Classic Car Dealers in Texas

In Texas the county tax assessor-collector handles title, registration and motor vehicle tax on behalf of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV). For a classic, the rules that matter are the 30-day deadlines, the tax treatment of cars 25 years and older, and the choice between antique and classic plates.

Titling the car

The car must be titled in the buyer's name within 30 days of the sale. For most cars, filing on day 31 brings a $25 late fee, with another $25 for each further 30-day period, up to $250; active-duty military have 60 days. A car eligible for classic or antique plates, which means 25 years or older, is exempt from that late title fee (Transportation Code 501.146), but tax paid late is still penalized. Buying from a private seller, you need the signed title with the sale date (and odometer reading where required) and Form 130-U with the price shown. TxDMV suggests the seller come with you to the county tax office, where staff can tell you whether the title is correct and has salvage or legal problems. If the seller keeps the plates on a weekend sale, a Vehicle Transit Permit lets you drive the car for five calendar days.

Buying from a dealer, the dealer files the title application for you. Since July 1, 2025, dealers process sales through TxDMV's webDEALER system and hand over metal plates instead of paper temporary tags. Expect a title application fee of $28 or $33 depending on the county, base registration of $50.75 for a car or light truck, and the $7.50 inspection program replacement fee. A lost Texas title is replaced with a certified copy on Form VTR-34, $2 by mail or $5.45 in person.

Buying a classic from another state

Title the car within 30 days of the sale and register it within 30 days of bringing it into Texas. At the county tax office bring the original out-of-state title, Form 130-U, proof of Texas liability insurance, proof of sales tax paid and an inspection report if one applies. A car that is not subject to an emissions or commercial inspection, which includes any car 25 or older, gets its VIN self-certified by the owner on Form 130-U. Use tax on a car bought outside Texas is due within 30 days of bringing it in.

No title or a lost title

Texas offers a bonded title to Texas residents and military personnel stationed in Texas. The car must be in your possession and complete, with frame, body and motor, though it need not run. You apply to a TxDMV Regional Service Center with a $15 fee and your evidence of ownership, and a car never titled in Texas needs a VIN inspection by a law enforcement auto theft investigator on Form VTR-68-A. The bond is one and a half times the car's value. For a car 25 or older you can choose an appraisal by a licensed dealer or insurance adjuster on Form VTR-125 instead of a guidebook value, but appraisals under $4,000 are set at $4,000. You then have a year to buy the bond. A lien under 10 years old needs a release or a letter of no interest; without one, the route is a court order.

Antique, classic and year-of-manufacture plates

• Antique plates (Transportation Code 504.502) are for a car, truck, motorcycle or bus at least 25 years old that is a collector's item, used only for exhibitions, club activities, parades and similar events, not for regular transportation, and carrying no advertising. On Form VTR-54 you certify that the frame, body and motor are at least 25 years old and that the car is not a replica. Registration lasts five years and costs $10 a year ($50), or $8 a year ($40) for a car built before 1921, with no other registration fees, and only a rear plate is required.
• Classic plates (504.501) are for any car at least 25 years old, on Form VTR-850. There is no plate fee, but normal annual registration applies, and the law sets no exhibition-only limit. Personalizing costs $40 a year.
• Year-of-manufacture plates: with either option you can run an original embossed Texas plate from the car's model year, in its original colors and readable condition, if the county approves it. Replicas are refused.
• Custom vehicle and street rod plates cover altered cars. The first registration needs a safety inspection approved by TxDMV.

Inspections and emissions

House Bill 3297 ended safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles on January 1, 2025. Emissions testing continues in Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson counties, and Bexar County joins on November 1, 2026. The test applies to gasoline vehicles 2 to 24 years old, so a car of 25 or more is not tested, but a younger collectible in those counties still is.

Sales and use tax

• The rate is 6.25% of the price, less any trade-in. A dealer collects it. A private buyer pays it at the county tax office within 30 days; a 5% penalty applies for up to 30 days late and 10% after that.
• On most private sales Texas taxes the higher of the price or 80% of the car's standard presumptive value. That rule does not apply to cars eligible for classic plates, so a car 25 or older is taxed on the price you paid.
• A Texas resident who buys out of state owes 6.25% use tax, less sales tax paid to the other state. A new resident bringing a car already registered in their name elsewhere pays a flat $90.
• A gift from a close relative carries a $10 gift tax, and an even trade $5.
• An out-of-state buyer at a Texas dealer pays no Texas tax if the car leaves the state without being used here and is not registered in Texas. The buyer gives the seller Form 14-312.

Dealers and consumer protection

A private seller needs no dealer license (a GDN) to sell fewer than five vehicles in a calendar year, all owned and registered in their own name, and Transportation Code 503.024 also exempts anyone selling an antique passenger car or truck at least 25 years old, and a collector selling a special interest vehicle at least 12 years old. TxDMV's dealer manual adds that selling vehicles not owned and registered in your own name requires a license even for one. Dealers must post the federal Buyers Guide, the "As Is" sticker, on every used car offered, consignment cars included. Complaints about a dealer's sales practices go to TxDMV's online complaint system, but TxDMV cannot recover money for you. The Texas Lemon Law covers new vehicles, and used ones only while still under the maker's original warranty, so it does not help with a classic.

Flood damage and title checks

TxDMV warns that river flooding and hurricanes can damage thousands of cars at once, and cleaned-up ones find their way back to market. TxDMV's Title Check runs the VIN through NMVTIS for title history, and Texas brands freshwater and saltwater flood cars alike as "Flood Damage." Some sellers wash a brand off by retitling through other states, so be wary of a car registered in several states in a short time. TxDMV's checklist includes stains or water under the carpet, rust on seat screws, the spare tire well, recently removed drain plugs, mud behind wiring harnesses and water lines in the lights. Have a mechanic you trust look at the car.

Insurance

Texas requires liability coverage of at least $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage, and you must show proof to register. Without it you can apply for title only.

The Texas classic car scene

Mecum runs two Texas auctions: Dallas/Fort Worth at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, October 21 to 24, 2026, and Houston at NRG Center, April 8 to 10, 2027. Distances are long, so plan for transport. An out-of-state buyer at a Texas dealer can use Form 14-312, and a Texas buyer bringing a car home from elsewhere should remember that the title clock starts on the day of sale, not the day the car arrives.

Sources: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (buying and selling, out-of-state vehicles, bonded titles, title copies, Title Check, water-damaged vehicles, lemon law, complaints, Motor Vehicle Dealer Manual, forms VTR-54, VTR-850 and VTR-852), Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Comptroller (motor vehicle tax, standard presumptive value, Form 14-312), Texas Department of Insurance, Transportation Code chapter 504, and the Travis County Tax Office. Rules and fees change; confirm with your county tax office before you buy.