Classic Car Dealers in Arizona

In Arizona the title comes from ADOT's Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), and a buyer has 15 days to apply for it. Three things to settle before you buy a classic: whether the seller can produce a clean title, which plates the car can carry, and whether the car must pass an emissions test where you live.

Titling the car

Buying from a private seller, the seller signs over the title and hands it to you when you take the car. For an Arizona-titled car the seller can use MVD's Title Transfer Bill of Sale (form 38-1306) instead, and the seller's signature on that form must be acknowledged before a notary or an MVD agent. MVD's transfer checklist asks only for a title signed by the seller, but a state rule (Ariz. Admin. Code R17-4-204) still says a notary or MVD agent should witness the seller signing a title, so the safe course is to have the seller sign in front of a notary or at an MVD office. Many Arizona titles are now electronic, and eligible buyers and sellers can do the whole transfer online with MVD's eTitle Transfer. Otherwise you file a Title and Registration Application (form 96-0236) within 15 days; a licensed dealer has 30 days. The title fee is $4, registration is $8, and a late penalty can apply. Arizona plates stay with the seller, so you display a temporary permit until the car is registered in your name.

A car from another state needs its out-of-state title (or registration, if a lender holds the title), a signed application and, in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, an emissions compliance form. MVD's basic (Level I) VIN inspection is used mainly for title-only requests, bonded titles and out-of-state cars without proof of title or registration, and there is no fee for one at an MVD office. If a classic comes with a gap in its paperwork, Arizona has a bonded title process: a vehicle inspection, an affidavit, notice to prior owners and lienholders, and a surety bond for one and a half times the vehicle's value.

Historic, classic and model year plates

• Historic vehicle plates are for a car whose model year is 25 years old or older. They cost $25 for the original plate and $10 a year to renew, on top of regular registration, and are applied for on MVD's Special Plate Application. MVD may require an inspection.
• Classic car plates are limited to cars on the 1963 Classic Car Club of America list, and horseless carriage plates to vehicles made in 1915 or earlier.
• Model year plates: an owner of a classic or historic car can use an original Arizona plate from the car's model year, if MVD approves it (MVD calls these antique plates, form 40-9803). The same $25 and $10 fees apply, and kit, replica and reconstructed cars do not qualify.
• Cars of model year 1966 and older can be registered for five years at a time because they are not emissions tested. Liability insurance of at least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $15,000 property damage is required.

Emissions

Testing applies in the Phoenix area (parts of Maricopa, Pinal and Yavapai counties) and the Tucson area (part of Pima County), and to cars registered elsewhere that commute into those areas. A car is exempt if it is model year 1966 or older, five years old or less, or electric. A 1967 or newer classic can also be exempt as a collectible vehicle: at least 15 years old, kept mainly for club events, exhibitions or a private collection, and covered by collectible or classic car insurance that limits use and requires another vehicle for daily driving. A historic plate by itself does not exempt the car. A dealer in either area may not deliver a car that needs a test until it passes, unless it is a collectible vehicle and the buyer has collectible or classic car insurance before delivery.

Sales tax

• A sale between two private parties is not subject to use tax, so you pay title, registration and vehicle license tax at MVD (the vehicle license tax has a $10 yearly minimum).
• A dealer sale carries transaction privilege tax: 5.6% at the state level, plus county and city rates that vary by location.
• Buy from an out-of-state dealer and register the car in Arizona, and MVD collects state and city use tax unless tax at least that high was paid where you bought it.

Dealers, private sellers and warranties

Arizona's dealer licensing law treats anyone who sells seven or more used vehicles in 12 months as a used car dealer, and dealers must give a written statement saying whether the car comes with a warranty. A sale marked "as is" excludes implied warranties. Arizona's used car rule, a 15 day or 500 mile implied warranty on dealer sales, excludes dealers who sell classic or historic vehicles and does not apply to cars sold at public auction, so assume an old car comes without it. A seller must hold the title in their own name before offering the car, a rebuilt car needs a restored salvage title after an MVD inspection, and anyone who knows a car has a restored salvage title must say so in writing before the sale.

Checking a dealer

ADOT says state law lets an individual sell no more than six vehicles in 12 consecutive months without a dealer license. Selling more without one is what ADOT calls curbstoning, and its Office of Inspector General investigates it, so a private seller with a row of cars for sale deserves a second look. MVD's dealer licensing page publishes a list of currently licensed dealers, updated every Tuesday and Thursday. If a dealer does not deliver the title or registration after a sale, ADOT asks buyers to file an incident report through its Fraud Hotline.

Scottsdale auction week and desert cars

Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction runs for about nine days each January at WestWorld of Scottsdale; the 2027 auction is scheduled for January 23 to 31. Other auction houses have also held sales in the Phoenix area the same week, so check each one's own schedule. Auction buying works differently from a dealer purchase, so read each auction's terms on buyer's fees, title delivery and inspection before you bid, and expect Arizona's title, plate and emissions rules to apply when you register the car here.

A car that has spent its life in the desert is usually spared the road-salt rust of snow states, but heat and sun bring their own wear. Check for faded or cracked paint, dried-out rubber seals and hoses, and cracked dashboards and upholstery, and ask how long the car has been in Arizona; a car that came from a snow state recently can carry that state's rust with it.

Sources: Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (vehicle title, out-of-state vehicles, bonded title, vehicle inspections, emissions testing, historic vehicle plates, forms 38-1306, 40-9803 and 46-8504), Ariz. Admin. Code R17-4-204, Arizona Department of Revenue (use tax, motor vehicle sales), ADEQ's myAZcar program, ADOT pages and news releases on unlicensed dealers and its Fraud Hotline, the Arizona Revised Statutes (titles 28, 44, 47 and 49), and Barrett-Jackson's 2027 Scottsdale auction page. Rules and fees change; confirm with MVD before you buy.