I live in North Carolina and see in Cycle Trader that Polaris ATVs are much cheaper in Tennesee b/c you don't pay sales tax, freight and doc fees, and prep costs. I'm looking at the Sportsman 400 for $4633 which I think is a great price, but wondering if there's a catch for buying out of state that I need to be aware of. Thoughts?

 

When you register it in your state, they will probably require you to pay the sales tax.

 

I live in Maryland and bought mine in Pennsylvania. Didn't have to pay PA taxes and we don't have to register in MD, so it works out. As Vinnie says, if NC requires registration, they will probably hit you up with NC taxes.

 

What will happen, is the store will report the sale. Doesn't matter if it is registered or not. At that point the government knows it been sold, to whom and where. Expect a tax bill from your state after they get that information. At least that's what happens if you purchase from Chatanooga (guessing that's who you're talking about). Still, the price may be better than anywhere else, even if you do pay the taxes.

 

I disagree with you Scootergptx. Myself and 3 others went to Chattanooga and bought 4 atvs and brought them back to WV. We've had them for over a year and never a bill one from my state. I've bought numerous atvs from out of state and unless you register it or trade it in in your own state you won't have to pay taxes. I traded one in at a dealer in WV once and had to pay taxes on the difference between it and the one I bought out of state and that was it. We saved over $1000-1400 on each of the atvs we bought down in TN. I also spoke to the guy at TN dealership and he said any dealership can do what he does. THey just got to have the $$$ to fork out. I talked to him the other day and he informed me that he bought every left over atv that polaris had. Said he'd not be getting anymore 06's in until Jan. or Feb.

 

That's the story I've gotten from someone who has bought there. It might not happen, but just saying be prepared. The only thing worse than the government wanting your money, is trying to get money out of the government. Just went back and checked. It was purchased at Chatanooga in April 2003, and he recieved the notice in Oct of 2005.

 

would depend on the state in which you live. some states require registration if the machine is ridden on public property. I bought a machine in NY tax free because I live in MA. If I register it I will have to pay the sales tax. I only use it on private property so I don't need to register. even if I did, the deal I got would still have been better than buying in state.

 

Thanks all. I just moved to NC and the Government is hitting me up for "special taxes" for my cars, so I'm sure they'd hit me up for sales tax on an atv. Now I need to decid to go for the Sportsman 450 or the Hawkeye 4x4.

 

Hey all. I went to the dealer yesterday and he showed me the NC Use Tax law which basically states that ATV/Recreational Vehicles bought outside of NC will be charged tax when the sale is reported to the state. It doesn't matter if you register the ATV or not, the NC government will eventually charge you the sales tax. IN ADDITION, they will charge you penalties for not reporting the purchase. Beware of these laws as you could get slammed.

 

I hope you are getting something in return in the way of trail use across the state if they are gonna make you pay tax on the machine. I don't mind paying taxes as long as we the people get something in return. I have a friend down the road who is an Environmental Police Officer and he said I don't need to register if I stay on private property and off the road. This isn't his territory anyway so he said not to worry about seeing him up here unless it's a friendly visit. Registration is how they get the sales tax in MA, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they adopt a policy like yours in NC.