State of Arizona registration

[adamderosa]

I've recently relocated my 1972 Avanti II from Illinois to Arizona. I'm trying to get it titled and registered in Arizona and have run into some difficulty. The AZ dept of motor vehicles so far will not accept the RQB serial number as a VIN number. I have another appointment scheduled for Friday to appeal the situation. Has anyone else run into this problem  and how did you resolve it?

[studegary]

Many of these DMV people now only know about the current standard 17 digit VIN.  It is hard to convince some that in the past cars did not come with a VIN and used  a Serial Number, that may be quite short, for a "VIN".  I know that some states added an A or B to the Avanti S/N just to make it longer.    

[Jim78]

Look for the DNV clerk with gray hair.😄

[adamderosa]

Yes, the lack of a 17-digit VIN is the problem. The DMV people keep expecting to find it on the left lower corner of the dashboard, and when they don't see it they think the car has been tampered with. So far the situation had been a little time consuming if not somewhat amusing. Because the car is from another State, Arizona will not allow it to be titled and registered (in Maricopa County) unless it has passed a state emissions test. The emissions test station will not perform the test without documentation, (such as a valid AZ title) from the DMV that the serial number is the accepted VIN. They will not accept any of my documentation from Illinois.  I have an appointment scheduled at another DMV facility for a "level 2"  vehicle inspection to try to sort the mess out. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

[Avanti83]

Hard to believe no one has registered a pre-80's car there before but you should be fine at the next level. Take a picture of your car and a small summary of the Avanti with you. I had a picture of my 83 which had no title as it was from Vermont and they don't issue them at that age. They did issue a document of sale, however. 

The gal at the local Michigan DMV loved the car and she was very cooperative in making sure it got titled here.

BTW, the DMV had rules to cover these issues and she just looked it up.

[studegary]

It is not just an Avanti thing.  All older cars had neither a VIN nor a number on the dash.  They must have rules to handle this as all states do.  I guess that you just have to find the correct person.  I am surprised that the car needs an emissions test (no OBD II port to plug the computer into) and not just a simple safety inspection. 

[adamderosa]

Yes my particular county in AZ requires emissions testing for vehicles made after 1967. I have a vehicle inspection appointment scheduled for tomorrow and hopefully will have the issue resolved. 

[plwindish]

Congratulations that you have found a more backward Secretary of State facility than Illinois!  Hopefully all will get straightened out.  I thought most states did not require emission testing of vehicles over 25 years of age.

[NHcamper]

I had a small headache registering my 81’ in NH. The NV. Title stated the car as a 1982 and that is what is on the reg. The clerk could not find Avanti as a manufactured car in 1982. It took an hour to get it straightened out.

[adamderosa]

Luckily I was able to get the VIN issue sorted out fairly easily after making a vehicle inspection appointment with the DMV. I explained the situation to the officer there, and after looking the car over for a few minutes he gave me a form validating the serial #. Then, it was off to the emissions test station, where of course, my car failed....but just barely. Time for some tune-up work and then a re-test. 

[studegary]

Congrat's. on the major progress.

EDIT:  If it "barely" failed, it may be something as simple as needing a new air filter element or a timing adjustment.

Edited August 27, 2019 by studegary

[Steve_avanti]

I have an Avanti registered in AZ that we brought in from Illinois.  If you have collector insurance you do not need an emission test.  The RQB serial # was also not an issue & we received a title on the spot.

[adamderosa]

Thanks for the info, Steve. So far I have not found a way around the emissions test but I'm sure I just haven't talked to the right person at the AZDOT yet. 

[Desert Driver]

My '71 Avanti was titled in Minnesota and I had AAA handle the AZ registration. They took the info from the MN registration and titled the car as an antique (copper plate), thus avoiding emissions. That AAA membership paid off...and I just received the renewal notice from the state: $62.30 for one year; $180.30 for three years. And no stinkin' emissions test required. 

[Skip Lackie]

Federal regs allow states to exempt antique/historic vehicles from emissions inspection on the grounds that such vehicles do not make a significant contribution to air pollution.  However, state laws regarding historic vehicles vary widely from state to state, so experience in one state usually isn't much help in others.