Hello! Just wanted to see if anyone in Georgia could tell me what kind of red tape you have to go through to get a rail buggy insured and a tag to make it steet legal? What all is required as far as windshield, lights, etc????? How do you go about reg. it for a tag?? Is insurance a problem?? Any other help anyone can give........ Thanks!!
In most cases now it is much easier to find an old assembled title and stamp the #'s in your frame. They were real easy to get years ago but not anymore, at least in my neck of the woods.
i live in cali and here if u try to get a home built car insured is harder than getting a new ferrari for free
it might be the same way where u live so heres some stuff u can do
get some pieces like floor parts for it and then u can insure it as what ever car the parts came off of like i have a 68bug if i build a buggy or rail or what ever i can get insured as a 68 bug because a good portion of the car would be from thta bug
Woody, I also live in GA and had my old rail insured and tagged as a VW bug since (I justified) most of it was from a bug. I'm sure this saved me a lot of red tape. I didn't have a VIN so I used the serial number off the VW engine case. I took my proof of insurance and bill of sale to the tag office and they fixed me up.
I once had another rail whose owner/builder actually had it registered with the GA Department of Revenue. It even had a plate and serial number mounted to the console. I don't know the details of what he had to do to satisfy them is was legal.
If you do get yours legalized and tagged in GA as a rail, please send me the details. I have a new rail project I want to eventually make street legal. BTW, I'm near Columbus.
The problem I see with tagging a rail as a VW is that when and if you have an accident, your insurance company will tell you that they had insured a VW, not a rail. You could be left holding the bag for damages and liabilities.
In Indiana, you can either get a bill of sale, or apply for a builders title. In either case, you take a picture of the rail and the paperwork to the BMV. They give you a slip a LEO has to fill out stating there are no VIN numbers on your rail, take that slip back, pay the fees and you get a VIN number in the mail. Stamp that number into the chassis somewhere, call a LEO, have them sign off that those numbers are in place, take the paperwork back to the BMV. Two weeks later you get your title in the mail.....
PITA, but still it has legal VIN numbers on it then.
I love indiana! Ohio titles are so hard to get, certified mechanics inspections, parts documentations, state inspections....
We used to use VW titles in Michigan years ago and it was acceptable but then they started in with the bit about using the majority of the parts from a donor car and title to get an assembled vehicle title and then moved on to you can only use the bug title if you still used the stock tunnel with the serial #s on it.
A Manx type buggy with a modified tunnel was the cheap way to go for a title and insurance because it was legal to use the bug title yet. That was still ten years ago and it has probably gotten worse since.
There was some discussion that if you want an assembled vehicle title in the current year you may have to have all the options a new car has to have in that year. Air bags etc..... Dont know if any states have gone to it yet but it has been talked about here.
Yep, getting the rail titled as a VW bug allows you to specify the year as 70 something and you can bypass new car regulations like exhaust emissions, etc. I'm not saying this is ethical, but it sure saves a lot of red tape. Its kind of a grey area since 75% of the car may be VW bug so you could argue that is it.
What I've found is that what makes a car street legal depends on who you ask. Most of the street rails around here are not inspected and don't get hassled by the police, but if you went by the book, none of them would pass. For example, few rails around here have front brakes which I'm pretty sure is required in GA.
I'm very interested it this issue since I am currently building a rail which I plan to make street legal. In this case the majority of the parts (transaxle, engine, rear torsion, bill of sale) are from a 73 VW bus. Even though this 4 seater rail is big, I don't think I will be able to pass it off as a VW bus. Besides, I would prefer to do the right thing legally and get it registered as a rail, especially for insurance reasons. I just wonder what kind of headache that will become. I probably won't have to face that challenge for a year, but I'll keep you posted. In the mean time please let me know what you find out (especially for GA).
What is it titled as is between you and the BMV, but make sure your insurance company KNOWS what it really is. My buggy is titled as a '72 VW, so getting plates should be easy. My insurance agent will know that it is a Dune Buggy and have pictures, so that in the event of an accident or claim, I can be assured that they won't come back and say that I mis-represented it and therefore they are denying any claims. If you have to get a buggy or rail inspected, even if titled as new, you shouldn't have to have air bags, etc because it is a limited production vehicle. You WILL have to have DOT approved lights, signals, horn, seat belts, fenders, mud flaps (if rear of tires are exposed), mirrors, tires, brakes, handbrake, etc. and will be at the discretion of the inspector (or in Ohio, the State Trooper) doing the inspection.
I haven't approached my agent about this yet, but from what I hear, it is do-able, but not necessarily cheap. Just my $0.02.
Hello Woody. Went through the same questons as you are. I have a street rail that I ran in Augusta Ga. I had owned a 72 beetle that I took the vin plate off and secured to my rail. Next I went to State Farm Insurance to get my insurance before I could go to the tag office. Thats where my troubles started. SF refused to insure said vehicle for dozens of reasons. I tried for over a year to satisfy SF but to no avail. So I gave in and told SF that it was a 72 vw, got my insurance. Took proof of insurance to tag office then got my tag. The rail has set for two years and due to water damage in the case, I am now in the beginings of a rebuild. In the meantime, my tags have lapsed. This time though I plan on going through my insurance company that insures my Harlely Davidson since they say they insure Dune Buggies. The reason is as some have brought out, if involved in an accident some insurance companies will not cover your accident if they discover that your ride is not what you say it is. Also on the questions of what you need to be legal , there are sites that list Ga. requirements. However, few rails will meet all requirements. Do not lose hope because most police officers are in the dark as to the exact requirements themself, as I have asked more than a few. I have seen six or seven rails here in town and have spoken to two or three of the owners. Seems that the police here, as a whole, will leave you alone because it is not worth their effort to look up how many laws you are breaking. So good luck and ride safe.
Thanks for the update $rail! I also have State Farm insurance so I should look elsewhere from the sound if it. Thanks again everyone for all your help. Have a great day.......... Woody
Grange insured mine with no problems. You will have to have the rest of your vehicles with them though.
I think it is around $90-100 a year for PL & PD with medical. They won't touch comprehensive and collision.
I had to go through this about a month ago here in TN and had to list it as a new construction home built and got a Vin# for $10 and then registration and the taxes. Show your Bill of Sell and pay the taxes and I got my tags and then went to Farm Bureau for insurance. They will insure a rail for Liability only but at least you have insurance to meet the state law requiring insurance at least here in TN you have to have insurance. As far as the windshield goes if you have eye protection on you don't have to have a windshield here in TN and turn signals are optional also as long as you use hand signals. I will probably put on turn signals soon but haven't yet. It is great to ride around Knoxville and see the faces of kids wanting to see the rail and adults also wishing that they had one. Good uck and hope you get yours tagged and insured soon.
Hello! Just wanted to see if anyone in Georgia could tell me what kind of red tape you have to go through to get a rail buggy insured and a tag to make it steet legal? What all is required as far as windshield, lights, etc????? How do you go about reg. it for a tag?? Is insurance a problem?? Any other help anyone can give........ 
