“Where horsepower meets conversation”
By Tim, Paul, Dave and Casey · November 20, 2025
🎧 Checkout our latest podcast!
🚗 What We Did in Cars This Week
Paul: Drove a true pre-merger AMG W124 Hammer — the only manual 4-door ever built. Last sold for $753,000.
Casey: 911 fixed; sold a 5-car collection; prepping a Hot Rod Carrera 3.2 + David Brown Mini; ordering the entire Elephant Racing catalog.
David: Two great Sonderwerks events + a spirited GT3RS drive. Wife unimpressed with the indicated 120 mph.
Tim: Helped Julie detail her Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio; skipped driving the Ferrari; got some sim seat time
📰 Automotive News
MTM Pangaea GT — Are boutique “modern classic” LEs giving 2000s-era cars a true second life?
WhistlinDiesel arrest — Montana plate tax-evasion heat spreads to TN, UT, IL, GA, and more.
Dallara review — Henry Catchpole’s latest video worth watching.
Scout Motors HQ → Charlotte — 1,200 jobs, average salary $153,978+.
🧠 Listener Questions
997.1 vs 997.2 — Is the manual-premium hype justified?
Buying a high-mile GTS with paintwork—good idea or pass?
Modern Porsches at the bottom of depreciation:
991.1, 987.2 Spyder/Cayman R, 718 (’17–’20), first-gen Macan Turbo.
💸 Cars You Can Drive for FREE in 2026
Budget: $85,000
Goal: Zero-net-cost ownership.
Tim: 2013 Carrera S
Paul: 2009–13 BMW E92 M3 (manual)
Casey: BMW 1M
David: 2016 Cayman GT4 — sold at $84K
🏁 To Rally or Not to Rally
How to find one, join one, prep your car—and how not to embarrass yourself. Paul has footage from 70+ rallies if you need inspiration.
🚘 THIS OR THAT: The Uncle Waldo Edition
Uncle Waldo died and left you $1.2M, but you must spend every penny on Porsches.
Anything left goes to cousin Chester… who buys Pokémon cards.
What we picked:
Tim: 991R + 911ST or a RUF SCR
Paul: Ruf-built 1970 911S + 991.2 GT2RS Weissach (totals exactly $1.2M)
Casey: 964 Turbo S Lightweight or 964 RS 3.8
David: Porsche 911 S/T + Ford GT → Chester gets $26K
Nerd Edition (<$40K cars):
Beetle vs Rabbit. Alfa V8 Frankenstein vs Esprit. TR250 vs 914. S550 Coupe vs E38 740iL.
Peak automotive degeneracy.
📣 Submit Your Questions
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💬 Join the Conversation
Got thoughts on today’s topic? We’d love to hear them.
👉 Click below to join our private Facebook group and share your take with fellow gearheads. It’s where the real debates (and laughs) happen after the show.
– Tim, Paul, Casey & Dave
🏁 The Full Throttle Talk Team
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📊 Special Report: The Truth About Montana LLC Vehicle Registration:
By Tim Harris · November 20, 2025
What’s Legal, What Isn’t, and What the Actual Risks Are
BIG DISCLAIMER (READ THIS): This article is not legal advice. It’s an informational overview based on publicly available cases, state records, attorney commentary, and industry history. Laws vary by state, facts matter, and your situation may be different. Always consult an attorney in your state before structuring vehicle ownership.
💰 Why Everyone Keeps Talking About the “Montana LLC”
You already know the basics:
Montana has no sales tax, allows LLCs to own vehicles, and permits out-of-state owners to create an LLC and title a car there. This makes it especially attractive for high-dollar purchases like exotic cars, RVs, and off-road toys.
For decades, enthusiasts have used Montana LLCs because:
Legal on its face
Simple to set up
Saves tens of thousands in sales tax
Montana doesn’t require vehicle inspections
Montana doesn’t care where the car is physically located
But here’s the real question:
Is it actually illegal? Is it “tax evasion”?
Answer: Not inherently.
A Montana LLC owning a car is 100% legal.
Using that LLC to title a vehicle in Montana is 100% legal.
Driving that vehicle anywhere in the U.S. is legal.
Where the legal exposure arises is not the LLC — it’s your home state’s tax law.
A state can accuse you of tax evasion IF (and only if):
You are a resident of that state
The vehicle is primarily used, garaged, or operated in that state
You owe sales or use tax there
You intentionally avoided paying that tax
It is not illegal just because the plate says Montana.
It is not illegal just because it saves you money.
It is only illegal if you break your own state’s rules about residency and use-tax liability.
In most cases, it’s a civil tax issue — NOT a criminal one.
A state can send a bill; they rarely send handcuffs. (And when they do, it’s usually because something else is going on.)
⚖️ How Often Do States Actually Go After People?
The Real Numbers (Not the Fear-Mongering)**
⭐ Our best estimate:
Between 70 and 150 total enforcement cases nationwide in the last ~15 years.
That’s it.
Not 5,000.
Not 1,000.
Not “thousands every year” like the YouTube “legal experts” claim.
⭐ Why the number is so low
States must prove residency + intent
Vehicles often move or are stored seasonally
LLC ownership muddies jurisdiction
Most cases involve RVs, not supercars
Many states decide it’s not worth the cost
Montana is cooperative with privacy laws
📝 How Many Vehicles Are Registered to Montana LLCs?
Industry estimates from Montana agencies, private registration services, and national RV associations suggest:
⭐ Estimated Montana LLC-registered vehicles (2015–2025):
≈ 125,000 – 175,000 total vehicles
Breakdown (approx.):
55–70k RVs
45–60k exotic/luxury/sports cars
25–35k trucks, off-road, misc.
🔢 The Math You Actually Want:
What’s the percentage risk of facing any legal challenge?
Using the middle estimates:
👉 125,000 – 175,000 vehicles
👉 70 – 150 enforcement cases
That puts the real-world exposure at:
⭐ Only ~0.04% to 0.12% of Montana-registered LLC vehicles face any enforcement.
That’s < 1 in 1,000.
Said differently:
Your odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime (~1 in 15,000) are higher than being prosecuted for a Montana LLC plate.
And again:
Most cases are civil (you pay the tax + fine).
Some are dismissed.
Only a tiny handful have ever been criminal.
🏛️ Documented Cases Where States Actually Won
A “handful” is accurate — maybe 5–10 clearly documented wins in 15+ years.
These include:
1. Colorado (multiple RV cases)
Colorado tax authorities pursued RV owners who lived full-time in CO while permanently garaging Montana-registered RVs. Most were civil bills.
2. California (a few exotics, mostly 2008–2012)
CA has pursued a few Ferrari and Lambo owners when they garaged the car full-time in California and posted it on social media.
3. Oregon (one publicized Lamborghini case)
Owner had the car only in Oregon, with clear proof of residency.
4. Washington State (several RVs, one Audi R8)
Again, cases involved full-time WA residents with vehicles stored there.
5. Tennessee (rare)
The WhistlinDiesel case is an outlier — it’s tied to sales tax at purchase, not just Montana plates.
💡 So What Is the Bottom Line?
It’s tax evasion IF — and only if — you owe your state sales/use tax and intentionally avoid it.
Montana LLC registration itself is fully legal.
The states don’t hate the LLC structure.
They hate:
Losing tax revenue
People living full-time in a state
Garaging the vehicle full-time in that state
While posting it all over social media in that state
And then pretending the car “lives in Montana”
If you structure things correctly — or your facts genuinely support multi-state use — the risk is very low.
📌 Important: The Vintage Plate Alternative
Many enthusiasts don’t know about this.
If the car is 25 years or older, many states offer:
Lifetime vintage/collector plates
Fixed one-time fees
Exemptions from emissions or inspections
No sales tax on private-party purchases (varies)
Exemptions from annual registration fees
Examples:
Texas: Antique Autos registration (no renewal).
Montana: Permanent registration for vehicles >11 years old.
Florida, Arizona, and others: Reduced fees + exemptions.
For many vehicles — especially classics, air-cooled Porsches, JDM imports, and older exotics — a vintage plate may be a smarter, simpler option than a Montana LLC.
🏁 The Full Throttle Take
Here’s the cleanest, clearest way to put it:
A Montana LLC is legal.
Using it becomes a problem ONLY if you violate your home state’s tax laws.
Actual enforcement is extremely rare.
Criminal cases are even rarer.
Most situations lead to a tax bill, not jail.
And 25-year-old cars often qualify for vintage registrations that avoid the issue entirely.
Car enthusiasts should have clarity, not fear.
And the truth is far more boring — and far safer — than the online hysteria implies.
— Tim Harris
👉 Subscribe free at FullThrottleTalk.com and join the crew. Because life’s too short for boring cars.
