New Mexico resident for 7 years and want to combine purchasing a new car with visiting friends in CA. NM sales tax rate is 3% vs. CA 8.75% Thank you.
No problem. All the dealer has to do is input your home address with zip code and the software will charge sales tax for your county, not for Berkeley Ca.
You can get a one way pass so you can register the car in NM instead of CA. Then you’ll only have to pay your state’s registration fees. But a one way pass means you have to drive straight back home. It’s not good for driving around CA while you’re visiting.
So you can either wait until you’re ready to leave to buy the car. Or buy it while you’re visiting and pay CA reg fees. Once you get home, you can re-register the car in your state and NM will give you a refund of the fees you paid in CA.