collector's plate but the total tab on a collectable car is pretty low so this is a no-brainer. You will not have to get another emissions test BUT your car is still subject to emissions laws (see below)!
• The DMV clerk gave me the number for the Denver Emissions Testing Center to get questions answered about modifying emissions equipment. It is 303-744-2442. As I recall, the option you hit is “3”. I spoke to a VERY knowledgeable and personable fellow who knew the CIS system in my car (he called CIS a “pig”) and exactly what I’m proposing to do, which is a MegaSquirt high-impedance EFI with MSD. He acknowledged that a bunch of CIS stuff should be deleted and it would still run far better with lower emissions.
• He coached me on what to do when I take my car in for the emissions test. First, the technician doesn’t need to know what was removed so don’t offer any info on what has been changed. If you do say anything, you’ll be sent to his downtown testing center. The technician will only look for 1) a three-way catalytic converter, 2) an O2 sensor and 3) an evaporative tank. If the car passes, everything else under the hood is up to the owner.
• I also asked him about the urban myths surrounding the “drive by” emissions testing stations at freeway on-ramps. The myth that the guy in the testing van manually looks at plates and test results as the car passes by (therefore he only analyzes a very low number of cars) is bunk. The plates and test results are all captured by computer and a file is compiled to weed out dirty cars. He said that myth about the guy in the van looking at each car’s results is “so 70’s”.
• The only time a car isn’t tested is when the technician is calibrating the equipment which is two or three times a day. He recommended that if you know your car is clean that you drive through as many of those mobile stations as possible to increase your chances that you won’t have to take your car in for a test you pay for. It will save you about $24 and the time and stress of having some hack technician mess with your car.
• If a car fails at mobile test stations, regardless of whether it has collector’s plates or not, it CAN be summoned into their advanced center in Denver (not the normal emissions test stations) for further testing. A dirty car with collector’s plates will likely only be called in if it is scanned at numerous mobile testing stations. He used the example of a guy who drives his polluting 1965 Chevy truck all the time to run his construction business but is trying to get by the emissions rules by calling it a collectable. A car cannot be used commercially and/or as a daily driver and still be considered a collectable. The collector regs are designed to allow people to enjoy special events in their old cars, which would otherwise be hard to get to pass emissions; not to drive and pollute all the time.

MrJTP

Wow, excellent post. Thanks for taking the time to dig it all up and then share it.

rbuswell

It may be a good post but it wasn't quite definitive. Here's the bad news on the emissions law including how it relates to collector's plates courtesy of porschenut on Pelican. If you have a post 1975 car that would otherwise qualify for collector's plates you better get it through emissions and collector's plated before September 1st.

http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_d...09a/sl_322.htm

arrivederci

Also, you don't have to run your car to an air-care colorado emissions station to test cars that don't go on a dyno. I took my federalized, euro SC to a non air-care colorado emissions shop and I'm not sure the test guy looked for anything (not sure it is supposed to have a cat either) other than a tailpipe. Both my '81 and '72 passed easily and are on collectors plates.

Mark51960

http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/53596327.html
The laws have changed

theiceman

i think Collector plates is missused anyway and is a good change .. I know guys who use their cars all summer as daily drivers but have a collector plate on just to get around paying their share of tax.

Igooz

rbuswell..thank you very much...great post.

Two years ago I bought a 930 and decided to get Colorado plates. After 6 tries through the DEQ I gave up and trucked it back to IL where it immediately passed! IL allows emission exemption as long as you can demonstrate homeownership in another state and that the car is out of state. Actually a useful law IMHO.

Your post gives more options for CO plates, etc.

Thank you!

raspritz

The information in this ancient thread is long obsolete. Read the Colorado DOT website. Collector cars are now defined as 32 years old and earlier or 1976 and newer previously registered as a collector car by 2009. Cars from 1975 and earlier don't need to pass an emissions test. Unless your 930 is a 1975, it has to pass the emissions test.

Igooz

^Thanks...Just noticed the date...
Back to square one...I will keep my IL plates and run with them in CO until I get pulled over...

JonSnow83

Anyone in CO have an idea on whether it will be difficult to title and register my ROW 85 Carrera that's currently registered in IA? Looks like I'll have to put the cat back on for emissions regardless.

salukijac

I thought the rules were different depending on the county. I don't have to smog my car in Colorado Springs (El Paso County) on a yearly basis. Don't know if the rules are different when registering the car for the first time. I know I didn't have to do it when I bought the car in 2009.

il pirata

Maybe where you live…in Colorado to get the Collector plate they have to pay 5 years in advance for the privilege…and renew on an ongoing basis.

il pirata

They are.

Here is the current URL for details:

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dmv/gas-vehicles

Currently the full counties of Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson and portions of Adams, Arapahoe, Larimer, and Weld counties require a passing emission test to register a vehicle.

il pirata

Current URL

http://aircarecolorado.com/about-the...er/exemptions/

Gray Market Vehicles
Non-U.S.-certified vehicles, sometimes referred to as "gray market" vehicles are those manufactured for sale and use in other countries. These vehicles may or may not come equipped with all of the emissions control components required on all U.S. vehicles.

In order to pass the Denver-area emissions test, these vehicles must be properly retrofitted, or the owner must present state-approved paperwork for an exemption. Such vehicles must be evaluated at an emissions technical center operated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). For information or an appointment, call 303-744-2442 (and press 3). Paperwork from this evaluation (state form DR 2365) must be presented to the emissions testing center in order to obtain an emissions test. Save this evaluation paperwork as it must be presented at all future emissions tests on the vehicle.

There is another post that list which areas require emission testing, check to see if where you plan to live is located in an emission testing area.

JonSnow83

Thanks Bob!

I wonder what constitutes "state-approved paperwork for an exemption"? I have the original docs from EPA when the car was imported showing proper conversion at the time. Of course, since then the cat and the stock exhaust have come off.

It sounds like your fate rests in the hands of the CDPHE and how forgiving they are. Not what I would call "reassuring".

Maybe I should just buy a GT3 and forget about air cooled cars altogether...