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Hello hopefully you guys can help with a question or two.

I am a car dealer in the Los Angeles area. I just purchased a limo for picking up my out of state customers at the airport.
DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL PERMITS FOR THIS?
THE RIDE IN THE LIMO IS FREE for buying a car from me.
I will also be using it for family use.
Thanks
Mark

Geoff -

I soooooo feel your pain. Are those boys scouts just not a royal pain in the ass? I have not one bit of disbelief in your story. They are absolutely ruthless. You really should have fought it. One of the ones that I had was almost identical to your story and the client actually caused the problem by running into the #2 lane with her luggage. The curbline was full. She ran up to the car, and pounded on the trunk to put her luggage in herself. Chauffeur got out, ran back, through her luggage in, got her in the car and attempted to leave. He was stopped and issued a ticket for "double parking". I went to the hearing with a sworn statement by the client indicating her actions and it was dismissed.

Phil, there is a cat and mouse game in some ways but LAX is getting pretty smart. They will not register your cars with LAX UNLESS your registration contains the name of the PUC license holder and the company name. This is new in the past few years so they are getting smarter but still - STUPID people. I am going to post another amusing contact in the "lounge".

quote:

Originally posted by CAPRICECARSINC:
Hello hopefully you guys can help with a question or two.

I am a car dealer in the Los Angeles area. I just purchased a limo for picking up my out of state customers at the airport.
DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL PERMITS FOR THIS?
THE RIDE IN THE LIMO IS FREE for buying a car from me.
I will also be using it for family use.
Thanks
Mark

Caprice, my main point is that LAX can be a very nasty place and elevate your blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Make sure and put the "Privat-Not For Hire" sticker on your limo.

quote:

Originally posted by Limo Scene:
Being very familiar with LAX and serving it daily, I can tell you the best thing you can do is put the lettering on your bumper, "Private - Not for Hire". It will save you a lot of grief.

Geoff is right. The "day-glo's" or "boy scouts" as we like to call them, will come running if they don't see those TCP numbers on your car.

I got into this business as a private chauffeur driving private limousines. The most common routine is to ask for your license and registration. Once they see the registration is issued to an individual instead of a limousine company, the encounter comes to a quick end.

There is no special designated parking place or pickup location at LAX. All passengers are picked up at the same curbline whether it is by taxi, limousine or car.

It is doubtful you would become familiar with any of the "officers" at LAX as there are simply too many and they rotate them around constantly so just plan to show your registration frequently or display the sign.

In the past 18 years, we have been issued various citations three times and I have prevailed and had two of the tickets dismissed so I truly believe their administrative court process is fair and reasonable although not convenient to me being two hours north of LAX.

If I'd known your success rate in fighting LAX, I would have fought the one ticket I got in 10 years. As I was driving in the small pick up area of the loop with my client on the phone, my client jumps in front of me and I stopped(unknowingly in a taxi zone". As I got out I saw the sign and got back in to move. In those few seconds, a boy scout was blocking my car and writing me a citation. Imagine accidently pulling into a handicapped spot and getting back into your car to move, but still getting a ticket. I was about to lose it. As I approached the officer to inform him of what happened in the most respectful way, he ignored me while he wrote the citation. 5 minutes later he wanted to acknowledge me, but it was too late, my respectful demeanor was gone. I told him he already wasted enough of my time and to just give me my ticket. He got cocky and said he was going to impound my car because of my attitude. Things went way down hill from there. I asked him if the tow truck should take the limo to the hospital to meet him becuase thats where he would end up if he touched my limo. He asked if I was threatening him. I told him I considered him a car jacker acting outside of the law and that he was a wannabe marine drill instructor with his cover and he was an embarassment to all the marines fighting for our country. I then put him under citizens arrest and demanded his supervisor. Side note, at this point I'm so mad I'm reaching for anything possible and getting a little stupid. I calm down for the supervisor, explain the personality problems with his pit bull, shake habds and leave with a small ticket.

Lesson learned, stay away from the boy scouts and don't break the rules. But screaming at the top of my lungs in his face for a small ticket was priceless.

quote:

Originally posted by Limo Scene:
The most common routine is to ask for your license and registration. Once they see the registration is issued to an individual instead of a limousine company, the encounter comes to a quick end.

Jim, what about the operators that have everything registered in their name, not another entity? Are they easily caught or is cat and mouse between them and the officers?

Being very familiar with LAX and serving it daily, I can tell you the best thing you can do is put the lettering on your bumper, "Private - Not for Hire". It will save you a lot of grief.

Geoff is right. The "day-glo's" or "boy scouts" as we like to call them, will come running if they don't see those TCP numbers on your car.

I got into this business as a private chauffeur driving private limousines. The most common routine is to ask for your license and registration. Once they see the registration is issued to an individual instead of a limousine company, the encounter comes to a quick end.

There is no special designated parking place or pickup location at LAX. All passengers are picked up at the same curbline whether it is by taxi, limousine or car.

It is doubtful you would become familiar with any of the "officers" at LAX as there are simply too many and they rotate them around constantly so just plan to show your registration frequently or display the sign.

In the past 18 years, we have been issued various citations three times and I have prevailed and had two of the tickets dismissed so I truly believe their administrative court process is fair and reasonable although not convenient to me being two hours north of LAX.

quote:

Originally posted by CAPRICECARSINC:
Hello hopefully you guys can help with a question or two.

I am a car dealer in the Los Angeles area. I just purchased a limo for picking up my out of state customers at the airport.
DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL PERMITS FOR THIS?
THE RIDE IN THE LIMO IS FREE for buying a car from me.
I will also be using it for family use.
Thanks
Mark

Everybody answered your question pretty good, but I'll add a little from personal experience. I was driving a privately owned excursion limo(the same one I own now) for a friend of mine who owned a large window company. Everytime I went to the airport(san diego and LAX), the guys in the dayglo vests would swarm me. They would ask about airport stickers, TCP #'s, etc... I would always be extra friendly when I told them that it was a private "vehicle" and not a limousine. They would get mad at first, but I would explain the definition of limousine(vehicle for hire) to them and they would leave me alone. We had some big advertising stickers on it which they didn't like, but it was for windows and they left us alone after awhile.

You could use regular passenger plates registered to you with only you being the driver. In the event of an accident, make sure you have a higher coverage insurance policy. If an accident happen's and your insurance doesn't want to pay claiming they were client's, you would have to prove in court that they were client's for a seperate entity, and prove to court's that at time of accident people in back of limo were guest's of your's and NOT client's, and also prove in court that there was no monetary exchange. Meaning you didn't charge for ride. Sometime's a notorized,sealed affidavidt from people in limo is all you need, not having to require them to appear in court. Also, if you go this route, make sure there's no advertising on limo (advertising could be veiwed by a court as using limo for service/hire), pick-up in regular passenger lane. If asked at airport, your picking up some out of town guest's, that's all you need to say. If a plate check is run, it's to you, the driver, your own personal limo, picking up your own guest's. It can be either complicated or simple, depending on the airport/authority near you. Soon, the faces of aurthority will recognize/remember you next time and not bother (that is if your nice to them the first time, you know, a lil chit-chat).
Here's a one of my fav. custom jet limo pic in the making.....

Mate of mine has one of them Limos, he has fully restored it and from what i can gether is the only one in the UK
Pictures here : http://www.1stlincslimo.co.uk/newfleet/tux/album/
Is it the same as this one ? or are my angles all wrong

quote:

Originally posted by Alimo:
Caprice, I used to love the 350 cube LT1 Caddy shame they don't put that engine in the current one.

Ha! I just picked up a 95 Fleetwood Brougham for $2991

And it STILL burns rubber lol...

The story about the sell on eBay is really strange. I can see why you wanted the car even after that but it seems that they try to use you

___
my blog

OK Dean: Here is a picture of my custom stretch for you. Not quite as long as my Caddy limos but fits a lot nicer into garages.

About 10 years ago I was following a 1960 Ford Falcon woody-wagon, I would find it for sale somewhere and try to get the $$, but was always a day late. I bet I found that car all over for sale 7 times but never got my hands on it. Yep, it was ugly but in perfect condition. I wonder where that car is now....

1996 Impala SS Limo Saga Story Continues (Update) Message List

In April 2005 I won the bid on ebay for the 96SS white Impala limo for $13K but the Ebay seller stated he sold it one hour before the
auction ended.

May 2005 I find out the Limo is in Lousiana.

July 2005 Buyer states he will sell to me for $25K. I told him I would pass on it. Later he tells me it was sold to someone in Florida. This limo is still white on white with NO stripes. I have been told it needs alot of work.

January 2008
I get a call from a guy in Tampa who says he bought it from a wrecking yard in Georgia. Unit was stripped and all windows broken out. Buyer says he will sell it to me in one year. But the worst part is he says he is painting it Candy Apple green and going to donk it with all bolt ons. I begged him not to "donk" it and sell it
to me now. We will see where this goes..

Mark

Everyone who has nifty pictures of custom cars please post them here.

Caprice, I used to love the 350 cube LT1 Caddy shame they don't put that engine in the current one.

Sweet !

HERE YOU GO!

Steve,

Of course I got a 94 six door fleetwood with the LT1. Yes not only do I have parts but I can work on the car myself.

Also the SS limo is back up for sale. I am trying to get the price down to a reasonable amount so I can purchase it. We are talking $20k from the asking price of $25K. $20K is still too much but I just want that baby!

Dean,

I will post some pics of the SS limo here soon.

Dick, I know that site very well. Richard Ramis, The Limousine Industry Council Chief Researcher is credited there. I am proud to call Rich my mentor-no one knows more about the industry than Mr. Ramis !