Quote Originally Posted by Circuits View Post
The registration fees are based on the assessed value of the vehicle. They use tables for that and there's nothing you can do about it.
This is how I understand it as well, however i think there are some exceptions/provisions for gifting vehicles to immediate relatives. I wouln't try to lie about this though to save a few hundred $$ and risk possible criminal prosection. The state doesn't take kindly to people commiting fraud.

When I was in CA, they used the value you wrote down, however if the amount was substantially different from the taxable value in their tables they errored on the states side.