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Antique Vehicle Plates?

3K views 24 replies 13 participants last post by  BigBlockBabe 
#1 ·
I see lots of people at shows running AV plates, what is the deal with these? What are the rules and how much do they cost? I turn 16 in a few days, I already have a daily driver but it would be nice to have plates on my truck so I can take it out in the summer
 
#4 ·
In Illinois vehicles with antique plates can only be driven to and from, shows, parades, exhibitions or for servicing. They can NOT be driven for pleasure as in a nice Sunday cruise, etc. How do I know this ? A not so friendly Illinois State Trooper nailed me in my '62 Chevy last year just before I sold it. I took it out for a "last" drive and got pulled over for supposedly not having brake lights, which worked fine when he had me try them. I copped a little attitude because I knew damn well they worked and it was a bogus stop so then he asked me where I was going, I told him I was just out for a drive................ oh boy ! :eek: You would have thought I robbed a bank !!! I got a 20 minute lecture and cross examination on the regulations regarding Antique Vehicle registration. He did finally "let me off" with a written warning but I think I would have rather paid the $75 and been on my way than have to listen to that arrogant little $@#. And don't get me wrong I don't have anything against law enforcement as a whole, just this guy in particular, I had never seen him before and I haven't seen him since so he was probably in the area just to write tickets. If you want to drive the car/truck whenever you feel like it don't mess with antique plates, at least not in Illinois..............
 
#7 ·
"Vehicles displaying these plates may only be driven to and from an antique auto show or exhibition, service station or demonstration. The mechanical and physical condition of the vehicle, including brakes, lights, glass and appearance, must be the same or as safe as originally equipped. An antique vehicle may be a "bona fide replica" - an exact copy of the original in design, frame and mechanical operation. "Facsimiles" - close, but not exact, reproductions of the original - do not qualify for Antique Vehicle plates."
-Illinois DMV
Dang, plenty of people around here run AV plates and drive their cars around all the time.. I guess they are lucky enough not to get caught. Those plates are soo cheap that I would almost take the risk of running them, I'd just say "I'm headed to the gas station"
 
#8 ·
poncho62 said:
Yeah.....Stolen tags are a good idea............NOT.
What's the deal man? where did I say "use stolen tags"? The car sales-person sometimes leaves the paper dealer tag in the car you just bought from them. They may even give give one to you if you ask. All I was saying is that if someone doesn't have the money to register the car, or won't pass emissions, paper tags can get you by.
 
#9 ·
Which is illegal where most of us live.................maybe you can get away with stuff like that in Texas, but not the rest of the world. Insurance is probably a big joke too. If you can't afford to drive legally, get it off the road.
 
#10 ·
poncho62 said:
Which is illegal where most of us live.................maybe you can get away with stuff like that in Texas, but not the rest of the world. Insurance is probably a big joke too. If you can't afford to drive legally, get it off the road.
Yeah to some people insurance is a joke, but I've always been insured.
So what if I had to use paper tags on my El Camino, so I would not have to take (and fail) an emission test. So what if I used a inspection sticker off of another car on my 89 Chevy truck because it wouldn't pass the emissions test, what are you going to do, report me to the EPA?:rolleyes:

I must be a terrible person to brake a law like that, just so I could drive to work and pay bills. I DEMAND to be sent to prison at once!
 
#11 · (Edited)
FASTCHEVY said:
What's the deal man? where did I say "use stolen tags"? The car sales-person sometimes leaves the paper dealer tag in the car you just bought from them. They may even give give one to you if you ask. All I was saying is that if someone doesn't have the money to register the car, or won't pass emissions, paper tags can get you by.

Perhaps you don't remember anything longer than about one minute so let me help you out. YOUR LAST POST READS AS BELOW.

Al



FASTCHEVY
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Paper dealer tags work pretty good, if you can swipe one out of a car your test driving.
Farm truck tags are cheaper, but I don't know if there is any limits on them.
 
#12 ·
FASTCHEVY said:
Yeah to some people insurance is a joke, but I've always been insured.
So what if I had to use paper tags on my El Camino, so I would not have to take (and fail) an emission test. So what if I used a inspection sticker off of another car on my 89 Chevy truck because it wouldn't pass the emissions test, what are you going to do, report me to the EPA?:rolleyes:

I must be a terrible person to brake a law like that, just so I could drive to work and pay bills. I DEMAND to be sent to prison at once!
Because, I insure, do emmissions and pay for plates on 5 vehicles...........I pay my way, whether I agree with it or not. Its these people that try to get away with stuff like this that p*ss me off. They are the ones that run over an old lady and then run for the hills. I see these types on the road all the time.........it's too bad that the cops can't seem to see it (or can't be bothered)
 
#13 ·
GearHead69 said:
Dang, plenty of people around here run AV plates and drive their cars around all the time.. I guess they are lucky enough not to get caught. Those plates are soo cheap that I would almost take the risk of running them, I'd just say "I'm headed to the gas station"
Yeah I know of several people that drive theirs to and from worrk in nice weather, I get mine out one time in 6 months and get nailed................ :mad: Hell of it is I had driven 200 miles that day and was 6 miles from home. Almost made it.
 
#14 ·
See if your state offers classic tags. It has less restrictions.

I have them on the Caprice, full coverage, the car is insured for $5000(much more than its worth) I am the primary driver, I'm 18 and I only PAY $270 a year for car insurance. The mileage limit is 5000, but there are obvious ways around that.
 
#18 ·
Amazingly in Kalifornia the rules are fairly lenient. You can run vintage plates on daily drivers if they are the same year as the car or if they came on the car when you got it, i.e., I could run '36 Calif plates on my '36 Willys. I run the yellow on black ~1960s plates because that is when I first registered it. I also have yellow on black ~1960s plates on my '53 Chevy pickup 'cause they came on it when I bought it in 1993. I can run them since they are already there but would have to get current plates or '36/'53 plates if they had to be newly registered.
 
#20 ·
In Kansas I run Antique plates on the cougar and the 57 not a lot of requirements other than the car must be totally stock, exceptions can be tires and seat belts. If you find a year of manufacture tag it can be run by going through the DMV and that will then be your personalized tag.
 
#21 ·
I know several folks who run 'antique' or other 'special use' plates, and if caught by "The Man", they just claim that they are test driving the car after performing some mechanical maintenance...perfectly legal (even if a little white lie)...I don't think it would fly if you were 200 miles from home though:nono: :nono:

On a side note, is there any way to have new plates made (to replicate the old CA black plates), or some way to R&R the originals...my 71 Cheyenne's plates are a bit rough, but I don't want to replace them with new style plates.....

Tim
 
#22 ·
I am just waiting for my classic plate to arrive within the next 5 days as I have spent 2 months here in Pennsylvania awaiting that news.

I sent in for classic registration as the car is 2 years from being able to register as an antique, here in PA. the classic and antique registrations are permanent unless you transfer them to another vehicle or sign a release form and the new plate registrar pays the fee to assume the plate. And for now they are both emissions exempt.

Mine is not as hard to try to get the plate as some others would try for their vehicles, as mine is in "pure stock" form with the switch of a set of wheels. I am able to cancel out their questionability of the color being non-stock as GM had an RPO code for non recommended color combinations and the color of my car was available in Chevrolets' line-up in 1981.

PA has no mileage restriction on the classic plate, and my insurance company has a policy that only upholds the registration states' regulations, so they just stick with what the state says.

Any way you look at doing anything illegal when is comes to any form of government, you are just deserving of what they impose if and when you get caught. No matter how petty or stupid it may seem.
 
#23 ·
So what if I had to use paper tags on my El Camino, so I would not have to take (and fail) an emission test. So what if I used a inspection sticker off of another car on my 89 Chevy truck because it wouldn't pass the emissions test, what are you going to do, report me to the EPA?
Because of attitudes like that is what drives up the cost on other things and makes the rules all the stricter. Why the hell don't you have to obey the law but others do. And yea, if my vehicle wouldn't pass and i had to spend a few hundred to make it legal, and I saw you get out of it because of a stolen sticker or tag....you bet I'd pop your butt with the EPA!! It's ones like you that don't want to take the time or money to bring cars up to standard that ends up costing the ones that do care a little bit.:mad: :nono:
 
#24 ·
Kevin45 said:
Why the hell don't you have to obey the law but others do. And yea, if my vehicle wouldn't pass and i had to spend a few hundred to make it legal, and I saw you get out of it because of a stolen sticker or tag....you bet I'd pop your butt with the EPA!! It's ones like you that don't want to take the time or money to bring cars up to standard that ends up costing the ones that do care a little bit.:mad: :nono:

I didn't have the money to fix it, in fact I had to sell that 89 because I couldn't afford to get it fixed.

Plus I cheated just to piss you off.:p

And you have no idea what poor people had to go though when they started the new emissions test, so you can take that attitude of yours and stick it where the sun don't shine. :p
 
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