Appraisal needed for DMV. No records of a 2005 Escape

[rahmin]

Hello. We just purchased a 2005 Escape 17 and we are having trouble transferring the title. They can't seem to find a source that correctly shares the market value for my year of trailer because it's showing Escape didn't exist. They've recommended on search past sales and bring those in or get an appraisal. Has anyone else had an experience like this?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Donna D.]

Escape Trailer started manufacturing in 2004, so of course they existed. Did you NOT receive a title?

https://escapetrailer.com/escape-history/


Here's a search of the archives for 2005 trailers: https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/s...archid=4098250

[rahmin]

Wonderful, thank you! I did receive a title but for some reason the state of Washington doesn’t have a valuation that far back. They want to make sure I pay enough in taxes of course. I’ll pull together data from these past sales. Thank you very much.

[mpavolka]

Originally Posted by rahmin

Wonderful, thank you! I did receive a title but for some reason the state of Washington doesn’t have a valuation that far back. They want to make sure I pay enough in taxes of course. I’ll pull together data from these past sales. Thank you very much.

Rahmin, Were you able to figure this out? My wife and I just purchased a 2016 Escape 21 and the DMV is having the same problem. They created a WA Title for the first owners so that is not a problem, but they are unable to verify the value for sales tax. They only use NADA value guides for travel trailers and NADA does not list Escape Trailer Industries as a manufacturer.

[cpaharley2008]

Why can they not use your sale price paid as a basis for sales taxes?

[mpavolka]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Why can they not use your sale price paid as a basis for sales taxes?

I don't want to get started on Washington State. Yea, so by law, they are required to use whatever is higher, Either the sale price or the blue-book value. And apparently they have to have a blue-book value. That one is new to me.

[cpaharley2008]

Well the burden is on them and I'm not sure there is even a blue book value on an Escape.

[ghosthunter]

Originally Posted by rahmin

Hello. We just purchased a 2005 Escape 17 and we are having trouble transferring the title. They can't seem to find a source that correctly shares the market value for my year of trailer because it's showing Escape didn't exist. They've recommended on search past sales and bring those in or get an appraisal. Has anyone else had an experience like this?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I just went through this three weeks ago. I had them use a Casita for value. I took in a photo of mine and a Casita and they looked it up and I was good to go.


take your check book they hit me for $1800.00 for my 2013 15 B.

[gbaglo]

Here's my receipt for a 2009 Escape 17B. Might that help?

[Centex]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Why can they not use your sale price paid as a basis for sales taxes?

It's the same in Texas for private-sale used vehicle transactions. Here they have a thing called "Standard Presumptive Value" (SPV), obviously designed to prevent the ploy of telling the tax authority one paid a price lower than actual to reduce the tax paid / 'abuse the tax system'. Clearly, someone realized that more than a few transactions were being reported by buyers at below market value and that wasn't deemed 'credible', so the legislature acted to 'fix' that.

The link above describes how it works and some 'solutions / workarounds' for when the state doesn't have a "SPV" in their database. Personally I've not come up against the latter / OP's situation so can't comment on how that conundrum plays-out in reality in Texas.

[advdave]

I registered my 2006 Escape 17B with DMV at Skagit County, so that's a comparable trailer and they accepted the value on the bill of sale. Sent you a private message.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by mpavolka

Yea, so by law, they are required to use whatever is higher, Either the sale price or the blue-book value. And apparently they have to have a blue-book value.

That makes sense, since fraudulent sale price documentation has been commonly used for many years to avoid paying the full sales tax which is due, as Alan (Centex) explained. It's unfortunate that a government is depending on a non-authoritative and incomplete commercial data source.

[advdave]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Here's my receipt for a 2009 Escape 17B. Might that help?

If that goes to DMV, make sure they convert to USD.