Licensing Two Cars?

[Keebler Elf]

For the guys who have a summer car and a winter beater, what's involved in terms of licensing?

Can you just switch the plates or do you need separate ones? Do you need separate license stickers?

I'm assuming you only pay insurance on each vehicle for half the year?

 

[tboy]

I think this was discussed about a month ago but:
No, you can't just "switch the plates" you'd have to go to the DOT office and have them registered to the other vehicle.

Insurance: yes and no. YOu have to have comprehensive on each vehicle for all year and liability/collusion for the rest.

I don't know where you live but you will need a place to store the vehicle that isn't being used. A lot of munincipalities now prohibit you from storing it in your driveway.

 

[torontochris]

you dont need to

Do anything. You should keep fire and theft on them both all the time but its up to you. You need liability to drive it, talk to a broker about the costs. In my case, the summer car is only 275 a year extra as I can't drive them both as once. If you have other licensed drivers in the house this could be more.

Don't worry about storing them, as long as you keep the tags valid you can leave them pretty much wherever, even in toronto, as long as its on your property.

 

[danmand]

I have a summer car, that I keep in my garage from december to April.
I just tell the insurance to keep only fire and theft during the time
I am noit driving it.

 

[tboy]

Do anything. You should keep fire and theft on them both all the time but its up to you. You need liability to drive it, talk to a broker about the costs. In my case, the summer car is only 275 a year extra as I can't drive them both as once. If you have other licensed drivers in the house this could be more.

Don't worry about storing them, as long as you keep the tags valid you can leave them pretty much wherever, even in toronto, as long as its on your property.

well, that's true, as long as you keep plates on them....but you CANNOT leave a vehicle in the same place on the street for more than....(I think it's 10 days).

But to properly store a vehicle for 6 months you should block it (to keep flat spots from forming on the tires), use engine store spray to keep the cyclinders from corroding, start the engine once a month and get it up to operating temp., rotate the wheels manually (if up on blocks or drive the vehicle around the block) to keep the brakes from rusting stuck, use gas stabilizer, etc etc.

I am noit driving it.

Roit mate, when did you become a brit??? lol

 

[anon1]

I know a few guys that do the following.
Have two cars that are very close to identical, same make, model and colour.
One is the summer car that is fully licensed and insured and done up the way you want.
The other is the POS winter car. Switch plates to the car you want to drive.
Be fully aware of the risks and liabilities involved in taking this course of action.

 

[Larry_Fyne]

I know a few guys that do the following.
Have two cars that are very close to identical, same make, model and colour.
One is the summer car that is fully licensed and insured and done up the way you want.
The other is the POS winter car. Switch plates to the car you want to drive.
Be fully aware of the risks and liabilities involved in taking this course of action.

Just to be clear on the risks here. 1. The plates are licensed to a particular VIN (except dealer plates), if you are pulled over and the plate attached is not for the vehcile, you are driving an unlicensed vehcile and fines/points will apply. 2. From the quoted post, it sounds like the POS car is also not insured. If you are in an accident in this situation, not only are you driving an unlicensed vehicle, you are also not insured and the MOT fines will be minor in comparison to the lawsuit you will have from the other party.

I have a summer car that is only driven between mid-April until October. The rest of the time, I have it stored in a garage. The actual license fee is minor, to reduce you insurance costs, I call the broker at the end of the driving season and we "park" the car. This leaves fire and theft on the car only. Another call in spring puts all of the coverage back on. As well, if you find an opportunity to drive it because of good weather during the off-season, another call will put it back on and you simply call to park it again. Also, if there are other drivers in the household, you can reduce your insurance costs by having a waiver signed that excludes them from driving that vehcile. Both you and the other driver must sign it. Be aware, if you drive the vehicle while "parked" in the insurance company's eyes, you have no coverage if you are in an accident. Also, if an excluded driver uses it, he/she is also not covered.

 

[C Dick]

I do pretty much the same as Larry, keep them both licensed all year, in summer I drive them both. The insurance is pretty flexible, I call when I start driving the summer car, and call again when I pull it off the road. The insurance company claim that when I add another driver to the household, they become the primary driver on the extra car, and you can't waive it. Because if you drive the summer car, that means the other guy can be driving the winter car every day. So if the other guy is 18, you are screwed.

Also, I did some research about winter storage, now I just park it in the winter, then start it and get an oil change in summer. The tire manufacturers claim the tires won't flat-spot anymore, my battery certainly lasts six months without being started. My mechanic says it is ok too. I would think starting it cold six times, including in February when the oil is coldest, would be worse than letting it sit for six months.

 

[Keebler Elf]

That's why I'm interested in splitting the insurance up. The whole issue of other drivers becomes an issue if multiple cars are insured at the same time.

 

[pussylicker]

Also, I did some research about winter storage, now I just park it in the winter, then start it and get an oil change in summer. I would think starting it cold six times, including in February when the oil is coldest, would be worse than letting it sit for six months.

Good point. Regardless if it's parked in a heated garage or not, I've always poured tranny fluid down the carb when the engine is running, and stalled the motor. The tranny fluid covers all the intake valves open or not, and has coated the inside of the cylinders while the stall is happening. Fresh oil change in the spring, and haven't had any problems yet.

So my thought is that unless you run the vehicle for a while in the winter to bring it up to operating temp to warm up the exhaust and get rid of any condensation, starting it for a minute or 2 isn't really helping.

 

[elmufdvr]

insure the summer car with silver weels.. they specialize for older cars... i insure my old car 69 pontiac ( $ 187.00 for the year).. i have ins for my truck( $1,600).. and also i have insureance on my two bikes ( $350.00 each)... all are licenced and stickered mind you i do not have any tickets on my record..... birthdays suck cause you have to buy stickers for all or most on any given year... so i just ask for cash for my b-day.. it helps...

 

[goalie000]

I park my Mustang for the winter, and there was no real savings by taking the complete coverage insurance off of it for 6 months. It has it's own registration and insurance the same as my SUV.

 

[Larry_Fyne]

... The insurance company claim that when I add another driver to the household, they become the primary driver on the extra car, and you can't waive it. Because if you drive the summer car, that means the other guy can be driving the winter car every day. So if the other guy is 18, you are screwed....

That's what the bastards told me too! I did some research and with the help of a friend who works at an insurance company we found that they are full of crap. If you have 3 vehicles and 3 licensed drivers, each driver is primary on 1 car. If you waive a driver from 1 car that means that there are only 2 vehciles available to all 3 drivers, one driver is automatically a secondary driver on the 2. There is Ontario legislation that says that an insurance company CANNOT refuse your wiaver. The first thing out of their mouths is that it can't be done, but if you contest it and show them the Ontario Legislation reference, they cave in. It is worth the fight, made the difference between paying $12,000 per year or getting rid of the sports car, or paying $1700 per year and keeping it.