Which State to Call Home

[Kirk W]

5 hours ago, Twotoes said:

Kirk, you usually are a good fellow but this time you made me mad,

Sorry to have angered you, but I suppose that you kind of irritated me as well, so perhaps that makes us even? 😁

My point is that you did use negatives to TX as a justification for selecting SD, rather than stating positives about SD and the numbers that you gave were wrong. Would it not be better and more accurate to have said that SD has less sales tax and no vehicle inspection? The TX vehicle inspection is waived when you are renewing from out of state and is not needed until you return to the state. I once went nearly 2 years after registration, without entering the state at all. In TX you only need to appear in person for driver's license renewal once each 12 years. And you do not have to prove that you spent any nights in the state when renewing your license. 

TX isn't the best choice for everyone, any more than SD is or any other one state. Each of us needs to choose that state of domicile which serves them best but it is important to do this based on accurate information about each state. 

[Solo18]

You also should consider other costs than just income tax.  For example, I pay a small amount of state income tax in Ohio, but my insurance costs are fairly low there.  Also, my license plate for my motorhome is a flat $59 per year, and they allow me to buy plates for up to five years. That is about as cheap as you can get.  And my mail goes to my son who can open things up if they look important!  That is a big bonus to me.  And there is Cleveland Clinic if I need serious care and need to stay with my son for treatment of some sort. 

One big advantage of some states is the discount you get on state parks.  Florida gives you a good discount, as does Ohio. Some other states give you exactly no discount! 

[FL-JOE]

Just like Linda originally said, there are just tons of different things to consider.  We wanted to make things as easy as possible and at the same time we certainly did not want to pay extra anywhere.

For us Florida works, but we also spend 4 or 5 months a year down here.  When we vote we have "skin in the game" at all levels on the ballot.  We pick up our mail in person while down here and see all of our doctors.  We also maintain a small climate controlled storage locker a few miles away.  My annual registrations for a DP, 24' enclosed trailer, car, and motorcycle is under $180 per year total.  

[JRP]

One negative in Florida is they consistently have much higher vehicle insurance rates. Of course insurance always varies a bit, based on vehicle type, coverage's and your personal record. But the experts who rank insurance costs by state, always have Florida in the top 5 most expensive. Its mostly due to their mandated Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage.  

The same insurance cost rating lists usually have SD toward the lower cost end and Tx in the middle. Insurance cost is just one factor in this choice, important to some, not so important to others.

[whj469]

Kirk stated that the sales tax on vehicles in Texas was 6.25% anywhere in the state. Sales tax on other items and services go from 7.25% to 8.25% depending on county. If you spend summers in Texas, even some of it, it is to hot and humid! I have a small ranch in SE Texas and we go to the UP of MI for the whole summer and we also spend time in Florida during the winter. Florida would be my choice if I didn't have lots of family in Texas. Good Luck! Health care also is important.

[Barbaraok]

No, he said the state sales tax was 6.25% and that is what is charged in Polk County.  Other counties and cities may have additional taxes.  If you are a full timer you can follow the 75 degree mark.  Don’t understand what point you are trying to make?

[Kirk W]

3 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

No, he said the state sales tax was 6.25% and that is what is charged in Polk County.

What I said was that the sales tax on vehicles in TX is 6.25%, as stated by the TX Office of the Comptroller. 

[Adie]

Everyone thanks for the info. As we thought lots to think about. 

[Twotoes]

Kirk. Because of your time on the road you are a wealth of information and I do appreciate all the replies and information you provide. Thanks

[Kirk W]

3 hours ago, Twotoes said:

I do appreciate all the replies and information you provide.

We need you, youngsters, too!  ☺️ Actually, that isn't just in jest as sometimes we "old timers" get stuck in a rut and fail to notice some of the changes that take place. I still learn things from these forums pretty frequently. 

[packnrat]

On 2/25/2019 at 4:58 AM, Kirk W said:

That is correct. It is a very simple test done with a machine sitting on the counter at each license window by the employee working there. It just verifies if you need glasses to drive & that you can see enough to do so. It takes only a couple of minutes. 

that's strict.  in ca it is only read a line off the chart on that wall over there.

[NDBirdman]

12 hours ago, packnrat said:

that's strict.

Ya thing that's bad, I personally saw something at the DMV that to this day has me scared.  I said *I* was there, *I* saw it.  I would never have believed anyone telling me this, but it is true!

I was waiting for my number to be called when a DMV employee came out and stood in front of an senior citizen, I guess close to 90.  She asked the lady, who was sitting down, to pretend her feet was the brake and gas pedals.  She told the lady to step on the brake, the lady hit and kept pressing on the testers left foot, (simulated gas pedal).  The tester said to her several times, not the gas pedal, press the brake pedal.  After about the 3rd time, she finally pressed on the testers rt foot to hit the brake.  The testers rt foot was to the lady's left, and testers left foot was to the seniors right, simulating the gas pedal (she was facing the senior).  Then she told her to give the (car) some gas to take off.  Took twice, the senior hitting the testers rt foot (brake) before she finally relented and hit the testers left foot simulating the gas pedal.  The way the senior was acting, I was thinking she was having a hard time seeing the tester standing in front of her.

I think it's sad the tester did not have the back-bone to do the right thing but nope, she got her lisc. and drove away, very slowly.  It's because of B.S. like this and a couple other things that happened, I refuse to ride my Harley-D. in any town/city.  I ride in the country and on divided hiways as much as possible, and yet I still have some scary tells I could tell you that did happen to me.

Sorry if I got off track, back to the original bat channel.

[Dutch_12078]

12 hours ago, packnrat said:

that's strict.  in ca it is only read a line off the chart on that wall over there.

If it's similar to the machines NY state uses, it simply standardizes the testing without the variations of wall distances, lighting, and outside distractions. It used to include a simple color blindness test, but I haven't been tested at a DMV office in years, so I'm not sure if they still do that or not.

[Twotoes]

We need you, youngsters, too!  

Thanks Kirk. At 65 years old I haven’t been called a youngster in a long time. When my daughter hit 40 a couple of years ago I told her how does it feel to be 40 now! She replied, how does it feel to be the father of a 40 year old, lol lol lol 😆 

[Barbaraok]

Oh I know that feeling.  My daughter has adopted my stance on birthdays, we both now celebrate the anniversary of our 39th birthdays.😎

[CockneyUSA]

One thing I didn't see in the posts was the registration fees. I have no idea what Fl & SD charge but for a Class A over 26,000lbs in Texas  it is $545 per year.

[Barbaraok]

[whj469]

Where I live in Texas the sales tax is 7.25% but for vehicles, RVs included, it is 6.25%. In Harris County, TX  (Houston) the vehicle sales tax is 6.25% other good and services 8.25%.

[Kirk W]

3 hours ago, Twotoes said:

She replied, how does it feel to be the father of a 40 year old,

It is even more fun when they turn 50!

[Dutch_12078]

22 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

It is even more fun when they turn 50!

Yep... Our twin daughters are nearing 52. Should have heard them complain a couple years ago when the AARP mail started!

[sandsys]

5 hours ago, Kirk W said:

It is even more fun when they turn 50!

That's coming up for us in October.