What's the highest assessed car in Staunton? Most popular model? Oldest? We have the answers

Patrick Hite, Staunton News Leader
·2 min read

STAUNTON — City Council approved a resolution at its Sept. 14 meeting to establish the Personal Property Tax Relief Act for Staunton at 33%. That applies to the first $20,000 in value on each qualifying vehicle with an assessed value of more than $1,000.

Virginia provides a fixed sum to be used exclusively for the provision of tax relief to owners of vehicles subject to the city’s personal property tax, and to provide the opportunity for the city to fashion a program of tax relief that best serves the citizens.

Commissioner of the Revenue Maggie Ragon and her staff calculate the percentage and ask council for approval ever September. The percentage this year fully exhausts the $1,652,200 that the state provided to Staunton.

The percentage was 35% a year ago, but as Ragon explained, "As the price of cars goes up this is going to be an ever shrinking proposition." In relation to neighboring localities, Ragon said Augusta County approved a 28% relief and Waynesboro a 31.5% relief.

Ragon then provided what she called fun facts, information on taxable vehicles in Staunton this year.

— 24,946 taxable vehicles in Staunton

— Highest assessed vehicle: Just shy of $100,000, a Ford Mustang

— Most popular model: Honda Civic followed by Honda CR-V

— Most popular make:

  • Ford

  • Toyota

  • Honda

  • Chevrolet

  • Nissan

  • Subaru

  • Jeep

  • Hyundai

  • Dodge

  • GMC

— Ragon said Staunton has 26 Teslas and "38 souls out there have some Oldsmobiles hanging on."

— Staunton has one Rivian, an all-electric truck; one Bentley; and one 1976 Datsun 280Z

— Oldest taxable vehicle is 1920 Model A

— Average model year is 2012

— 167 new 2023 vehicles purchased

— 688 motorcycles, with most popular make:

  • Harley-Davidson

  • Honda

  • Yamaha

  • Triumph

  • Suzuki

— Highest assessed motorcycles: 2023 Harley-Davidson at over $30,000 (two in the city)

— Ford F series most popular trucks in Staunton.

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: What's the highest assessed car in Staunton? Most popular model? Oldest?