I went to the Utah DMV today to renew my registration and the experience was a pleasant surprise.

1:30pm – The Arrival

I received a number (006) when I entered the waiting area and then took a seat. There were a few numbers in the 300’s, a few in the 500’s and one screen with the number 905. Guessing that I was going to be there for a long time, I struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to me. I found out that he had been in earlier that day and the woman who had helped him kept his emissions form while he went to get a safety inspection. Now that he had returned, she wasn’t there. After a few minutes she showed up and he went over to ask for his emissions certificate but she didn’t remember helping him and didn’t have it. He was a bit miffed and I don’t know what he ended up doing but I was impressed that he didn’t get upset, but took it all in stride.

A voice called the numbers over the intercom but they were in the three and five hundreds. My trusty 905 desk remained unchanging until at long last the person who was being helped finally left. Foiling my plans to be one digit closer, the employee took a break. The next highest number was a paltry 831 so it looked like I had 175 to go. A few minutes later, a glowing red 906 appeared above the desk. I was pleased to see I was one number closer to victory.

1:46pm – The Victory

Out of nowhere, 001 popped up, then 002, 003, 004 and 005. A different gentleman had sat down next to me. “You’re next,” he said, looking at my number. I nodded in anticipation, but the next number was 573. He grinned, “I guess not.”

Finally, James Bond minus one was called and 137 dollars 50 cents later, I was the proud owner of a brand new green sticker to plaster upon my dirty license plate. She asked me if I still owned a 1988 Toyota Corolla and a 1991 300ZX and I informed her that I hadn’t owned those vehicles for a number of years and never realized you had to do anything to get them off your record. I had thought when the title was signed over, it was taken care of, but I guess there isn’t a way for them to get that information when the vehicle changes states. Since both of them went to another state after I sold them, that would explain why they’re still on my record. I asked how to get them off and she gave me a number to call.

1:50pm – The Departure

They can’t count worth beans, but I’m not complaining. I expected to wait for a lot longer than I did so it was a refreshing surprise to be out the door 20 minutes after I arrived. When I got to the car, I put the sticker on my license plate and called the number to have the other two cars removed from my record. I was told I needed to send a letter with the VINs to the State Tax Commission stating that I no longer owned the cars. The only problem is, I don’t have the VINs. When I responded with the shocking news that I didn’t have the VINs of cars I hadn’t seen in a number of years she said the only recourse I had was to present photo ID at the DMV and request them.

I considered another 20 minute wait and concluded that having two spurious cars on my record wasn’t all that bad of an alternative.