Step Van/Box Truck Registration in Nevada/Arizona

[coastnalong]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]I am considering moving to Nevada and buying either a Step Van (bread truck) or a Box Truck. My intention is to convert the vehicle into living quarters.[/font]


[font=Verdana, sans-serif]I have heard Nevada automatically registers such vehicle as commercial vehicles regardless if you have converted it into an RV. With this registration you have to pay for commercial insurance, which people have described as “extremely high”. It would be nice to know how much more commercial insurance costs than insurance for an RV.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]One person said they live in Nevada, but registered their vehicle in Arizona. I don’t understand how you could explain that to the police if you were stopped.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has had a registration situation such as has been described. [/font]

 

[maki2]

Read this thread in the Schoolie forum. They discuss the process for converting a commercial bus to a legal motorhome in Nevada.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f18/nevada-rv-registration-11715.html

Of course you should do your own followup verification of the facts with the official departments in Nevada. Do not proceed on the assumption that the person in the forum got all the facts correct. It is very easy to misunderstand such things and report them incorrectly.

 

[wayne49]

Nevada bases the annual registration fee on the vehicle's MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). Dealers only use the MSRP as a starting point to give you such a deal, because it's your lucky day.
This means you may have paid $500 for a vehicle with a blown engine, but the regis fee will be based on the $40,000 MSRP.
In my case, I purchased a previous year's motorcycle new for $2,995. Come to find out at the NV DMV that the MSRP was ~$4,500. 50% more than I paid.
Coming from Michigan where the annual fee is based on weight (actual road use!) this was a shock.
Something to consider as this will be the annual fee.
The NV DMV site has a calculator to estimate the fee for a prospective vehicle.
The somewhat plus side is that NV's regis fee could be deductible on a 1040, as it based on "value". Michigan's fee is not deductible.

 

[LoupGarou]

Vehicle registration is easy, it’s sourcing insurance coverage on DIY conversions that’s more problematic. Until the conversion is complete, source insurance for what the vehicle is, not for what you intend to turn it into.

 

[coastnalong]

Read this thread in the Schoolie forum. They discuss the process for converting a commercial bus to a legal motorhome in Nevada.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f18/nevada-rv-registration-11715.html

Of course you should do your own followup verification of the facts with the official departments in Nevada. Do not proceed on the assumption that the person in the forum got all the facts correct. It is very easy to misunderstand such things and report them incorrectly.

 

[coastnalong]

Nevada bases the annual registration fee on the vehicle's MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). Dealers only use the MSRP as a starting point to give you such a deal, because it's your lucky day.
This means you may have paid $500 for a vehicle with a blown engine, but the regis fee will be based on the $40,000 MSRP.
In my case, I purchased a previous year's motorcycle new for $2,995. Come to find out at the NV DMV that the MSRP was ~$4,500. 50% more than I paid.
Coming from Michigan where the annual fee is based on weight (actual road use!) this was a shock.
Something to consider as this will be the annual fee.
The NV DMV site has a calculator to estimate the fee for a prospective vehicle.
The somewhat plus side is that NV's regis fee could be deductible on a 1040, as it based on "value". Michigan's fee is not deductible.

 

[coastnalong]

Thank you. What you had to say was very informative.

I will be looking outside of Nevada for a home now.

 

[coastnalong]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Thank you for this information.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The information convinced me my ideas of a conversion are incompatible with Nevada’s concept of a conversion.[/font]

 

[DannyB1954]

I live in Nevada near Las Vegas. I found a sweet deal on a bread truck up near Reno. I wanted to make sure that I had insurance for the drive home so I called my insurance company and gave them the VIN and they refused to give me a quote. They said we do not do commercial vehicles. I called a commercial insurance company and they asked what does your business do. I said I was not a business. They refused to give me a quote. We insure businesses not individuals.

I went to the DMV to see what it would take to have the van changed from commercial to RV. They said in addition to having a living area any electrical work done would have to be preformed by a State Licensed Auto Mechanic. I shopped for insurance from RV companies. They said once the DMV changed it to an RV I could send them pictures of the interior and they would offer me liability only insurance. I asked what would that cost. They refused to give me a price. So I figured I could spend time and money doing the conversion to end up with an insurance company that had me over a barrel. I gave up.

Nevada is not one bit friendly to DIY RV's. You can buy a Class A motorhome, strip it down to the truck chassis, rebuild it any way that you wish and it will still be an RV. It is all in the original paperwork. Did a professional RV company originally build it? Then it is an RV.

Once it is registered and titled in another State like Arizona as an RV, you may have an easier time to transfer it into Nevada as an RV. I wasn't interested in giving that a try. I had already reached my maximum frustration level.