In Ohio we have a state sanctioned documentary fee that does not have to be disclosed in advertising so long as it does not exceed $250. This is separate from any license tag fee such as a temporary tag or transfer of tag from a car you traded in. The vast majority of dealers charge this $250. For sales tax purposes that $250 becomes part of the price of the car. For practical purposes that means that you might as well add $250 to any car price you see advertised. I would be interested in hearing what the documentary fees are in other cities and states.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
In Texas, the documentary fee is $50 and is clearly printed on the vehicle purchase form. It is NOT used to calculate sales tax. The final negotiated price of the new/used vehicle, less trade-in (if applicable), is what sales tax is calculated on. Then the remaining fees (ie.,documentary, title, license, etc.) are added.
$150 is a typical document fee in CT, though some places have tried to push 200+It is claimed to be necessary for the cost of processing the documentation, paper, ink, office managers time, etc. It really is a BS thing and some people have even come in to try and neg. it out of the deal. The battles I used to fight with people. Worked for Acura for 6 months.