Pinz, only but a dream?

[Anzenix]

I too have contracted the Pinz bug. I absolutely must have this beast at some point in my life. I'm particularly smitten with the 712k model and hope to one day be able to own one.. somehow. However, I reside in California and don't plan on moving as of now.. but I'm confused as to the year a Pinz needs to be, to be registered in California? Would trying to get a 712k be out of reach for me? Any guidance is much appreciated.

[rmel]

With respect to registration, I had no problem getting my 73' 712M registered
in the Bay Area. This truck was a Vineyard Princess and was never registered
before. The one thing I had to do was to get it weighed. Now, that said, the
DMV can be a bit unpredictable. My recommendation would be: A) lowest risk
path a Truck registered in Cali. B) get registered through a 3'rd party registration
service. These services have a relationship with the people at the DMV and are
trusted vs. you facing an agent who may have gotten up on the wrong side of the
bed that morning and trying to interpret the fuzzy CARB pre-75 rulings.

Good luck.

[Anzenix]

With respect to registration, I had no problem getting my 73' 712M registered
in the Bay Area. This truck was a Vineyard Princess and was never registered
before. The one thing I had to do was to get it weighed. Now, that said, the
DMV can be a bit unpredictable. My recommendation would be: A) lowest risk
path a Truck registered in Cali. B) get registered through a 3'rd party registration
service. These services have a relationship with the people at the DMV and are
trusted vs. you facing an agent who may have gotten up on the wrong side of the
bed that morning and trying to interpret the fuzzy CARB pre-75 rulings.

Good luck.

I'm glad to hear that, I hope that when the time comes I'll be able to register it too. California can be.. well.. California

[David Dunn]

Azenix,
Registering a pre '75 depends on CARB attitudes are that day.

As for the actual registration, There are a couple different ways to register a Pinz in California. You can register them commercially, as Ron did, and you pay an additional $80 on a 710M/K and $231 for a 712M/K in weight fees, and you need to have the vehicle weighed . The other is that most Pinzes can be registered as a "Body type" UT (for utility ) on the registration. For this they must have the seats in the rear of the vehicle and usable as seats. This registration is the same as what Jeeps are and long ago how Subaru Brats were done ( they had dedicated seats in the bed to avoid taxes and fees). Both M and K can be done this way. The 710K and 712K can also be registered as a passenger van also (again the seats must be in the rear) . 710T and 712T (flatbeds) are commercial registered. If the Pinz has never been registered in any state in the US, in Cal, registration must be done by the DMV or a DMV service.If you have any DMV phobias, the DMV service is money well spend. If it is a transfer from another state, AAA Club can do this , if you're a member. (Auto Club in Cal also insures Pinzes)

Now for the hard part.... finding a 712K that is a pre-'75. That'll be like hunting for snipes. ... I've been into the 716/718 for 18 years and haven't paid much attention to the gassers that much, and 712K's are just rare anyway and draw a premium.

[pinzinator]

You are limited to 4 model years in California, 1971 through 1974. I would go through a 3rd party registration instead of DMV, simply due to the fact that you won't be dealing directly with a State government employee. I don't want to start a rant about State employees, so I'll leave it at that.

[Anzenix]

Azenix,
Registering a pre '75 depends on CARB attitudes are that day.

As for the actual registration, There are a couple different ways to register a Pinz in California. You can register them commercially, as Ron did, and you pay an additional $80 on a 710M/K and $231 for a 712M/K in weight fees, and you need to have the vehicle weighed . The other is that most Pinzes can be registered as a "Body type" UT (for utility ) on the registration. For this they must have the seats in the rear of the vehicle and usable as seats. This registration is the same as what Jeeps are and long ago how Subaru Brats were done ( they had dedicated seats in the bed to avoid taxes and fees). Both M and K can be done this way. The 710K and 712K can also be registered as a passenger van also (again the seats must be in the rear) . 710T and 712T (flatbeds) are commercial registered. If the Pinz has never been registered in any state in the US, in Cal, registration must be done by the DMV or a DMV service.If you have any DMV phobias, the DMV service is money well spend. If it is a transfer from another state, AAA Club can do this , if you're a member. (Auto Club in Cal also insures Pinzes)

Now for the hard part.... finding a 712K that is a pre-'75. That'll be like hunting for snipes. ... I've been into the 716/718 for 18 years and haven't paid much attention to the gassers that much, and 712K's are just rare anyway and draw a premium.

I think this cleared some of the confusion up. I do recall reading about this but seeing it again like this made sense. Unfortunately, I do realize getting, let alone finding, a 712k might be hard but my heart is really set on it. Although, it kind of feels like I might have missed the peak of Pinzgauer in the states. Im seeing less and less activity but it may be just my imagination. Thank you for your input

[ChickenPinz]

Patience is the secret. Decide what you want, and just keep watching for it to appear. And figure out what you can be flexible on. You might find a cherry one at a premium price, or a worn-out one cheaper than a run-out Yugo.

[Anzenix]

Patience is the secret. Decide what you want, and just keep watching for it to appear. And figure out what you can be flexible on. You might find a cherry one at a premium price, or a worn-out one cheaper than a run-out Yugo.

Yeah no kidding, I've come across some people that went years before getting their hands on a PInzgauer but I'm in it for the long-haul. So here is hoping I find my one!