[bentonttu]

My mother is gifting me one of my parents cars. The car is registered in my moms name, but I already live in Maryland. How can she transfer the title to my name and allow me to register the car in Maryland? Does she transfer the title to my name in Texas, and then I bring it to Maryland? It seems that only titles already registered in Maryland can be gifted in Maryland.

[smoothy]

My mother is gifting me one of my parents cars. The car is registered in my moms name, but I already live in Maryland. How can she transfer the title to my name and allow me to register the car in Maryland? Does she transfer the title to my name in Texas, and then I bring it to Maryland? It seems that only titles already registered in Maryland can be gifted in Maryland.

You are still going to have to pay a tax based on the value of the car in order to title it. No free ride around that... been there before.

[bentonttu]

You are still going to have to pay a tax based on the value of the car in order to title it. No free ride around that....been there before.

That's fine, but how do I go about switching the title when Maryland says it already has to be titled in Maryland?

[joypulv]

I didn't have to pay a tax (CT) just last month for a gifted car, but it had to be immediate family.
I don't see why the title has to be in your state? Where did you see that? I would just have her send you the title, signed to you, with 'mother to daughter gift' after her name, and a bill of sale, AND a state gift form (I downloaded one). Take that all to your DMV and also fill out a regular registration (application for title).
If they make you pay sales tax in MD, so be it. It will be based on the blue book value.

[smoothy]

I didn't have to pay a tax (CT) just last month for a gifted car, but it had to be immediate family.
I don't see why the title has to be in your state? Where did you see that? I would just have her send you the title, signed to you, with 'mother to daughter gift' after her name, and a bill of sale, AND a state gift form (I downloaded one). Take that all to your DMV and also fill out a regular registration (application for title).
If they make you pay sales tax in MD, so be it. It will be based on the blue book value.

Maryland used to... and they are so despirate for revenue I doubt they aren't doing it now...

Only they don't call it a sales tax... they call it a tittling fee. And they convieniently use the Blue book and sales tax rate to determine what it is.

Like I said... been there before, had the identical situation when I first moved there.

[smoothy]

That's fine, but how do I go about switching the title when Maryland says it already has to be titled in Maryland?

Your mom signs the Texas title as the seller, gives it to you, You sign it as the buyer and you take it to the MVA (expect to spend the day) they will take that and issue you a new title and MD tags... and you pay the fees.

Depending on how old the car is you might be able to get them to a lower value... but if it's a fairly new car.. expect them to tell you what its worth.

And the answer being you don't get to gift the car... you are going to be paying either the sales tax or the titleing fee... but you aren't going to avoid it. They have a gottcha written into the system.