Inspections and registration

Yesterday I wrote something about my first car, at least I think I did.  It was 3 a.m. when I wrote my last BLOG. Who writes BLOGs at 3 a.m.?  Only the sleep impaired.

I was thinking about that car some more and realized that I had to take it in for inspection every time I got my registration renewed.  The car always failed inspection.  The "little old lady's" car had definite balance problems.  This "little old lady" also has balance problems due to new hardware in her knees.

I don't know and never did find out what caused my auto to always fail on wheel alignment/balance.  I would go right from the inspection station to a gas station that could do the alignment and would drive straight back to Woodbury to get the car re-inspected, and fail again and again.  Finally, after seeing me and my certification from the gas station three times in one day, they would finally let me through.  I guess they figured it was a junker and I was doing the best I could.

Only the old gray lady wasn't a junker.  She was a really nice car.  Wish I had a picture of her.

Do they still have inspection stations in NJ?  Here in KY they don't inspect autos.  And in Ohio, when we lived there, the inspection system lasted for only three or four years and was set up only in certain cities concerned with air pollution.  We never failed those inspections. 

You all would love Ohio's system of registration, to which we were indoctrinated after the NJ system, and that is they send you a notice that your registration is up for renewal and could you please send the state $35 (back then, don't know what it is now) and they would send you a registration card for one year.  No inspection until the mid-80s.

Here in KY we get a registration renewal notice each year and we have to go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and pay an exorbitant amount of money to register any vehicles we own.  They base what you owe for registration on the blue book value of your car.  We usually pay around $400 per year to register our autos, and it does go down a few dollars a year for depreciation, but not enough.  Also included in that registration -- I call it a tax -- is the public school fee, which is a little over $100 per vehicle, and other taxes about which I haven't a clue.  Am I happy about how KY registration is conducted?  It is certainly better than sitting in car in a line that make me cough because of the emissions from the autos in front of me.  Now I just park the car and go into the building and pay the bill.  And I usually don't have to sit or stand in a line.

This is the year for both Alan and I to get our licenses renewed -- they do that every five years here in KY.  We have to pass an eye test and that's it.  Alan will get his license renewed even though he isn't supposed to drive.  I will get my license renewed even though I shouldn't drive.  I'm slowing down, much to the chagrin of the folks behind me. 

So, that's my tome about auto registrations and inspections. 

ttfn