I'm looking to buy a used Prius b/c I need the HOV carpool stickers. Here is my question to those of you who have the stickers: when DMV issued the stickers, did it come with some type of documentation/paperwork to show that the sticker was registered to the VIN of your car? I heard each set of stickers has an 8 number ID, and the DMV issued a certificate that has the 8 number code with the car's VIN. Is this true? I just want to see if I should be asking for some proof from the seller to show that the stickers are legally registered to his car, as opposed to bought off someone else and stuck on his car. Thanks!
Yes. There is a piece of paper 2-3 times larger than your typical registration (much thicker paper). It has ID: e.g. HExxxxxx (x for 0-9 digits) VIN number of Prius Name and address of owner Yes, you should check the owner's sticker registration because you will need to transfer the stickers through DMV to your name. DMV will send you a new certificate and you can keep the stickers on the Prius unless they have ben damaged in which case you can file for sticker replacement.
The stickers are just like license plates; they are assigned to that particular car and go with the car. When you register the car in your name, take the sticker registration card in with you and it will be fine.
There was an 05 on the Priuschat site some lady in Pasadena was selling with stickers for $27K or something. It was more than my '06 cost new, but you might check it out. Forgot which forum she was in. As I recall the car had HOV stickers too, and low mileage.
Thanks for the lead. I already saw that one, loved it, everything but the color (green). The quest continues... I did find a seller who said he did not have any paper work, and when he called DMV, they said there was no certificate, that when I transfer title, the stickers will automatically transfer w/ it. Should I be concerned?
Yes. The DMV should be able to verify if the HOV stickers on the vehicle were actually issued to that particular car.
Yup, just call this number (916) 657-8035 - DMV's Field Office in Sac (it rings busy 90% of the time, but if you're persistent, you'll get through) and explain to them that you're looking at buying a used Prius, and that it has carpool stickers on it but is potentially missing the placard from the DMV. If you have the car's VIN, they'll be able to run a quick search and let you know whether or not HOV stickers were ever issued. As long as that search comes back as a "yes, stickers were issued", you're fine. If the placard is missing, you can go to the DMV and just have them reissue you a placard. Side note: they cannot validate the actual NUMBER found on the sticker, which is why they've now gone to such great lengths to make you return the sticker to get new ones (or provide a police report showing they were stolen).
Has anyone tried and verified the above process? I am in the process of buying a car who's stickers were stolen, so I really need to verify if the car's vin had them before completing the transaction.
