work2much wrote:
... lying to the DMV really isn't something I feel personally comfortable with even if the odds of being caught are slim.
Your ethics are different than mine. Point one, DMV does not make the laws. Point 2, if the laws are so ambiguous DMV employees and CHP Officers have trouble figuring them out, depending on the financial consequences, I am willing to let the Judge figure it out.
I had a truck registered as a pickup for fourteen years. It had a flatbed when I bought it, and was inspected by DMV when I registered it. After fourteen years, a CHP Officer gave me a citation. I had to change the registration to a flatbed. My license went from $60 to $250. No fine or other cost.