Please try and keep the formatting. Scale of 1-10 (with 11 being "too cool- please crack down")
Maine:
Driver's licensing, ease of getting: 9
Learners permitting/drivers ed/graduated driving: 7
Vehicle registration, ease: 9
Registration fees & recurring taxes: 4
Vehicle sale fees & taxes 6
Title dept 5
DMV attitude 10
Vehicle inspections 7
Vehicle equipment 3
Insurance 11
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Driver's licensing, ease of getting: 9
I transplanted here with an out of state license and they just rubber stamped it. My motorcycle endorsement was handled by a 16 hour course of my choosing; didn't have to do a road test with DMV. I think my eye doctor reported my good vision as I didn't have to take the eye test at DMV.
Learners permitting/drivers ed/graduated driving: 7
Kids have to log time with their parents. New licensees can't have other teenagers in the car, and I think they're banned from cell phones as well. Pleasantly uncool. Can take drivers ed at 15 something and get licensed at 16 plus however long it takes to get a road test. Cool.
Vehicle registration, ease: 8
Can renew online. Local town halls have a "municipal agent" thing with one stop shopping. Surcharge of $3-4 is worth not going to a DMV main branch. Can get temporary plates for single trips. Would give a 10 but would rather have 2 year registrations-- stuck with renewing every year. Demerit point for needing a front plate.
Registration fees & recurring taxes: 4
Excise tax is based on MSRP, which with my GM products is $1000s above transaction price. After five years the depreciation stops, so a 15 year old clunker pays the same tax as a 5 year old car.
Vehicle sale fees & taxes 6
Luckily we have only a 5% sales tax. State still takes one's word on what they paid, eg no blue book value override. No notary, no "amount paid" section on title. Dealers are allowed to charge hundreds of dollars to prepare paperwork.
Title dept 5
Titles are modestly expensive at $33 and take six weeks to arrive. (I talked to a guy from Florida who claimed to have paid $2.50 and got it instantly-- an e-title?) However, 1994 and previous model years don't need them, making my state one of a couple used for generating paperwork to legalize "barn finds". One only needs insurance and a bill of sale with seller's name and address. A Maine registration can then be converted into an out of state title.
DMV attitude 10
They give it to the right people who are always in line in front of me.
Guy wanted a drivers license but was permanently camping in the woods. Clerk wanted proof of residency and would probably have accepted a letter from the landowner saying this bum was with him.
I get in and out quickly by actually knowing the expectations ahead of time, knowing the right questions, and answers. Lines are usually 15 minutes or less.
Vehicle inspections 5
We have them, but only the most populous county needs emissions tests, a simple OBDII scan. Quality varies wildly depending on where you go. Price limited to $12.50-18.50, not enough for an honest mechanic. Good for only a year, but transferrable, and lacking a sticker doesn't hamper your registration. Antique vehicles are exempt, leading to some clunker unrestored 25 year old "survivors" clattering around. No centralized database so if you flunk somewhere you can go somewhere else and they won't have prejudice.
Vehicle equipment 3
Can't lift more than 2 inches of frame, 2 inches of body. Can't disconnect your shocks for air ride hopping fun. Can't put loud mufflers on your harley. Can't have more than two fog lights. Can't run your stereo so loud windows rattle (actually written into law this way!!!) Can run a homemade motorized bicycle without any lights, plate or insurance.
Insurance 11
For a brief period of time if your insurance lapsed the state would hear about it and give you a month to fix it or they'd suspend your plates. They quietly undid it. The only check is to flash a card at annual registration renewal, or enter your info online when renewing online. At least it's cheap as we're a rural state without much of a rush hour.
Maine:
Driver's licensing, ease of getting: 9
Learners permitting/drivers ed/graduated driving: 7
Vehicle registration, ease: 9
Registration fees & recurring taxes: 4
Vehicle sale fees & taxes 6
Title dept 5
DMV attitude 10
Vehicle inspections 7
Vehicle equipment 3
Insurance 11
-----
Driver's licensing, ease of getting: 9
I transplanted here with an out of state license and they just rubber stamped it. My motorcycle endorsement was handled by a 16 hour course of my choosing; didn't have to do a road test with DMV. I think my eye doctor reported my good vision as I didn't have to take the eye test at DMV.
Learners permitting/drivers ed/graduated driving: 7
Kids have to log time with their parents. New licensees can't have other teenagers in the car, and I think they're banned from cell phones as well. Pleasantly uncool. Can take drivers ed at 15 something and get licensed at 16 plus however long it takes to get a road test. Cool.
Vehicle registration, ease: 8
Can renew online. Local town halls have a "municipal agent" thing with one stop shopping. Surcharge of $3-4 is worth not going to a DMV main branch. Can get temporary plates for single trips. Would give a 10 but would rather have 2 year registrations-- stuck with renewing every year. Demerit point for needing a front plate.
Registration fees & recurring taxes: 4
Excise tax is based on MSRP, which with my GM products is $1000s above transaction price. After five years the depreciation stops, so a 15 year old clunker pays the same tax as a 5 year old car.
Vehicle sale fees & taxes 6
Luckily we have only a 5% sales tax. State still takes one's word on what they paid, eg no blue book value override. No notary, no "amount paid" section on title. Dealers are allowed to charge hundreds of dollars to prepare paperwork.
Title dept 5
Titles are modestly expensive at $33 and take six weeks to arrive. (I talked to a guy from Florida who claimed to have paid $2.50 and got it instantly-- an e-title?) However, 1994 and previous model years don't need them, making my state one of a couple used for generating paperwork to legalize "barn finds". One only needs insurance and a bill of sale with seller's name and address. A Maine registration can then be converted into an out of state title.
DMV attitude 10
They give it to the right people who are always in line in front of me.
I get in and out quickly by actually knowing the expectations ahead of time, knowing the right questions, and answers. Lines are usually 15 minutes or less.
Vehicle inspections 5
We have them, but only the most populous county needs emissions tests, a simple OBDII scan. Quality varies wildly depending on where you go. Price limited to $12.50-18.50, not enough for an honest mechanic. Good for only a year, but transferrable, and lacking a sticker doesn't hamper your registration. Antique vehicles are exempt, leading to some clunker unrestored 25 year old "survivors" clattering around. No centralized database so if you flunk somewhere you can go somewhere else and they won't have prejudice.
Vehicle equipment 3
Can't lift more than 2 inches of frame, 2 inches of body. Can't disconnect your shocks for air ride hopping fun. Can't put loud mufflers on your harley. Can't have more than two fog lights. Can't run your stereo so loud windows rattle (actually written into law this way!!!) Can run a homemade motorized bicycle without any lights, plate or insurance.
Insurance 11
For a brief period of time if your insurance lapsed the state would hear about it and give you a month to fix it or they'd suspend your plates. They quietly undid it. The only check is to flash a card at annual registration renewal, or enter your info online when renewing online. At least it's cheap as we're a rural state without much of a rush hour.
. You can drive with straight pipes and no airbags if you want.. Who cares, I like Florida 
