Wohnmobil and Oldtimer or not...

[HondoMan]

Right then, odd title.

I am on my second T3. The previous one gave up the ghost. The one I currently have, I bought in 2022 (a few months short of it's 30th birthday) and in fantastic condition. Oddly, it had a Wohnmobil Zulassung, but wasn't kitted out properly or legally. It had two rear bench seats. Not sure how that happened. Moreover, the Fahrzeugschein showed the bus could only carry five people, even though there were seats for 8!

Last year, 2024, I had the TüV inspection and the inspector warned that I had until 2026 to get the bus properly kitted out to keep the Wohnmobil Zulassung. Right.

I bought a Rusty Lee rock-n-roll bed/bench and installed it, having sold off the old rear benches. I was in the process of designing a wee cabinet for the hob and finding a place to install a table, when I had a thought: Why? Why am I going through all this effort and money.

If I understand all this correctly. With a Wohnmobil Zulassung and without the Oldtimer registration, I'm paying about 430€ in taxes. If I kit out the bus to keep the Wohnmobil Zulassung and register it as an Oldtimer, my taxes drop to 191€. In fact, even if I lose the Wohnmobil Zulassung, my taxes drop to 191€ just on the fact that it's an Oldtimer.

Why am I going through all this effort of kitting it out to keep the Wohnmobil status? Am I missing a piece to this bureaucratic puzzle?

Cheers!

[macone]

If the condition is good enough for oldtimer status you won't need Wohnmobilzulassung. In fact it is even easier to find insurance when it is not a Wohnmobil.

[cwr16]

Hello Hodo. ... ;

or do you also have a real first name?...
Here and in other forums, it's common to address each other by first name;

But now to your problem: In Germany, you can only get a historic registration if the vehicle is older than 30 years and has a certain "condition." These grades are currently 2-2.5.

These condition grades are documented in the application:

https://www.tuvsud.com/de-de/-/media/de ... dtimer.pdf

To obtain an H license plate for a classic car, certain requirements must be met, which are regulated in Section 23 of the German Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO) and documented in the classic car report. The vehicle must be at least 30 years old and serve the preservation of motor vehicle heritage. It must be in largely original condition or faithfully restored. A general inspection (HU) and motor vehicle liability insurance are also required.

Vehicles that look poor; dents and rust are completely unacceptable...and the current status has to be checked every two years during the general inspection (HU). Worse than the minimum requirements: you won't get a positive HU, and you have to return the H-registration...and the tax advantage is gone!

Where are you from...? ;

Greetings from the upper Neckar river bank,

Claus

aka CWR16

[Evers]

Hi! From my understanding, keeping the Wohnmobil (camper) registration can sometimes offer benefits beyond taxes, like easier parking rules, or access to specific camper-only facilities. But if the Oldtimer status already lowers your taxes significantly, and you don't need those extra camper perks, it might not be worth the cost and hassle to fully convert the interior. Sometimes people keep Wohnmobil status for resale value or insurance reasons, too. Ultimately, it depends on how you use the vehicle and what rules apply locally. Hope that helps clarify!

[HondoMan]

If the condition is good enough for oldtimer status you won't need Wohnmobilzulassung. In fact it is even easier to find insurance when it is not a Wohnmobil.

apologies for the late response and thank you for the advice.

So, even though I removed the original rear benches and installed a rusty lee bench, I should be able to finally obtain an Oldtimer Zulassung? I will use it as a camping or wohnmobil, regardless.

The TüV rules sometime make my head spin. Madness!

Cheers!

[HondoMan]

Hi! From my understanding, keeping the Wohnmobil (camper) registration can sometimes offer benefits beyond taxes, like easier parking rules, or access to specific camper-only facilities. But if the Oldtimer status already lowers your taxes significantly, and you don't need those extra camper perks, it might not be worth the cost and hassle to fully convert the interior. Sometimes people keep Wohnmobil status for resale value or insurance reasons, too. Ultimately, it depends on how you use the vehicle and what rules apply locally. Hope that helps clarify!

apologies for the late reply and I also thank you for the response. Seems like I need to talk with the TüV directly. Asking various local mechanics is getting me nowhere. Cheers!

[rsbadura]

why your language changed from fluent German to English in this account?

I should be able to finally obtain an Oldtimer Zulassung?

The cargo space is irrelevant in this case.

However, there are other rules to take advantage of the fact that it's a Historic vehicle:
The condition and functionality must be right, with many detailed rules. For example, this doesn't apply to a rusty, tinkered vehicle. Many detailed rules apply – but which also allow for classic tuning. Some things are subjective and depend on the examiner.