Car registration

Check out the emissions nightmare thread. Somebody in there commented that they have the car registered somewhere South in IL. It sounds to me, that once you have a valid address you're halfway there.

 

You have to separate state and private enterprise. The insurance company doesn't know/care about the official papers. They need your valid address for billing purposes and need to know who drives the car and where it is stored. None of that has anything to do with the registration.

There are folks who still/again live with their parents. So that address could be just as valid as any other address. Heck, I still get some stuff delivered to my parents and they live 5,000 miles away.

 

Hmm, that makes it thougher. I guess from an insurance perspective it wouldn't be an issue, but if you don't live with your parents (which I think you don't), you couldn't legally claim that address for the registration. That would be fraud and not worth the trouble. I think the only way out would be to not change ownership of the vehicle and add yourself to the insurance's list of drivers. But as you said, that would leave your dad open to liability issues. OTOH I don't think a 15 year old Merc would have that many issues with the emissions test.

 

Spike, I suspect a lot of this emmisions stuff is over rated...

If the car fails emmissions, you only have to spend 400$ on it, and then even if it fails, you get a waiver...or so I have heard. So if you don't intend to sell anytime soon, this should suffice.

Otherwise, get any cheap muffler shop to hack on a newer catalytic converter (100$ from a salvage yard) and it should pass, unless the engine is totally shot...

Now, on a ferrari, you don't want to do that, as it would kill resale...

 

Mike
I am told you can do it with a mail box address from MBE/UPS.

To go the legal route, talk to Charlie at AutoDoctor. They get cars through all the time. Rates are reasonable. Honest people etc. If nothing else, they'll give you their opinion. 847 491 9600
Philip