Classic Car Dealers in Iowa

In Iowa the title comes from your county treasurer, and instead of sales tax you pay a one-time fee for new registration when you title the car. Old cars have it easy on plates and inspections: Iowa registers any car 25 years or older as an antique with no exhibition-only rule, and the titling rules ask for no safety or emissions inspection.

Titling the car

You have 30 days from the purchase to apply for a new title and registration at a county treasurer's office, in the county where you live; counties say penalties apply after 30 days. Buying from a private seller, the seller signs the assignment on the back of the title (if the Iowa title joins two owners with "and," both must sign; with "or," either can), and you bring the title, a bill of sale showing the price and VIN, the application signed by every buyer, and your ID. The title fee is $30 plus a $5 surcharge, on top of prorated annual registration and the new registration fee. The seller keeps the plates. A classic is older than the model years that need an odometer statement (model year 2011 or newer) or a damage disclosure statement (more than seven model years old), so neither is required.

A car from another state is titled the same way: take the properly assigned out-of-state title, a bill of sale and the application to your county treasurer. We found no general VIN inspection requirement in the Iowa titling statutes or rules. New residents must register and title within 30 days of bringing a vehicle into Iowa, even if other plates are still valid. A salvage brand on another state's title is carried onto the Iowa title.

A bill of sale alone will not get you a title. If a classic comes without one, Iowa has a bonded title process through the Iowa DOT: a car worth $1,000 or less and 12 or more model years old needs no bond, and otherwise the bond is 1.5 times the DOT's value for the car. The DOT checks owner and lien records, may send an investigator to examine the vehicle, and an antique can even be re-titled after a junking certificate.

Antique, model year and replica registration

• Antique registration is open to any motor vehicle 25 years old or older. The annual fee for a car 12 or more model years old is $50, the same as any older car; the $16 and $23 antique rates survive only for owners who registered before 2009. The statute puts no use limit on an antique car. Only trucks, truck tractors and motor homes can opt for a limited-use exhibition registration.
• Model year plates: you may display authentic Iowa plates from the car's model year, which you supply and the DOT approves, provided the current plates and the registration card are carried in the vehicle for inspection by a peace officer.
• Replicas and street rods can also use model year plates. Their first registration needs a DOT investigator's examination, receipts for the essential parts, a weigh ticket and an assigned VIN.
• Selling: anyone may sell a vehicle 20 years or older that is mainly a collector's item, with no dealer license.

Inspection and emissions

The titling statutes and rules we read do not ask for a safety or emissions inspection to title or register a car. The examinations that exist are for bonded titles, street rods, replicas and specially constructed vehicles, and a salvage theft examination, which checks for stolen parts and is not a safety inspection.

The fee for new registration (Iowa's version of sales tax)

• It is $10 plus 5% of the purchase price, paid to the county treasurer when you apply for the title. It applies to private sales as well as dealer sales.
• A trade-in between two non-dealers reduces the price only if the same person is on the title of both vehicles, with narrow exceptions for spouses, family members and entities.
• Sales or use tax paid to another state is credited; if it was less than the Iowa fee, you pay the difference.
• New residents are exempt for a vehicle they bought for use in the state they moved from. Inherited vehicles and trust transfers without payment are also exempt.

Salvage and rebuilt titles

A vehicle is treated as salvage when repairs cost more than 70% of its pre-damage value. A repaired salvage car needs a theft examination by a certified peace officer before it can get a regular title, and that title carries a "previously salvage" designation from then on. The damage disclosure statement is exempt on older cars, so ask the seller about history and run a VIN report.

Dealers, private sellers and insurance

Selling used cars as a business in Iowa requires a DOT dealer license and a $75,000 bond that covers buyers if the dealer fails to deliver a valid title. Dealers must send title work to your county treasurer within 30 days of the sale. Under Iowa law, an "as is" sale excludes the implied warranties, and a classic with no warranty has nothing for the lemon law to enforce. Liability insurance is required to register the car.

Sources: Iowa Code chapters 321, 322, 322G and 554 and Iowa Administrative Code chapter 761-400 (Iowa Legislature), plus Iowa county treasurer sources (Dallas County, Story County, the Iowa County Treasurers Association and Iowa Tax and Tags) and the Iowa People's Law Library. Rules and fees change; confirm with your county treasurer before you buy.