Texas/DFW area questions

[HeatherR]

Hello! I am in the process of moving to the area! Have a few questions that I hope some of you can answer

How strict is the front plate law? We'll put em on our daily drivers, but hope we won't have to deal with it on vettes, solstice, camaro?

Is there any car inspection for bringing a car into Texas before you can register and get plates? If there is are there problems with older cars (1971, etc.)?

Any advice from locals on a better place to live...Southlake/Colleyville/Keller? My husband will be at the GM Arlington Assembly plant, but is used to a commute...He commutes from downtown Toronto to Oshawa now (about 40 miles one way).

Anything else you think I may need to know! Have never lived anywhere south of Ohio! And I am thrilled to avoid the crazy winters we've had in Canada!!

Thanks in Advance for any information

Heather

[jstein]

Not too sure about the front plates yet myself I've gone about a week driving through city and highway successfully in Houston. There are plenty of nice cars around that have no plates on the front. The dealership I went to never puts the front plates on their vettes or camaros just because it looks better without. One word of advice, it will be HOT and snows once every 10 years I think, so welcome to Texas!

[freemaSSon]

Having carried a local badge in a major city in Texas for many years the license plate is a tool for PROBABLE CAUSE. It is a law but the chance of an upstanding citizen getting a ticket is almost impossible. If you leave a local drug house and do everything just perfect but have no plate. Well poof the officer has his PC to stop you.

Texas has an inspection law for all vehicles 10 years old and newer. You will indeed have to have the vehicle inspected at a local shop then go to the County Registration office with the inspection receipt. I would call Texas DPS but if the vehicle is an Antique there is no inspetion and the registration is good in 3 years increments. I do not know the exact year in age to qualify for that status.

If you guys have kids then Southlake/Colleyville is one of the states absolute best districts with many State Football championships too. The catch is it is probably the most expensive school district to live in, in the entire state (certainly in the DFW). Keller is a fast growing middle income, middle class very diverse community. Unless you are seeking exclusivity that accompanies high income living standards then Keller is without a doubt the best place to be and still be a short commute to the GM Plant.

You could find NICE brand new housing from $150,000-$250,000 all over Keller. The commercial develop is finally catching up to the residential development in Keller. Right now would be the perfect time to be moving into the area.

Hope that helps.

[kellertxgen5]

I haven't been pulled over yet and it's been about a month and a half. Mine is a daily driver.

As far as location Keller is an AWESOME place to live. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/money...PL4838632.html

I commute to Irving every day. I would guess a commute from Keller to Arlington would be 45 minutes or so depending on what time of the day he leaves.

Also, Southlake is a great place to live, but VERY expensive as far as living costs (gas prices/rent/home prices/stores). It is the most centrally located town in DFW though.

Colleyville is probably the best location for his commute, but even though I've never lived in Colleyville I think Keller is a better place to live.

Hope this helps.

[kellertxgen5]

Be sure to join the DFW social group and make some of our meetups!

[Nexus6]

Just don't let your kids attend school in Dallas (DISD), They will become retards . The stanards are so low and you can't be failed , that my dog could pass and graduate from any DISD school.as long as you're in the Southlake/Colleyville/Keller school districts, you will be fine.

[O2BQIK]

Originally Posted by HeatherR

How strict is the front plate law? We'll put em on our daily drivers, but hope we won't have to deal with it on vettes, solstice, camaro?

Not very strict, but don't be all surprised if you do get a ticket. I've been stopped a few times over the years for it, but many people will go years without a problem.

Originally Posted by HeatherR

Is there any car inspection for bringing a car into Texas before you can register and get plates? If there is are there problems with older cars (1971, etc.)?

Yes there is. You need to the get the vehicle inspected and receive a "green sheet" from the inspector, which you then show during registration.

Originally Posted by HeatherR

Any advice from locals on a better place to live...Southlake/Colleyville/Keller? My husband will be at the GM Arlington Assembly plant, but is used to a commute...He commutes from downtown Toronto to Oshawa now (about 40 miles one way).

Southlake and Colleyville are astronomically expensive. If you can afford it, they're great places to live with some of the best schools in the country, but you'll pay much more in those towns for the same house you could get somewhere else (such as Keller) much cheaper. You could live in Arlington, or Grand Prairie, where you can get a huge house w/ 3-car garage for very little, but the schools are mediocre and it's kind of in the middle of nowhere. Just depends on what you're looking for.

[Melson]

Keller is a great place to live....I commute to Irving from Keller as well.............

[HeatherR]

Thank you all so much! I reaaly do appreciate all the information. We will be in Texas to look for and buy a house in September, but it is hard to get the feel of an area just using the internet and a realtor! Keller does look very nice and the housing is a bit more "spread out" which is a good thing...we've also found a couple houses with 4 car garages which would be ideal. No kids yet, but we like to buy in a good school district because of resale (we usually move around)! The three areas were recommended.

Also, thanks for the feedback on front plates...we'll chance it and take the ticket if it comes to that. We were concerned they would need to be in place for an inspection...and we're not drilling into the fronts of the vettes or solstice just to put a plate on knowing we'll only be in Texas for a few years.

[mmollo]

Heather,
Keller would be the most affordable of the three. If you don't have a realtor yet let me know. I am a realtor and work around that general area. I also will be putting my personal house on the market this week. My house is a 4,300 sq.ft. one story with pool and I have an oversized FOUR car garage with 1,700 sq.ft. guest quarters above. Let me know your price range and I can email you some current inventory, if you don't already have a realtor. (sorry everyone for the shameless plug)

[llevan22]

Keller is an awesome place to live. I lived there for seven years and it really is a great place to be. I graduated from Central High and from what I hear about other high schools, it's a great school to be at.

[Coop 2010]

Originally Posted by freemaSSon

I would call Texas DPS but if the vehicle is an Antique there is no inspetion and the registration is good in 3 years increments. I do not know the exact year in age to qualify for that status.

The Age is 25 years, it does not automatically get antique status, you have to get it designated that with the county. This gets you the three year inspection option, but the driving is limited to shows and parades. There is no emissions inspection. Of course you can chance it and always be on your way to a show or parade. Harder to explain at 8:00 on a Monday morning.

The best thing is to get Classic status, you have no emissions inpsection, the safety inspection cost every year is about 15 dollars, and you can drive whenever you want.

[freemaSSon]

Originally Posted by Coop 2010

The Age is 25 years, it does not automatically get antique status, you have to get it designated that with the county. This gets you the three year inspection option, but the driving is limited to shows and parades. There is no emissions inspection. Of course you can chance it and always be on your way to a show or parade. Harder to explain at 8:00 on a Monday morning.

The best thing is to get Classic status, you have no emissions inpsection, the safety inspection cost every year is about 15 dollars, and you can drive whenever you want.

Thanks for chimming in.

NOTE TO SELF....."CLASSIC" never "ANTIQUE" -

[HeatherR]

Originally Posted by Coop 2010

The Age is 25 years, it does not automatically get antique status, you have to get it designated that with the county. This gets you the three year inspection option, but the driving is limited to shows and parades. There is no emissions inspection. Of course you can chance it and always be on your way to a show or parade. Harder to explain at 8:00 on a Monday morning.

The best thing is to get Classic status, you have no emissions inpsection, the safety inspection cost every year is about 15 dollars, and you can drive whenever you want.

Thank you very much!