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NOOB. Looking for a little help joining the gang.

A

Apebrains

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Actually, I'm not a joiner. But I joined here. Mainly because I can't find any decent info to save my life. Any chance you fine chaps might lend a hand?

I'm looking at an M998 locally (east coast of Florida), it's in pretty solid shape, I'm absolutely in love, there's just one hitch - it's titled a Prior Military Vehicle, and not a standard title.

So for the short term, I'd like to DD it as a work truck, and it would be surprisingly practical for my application, however...the PMV tag only permits use for showing it in parades and exhibitions - one must have proof of these events, or the 5-0 can Re-Po the Ta-Go.

FURTHER.

My wife and I are planning to disappear in the more long term (months, if we're lucky, but hey), and the current options are Maine, Oregon, and Washington state. Two out of those three purport to not allow HMMWV use on public roads. Thus, I arrive at a few (hopefully) simple question (I hate wasting peoples' time):

  1. Can a Prior Military titled vehicle be REtitled to a normal title with any amount of backflipping or corkscrewing here in Florida and...
  2. Can an HMMWV with a normal street title be driven in Maine or Washington on public roads, or is there something special about the HMMWV (as opposed to the H1, which is street legal) that prevents such? That is, if I had a normal street legal title on one here in Florida, and just went to transfer that into, say, Maine, would it be considered street legal in the same way as an H1, or is there some unique circumstance surrounding these things that prevents that?
I have read exhaustively about this, and while people say no, you can't drive a HMMWV in Maine, there doesn't seem to be any discussion whatever of specifics that explain this. I was hoping somebody here in the know could clarify this, as there must be others out there who are likewise losing their minds trying to figure it out.

Anyway, Prost für die Hilfe, und vielen Dank, meine Freunde. Ihr seid alle großartig und wunderschön...oder häßlich und teuflisch...mir egal. (y)

-A
 
Mogman

Mogman

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Welcome to the forum!!!
I hope you get the info you need here, one word of caution is we do not discus or suggest anything that would be considered illegal.

One comment I have is all the states have reciprocal agreements that I know of as long as a privately owned vehicle is legal in the state that it is registered AND the driver is a resident of that state.

I becomes an issue when the driver is not a resident (licensed) in the state the vehicle is registered in.

But don't listen to me cuz I am old and crazy...:eek:

AGAIN WELCOME!!!!!!
 
A

Apebrains

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Thank you for the swift reply. I understand completely, and have zero desire to DO anything illegal. This would be a business vehicle for me, and I don't need any legal hassle AT ALL. No time for that, since in this garbage world everything is already falling apart and requiring every spare second of my time just for repairs. No time or money for the law. That said, I'm just trying to determine what is possible within the law.

So what you're saying, as I understand you, is that, should the vehicle have a proper title here in FL, it would be acceptable in the other states and, thus, street legal? I mean, I can find another example of the vehicle, this one individual isn't an obsession of mine, per se (although it does have bulletproof rear steering installed).

Again, thanks for the time spent replying, I'm genuinely reaching my breaking point with personal responsibility at this point, and I'm hoping that this bloody tank will provide much needed relief.
 
Mogman

Mogman

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If you drive your vehicle to another state you should be OK, moving to another state and keeping your FL registration might be a problem.
Now a commercial vehicle is a completely different animal, many companies operate vehicles registered in different states, but that is way above my pay grade.

I do have to ask have you driven it? the M998 is not the best road vehicle out there, If not I would highly suggest you investigate if it will actually do what you want it to do.
 
A

Apebrains

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Mogman said:
If you drive your vehicle to another state you should be OK, moving to another state and keeping your FL registration might be a problem.
Now a commercial vehicle is a completely different animal, many companies operate vehicles registered in different states, but that is way above my pay grade.

I do have to ask have you driven it? the M998 is not the best road vehicle out there, If not I would highly suggest you investigate if it will actually do what you want it to do.
Click to expand...
Yesiree, and it would fit my needs pretty well. I'm a commercial diver, so I don't need it to tackle the highway, and I need it to put up with saltwater, nasty dead crustaceans, and tons of abuse...turns out, that's a pretty good match, ha. It's also a surprisingly competent one on the road - it tracks really well, has a pretty solid top speed, and decent road manners, considering. In fairness, I've been a Jeep driver my entire life (7 Jeeps so far), so I may just be broken...
 
C

Coug

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For Washington State it depends on what licensing office you go through, and what the exact model is. I've heard of people having issues getting M998s licensed, but there are a few of us with M1123, 1097A2, or 11XX series trucks that had little difficulty with the actual licensing process.

Occasionally though you do hear about the state contacting former military vehicle owners and telling them to surrender their on road title. It's really hit or miss, but I don't expect it to get better any time soon with the dictator we keep electing (or rather Seattle keeps electing)

If you do make it up here, there are a few of us in Western Washington, enough to do our own little rally every year and various small events (usually a dozen or so vehicles is all)
 
ToddJK

ToddJK

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Most states will vary to a degree, but I would highly recommend reading online from your local DMV about MV's and commercial vehicles. If MV's are specifically mentioned and described to only be able to do certain things and limitations as far as where or when it's legal to drive, make sure it's specified if that applies specifically to MV's in general or more so based on how it's registered. I'd imagine if there are limitations and there are no exemptions, I don't see a commercial license going around that, but every state is different.

Also, expect to be pulled over once or twice, many states have updated laws and such, it's common many officers are unaware of such changes. It be a good idea to have some screenshots or that file from the DMV saved on your phone just in case you need to further explain the situation to an officer who is asking questions.
 
springer1981

springer1981

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I can tell you how Maine works. The year of your M998 comes into play. In Maine you need a title for any 1995 and up vehicle. You only need a bill of sale to register in Maine for 1994 and older. If your truck is 1994 or earlier, then it will be no problem. They wont even issue a title for 1994 and earlier. This has the added benefit, should you move to a state that requires titles for 1994 and earlier, because the new state will issue a new title on just an old registration from Maine and a bill of sale. If that state supports on road titles for HMMWV then you would not have to worry about FMV title from Fl. All of this is 100% legal (though I am not a lawyer and I'm not giving legal advice) if you become a full time resident of Maine.

Also, not a good DD in any circumstance IMO. They are not "Safe" vehicles for DD on the road IMO.
 
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FlameRed

FlameRed

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I have a extremely long thread on my ordeal with Florida DMV Sucks Thread.

  • The short story is that if you go to a large DMV office in a major Florida city, you have no chance of getting a Florida tag, military, collector car, whatever. They invalidated my out-of-state title I got from the seller.
  • If you go to a small DMV office in the sticks, you might have a chance if they don't know the rules.
  • The State office wanted to do an inspection to trap me into getting an off-road only title, so avoid any FL State DMV office like the plague.
One other thing to consider. Some forum members will recommend you get a civi Hummer H1. For me, I could NOT afford one, and any I could afford, I did not have the skills and facilities to restore one. Now that I have a M998 registered, it was such a hassle to get one registered, I would not want to go through that ordeal again. I have too much blood, sweat and tears invested to swap it out - so be careful what you decide.

The other fact is that military parts are skyrocketed. You will pay a severe HMMVV tax. Once example is a part a forum paid $20 for went up to $200 in about 8 months. So before you buy, factor a 10x the amount of money into your fix-up budget!
 
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C

chenderson

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springer1981 said:
I can tell you how Maine works. The year of your M998 comes into play. In Maine you need a title for any 1995 and up vehicle. You only need a bill of sale to register in Maine for 1994 and older. If your truck is 1994 or earlier, then it will be no problem. They wont even issue a title for 1994 and earlier. This has the added benefit, should you move to a state that requires titles for 1994 and earlier, because the new state will issue a new title on just an old registration from Maine and a bill of sale. If that state supports on road titles for HMMWV then you would not have to worry about FMV title from Fl. All of this is 100% legal (though I am not a lawyer and I'm not giving legal advice) if you become a full time resident of Maine.

Also, not a good DD in any circumstance IMO. They are not "Safe" vehicles for DD on the road IMO.
Click to expand...
For those registering in Maine, what is the secret? Recently picked up a 1990 m998 with a clean Mass title. Local DMV was about to register until they called the state to get the original msrp and they said they cannot register an ex military vehicle. Any help would be appreciated.
 
springer1981

springer1981

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chenderson said:
For those registering in Maine, what is the secret? Recently picked up a 1990 m998 with a clean Mass title. Local DMV was about to register until they called the state to get the original msrp and they said they cannot register an ex military vehicle. Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Did you tell them it was an AM General? I had no problem registering mine.
 
TOBASH

TOBASH

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AFAIK, Florida will no longer title these vehicles.

If memory serves correctly

If you want a legal option, Pony Up and purchase an H1. I suggest pre-1996 so as to avoid computer and DS4
 
SmartDrug

SmartDrug

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I’m in Illinois where the HMMWV is verboten per the Lord of the Tumblers. I didn’t even bother with the DMV here and went with Dirt Legal to get it tagged/titled in Utah. This was several years ago at this point. It wasn’t cheap, but it was easy, I have a street legal title, despite still not having reverse/license plate lights (yeah yeah, I know), and have it insured through State Farm. I am periodically asked by snail mail to confirm insurance coverage through some third party website(takes 5 minutes), and it costs $75/year for the tag, but no inspection or other headache. I pay the money, they send the paper

Overall it was very painless and I would definitely go this route again, despite the cost.

All that said, I live in the Chicago suburbs in a very nice city, paying a disgusting real estate tax percentage, so the police here aren’t aimed at revenue generation and I get way more waves, thumbs up, and smiles than scrutiny. I also don’t usually leave a 10 mile range, so your mileage may vary, greatly.
 
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