New CA vintage license plate program - What isn't in the FAQ

Dear California Station Wagon Lovers,

My trusty wagon lost her original 1960s era plates when she was stolen in 1986. Worse still, the modern plates where damaged when the car was hit in 2010. So I sure wouldn't mind replacing the 80s era plates with a 1960s looking plates. The California Department of Motor Vehicles appears to have answered my prayers with a new California Legacy License Plate Program, which is described here:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/legacyplates/index.htm

There is also a FAQ that is located here:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/legacyplates/faqs.htm

It appears that for a one time fee you can at least get a sequential license plate that appears correct for the 1950s, 60s, or 70s. However, there are a "few details" not mentioned in the FAQ. However, you can ferret this information out if you dig some more. For those of us not made of money, an obvious question is are there any annuals fees involved in having this speciality plate.

However, if you get your hands on the actual bill, there is "more information." The actual text can be found here:

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_1651-1700/ab_1658_cfa_20120406_085825_asm_comm.html

There the annual fee is specified as (and I quote: )

There is another unsettling aspect of this program:

There is of course no guarantee that such environmental funding might not be ultimately seek to reduce pollution by restricting the use of classic cars. If you were a classic car owner, you might prefer to fund something - say related to antique car and culture preservation.

The last gotcha to consider is that this new program appears to launch a new opportunity to obtain personalized license plates. How this works compared to existing vanity plates isn't explained clearly. It isn't clear if the same personalized plate would be considered different because it appears on a 50s, 60s or 70s plate. What is suspicious is that no differential fee is mentioned in the law for personalized versus sequential plates. In California, personalized plates will cost ya'. The annual renewal cost for personalized plate is about twice what a sequential plate will cost. The current cost is $78 a year for most programs.

So if your California vanity is worth close $100 of fees, let it all hang out. However, if you would be concerned about diverting some of classic car budget every year to support an environmental fund . . . . Consider yourself warned!

Cheers, Edouard

 

So I'm trying to understand is your question if you get original style plates with the original # on them will it be worth it?

 

A little confusion on Australia Day is okay, same as meat pies & kangaroos are to you and yes we do put shrimp(prawns) on the BBQ just replaced my Weber after 29 years with a new one(still made in Mecio i see) anyway its a great day MABYE IT WILL BE CLEARER IN THE MORNING

 

'Personalized' plates would not be 'period correct' on your vehicle anyway, since California did not issue personalized plates until the late 70's I believe. Period correct for your wagon would be yellow digits on a black plate, three letters, then three numbers.

 

No yearly charge or fees in Ohio for them, just pay the initial cost and never pay again.

:confused::confused:

Happy Australia Day!
I've always wondered...
Do 'Roo burgers have pouches with little 'Roo burgers inside of them???

 

Same here in TN. Even better, you don't even have to run the new antique plates. Once registered, you can run any period correct TN plate. I run plates bought from eBay on my GN and Cutlass.

 

only if you dont check the pouch before cooking

 

Additional details on CA legacy plates.

Dear OrthmannJ, Krash, and Station Wagon Lovers,

Thanks for all your "thoughtful" replies

Actually, my question was even simpler: what are the fees associated with these legacy plates? I put a little more time searching this morning. There is no place where the fees are spelled out. In particular I want to know what the annual renewal fees are. That periodic cost will hurt year after year.

Well, yes and no. First, if you really want correct plates, there is exactly one way to get them. You need to locate some original plates with a documented history and present them to the DMV. This is legal, but obviously a little seedy and expensive. These period plates are now quite a commodity. However, there are not additional annual fees to do that. So over the long term it may well be the cheapest.

Second, apparently if you make a personalized saying that consisted of three letters followed by three numbers it could be personalized and still look period correct. The DMV says that they will reject personalized plates that just are random letters and numbers, but it has meaning they will consider it.

However, there is yet another issue. There is no guarantee the new plates will look that close to the old. The law requires that the new plates meet modern safety standard for things like reflectivity. They would also be manufactured out of aluminum instead of the steel of the old days.

To me though, it is the bottom line that remains the worry. As best as I can tell, just to have a reproduction plate with a random sequential number will cost you $40 a year for the privilege. As best as I can make sense of the California vanity plate program, if you want a personalized plate, there is an additional annual fee of $78. That would be on top of the $40. So this would be total cost of $118 a year, for as long as you own your car.

That seems to be asking an awful lot for vanity. While plenty of Californians seem very vain, at least in my case - modesty (and economics) prevail!!

Cheers, Edouard

 

Our 'standard' Oregon plates are kind of a light blue / steel blue background, with a 'mountain' background scene, with dark blue digits. Doesn't really go with my white / woodgrain wagon. They have some kind of 'arts benefit' plate that could either be personalized or standard issue. This plate has some kind of design on it that's brown/orangish in tone - would match lots better on my Safari - but I'd being paying another $100/hr or so for it - even more if it was personalized. No thanks.

 

"Well, yes and no. First, if you really want correct plates, there is exactly one way to get them. You need to locate some original plates with a documented history and present them to the DMV".


gunna have to disagree, by the simple fact that i had to give up the original black plates on my 65 mustang i bought in'92, because it was out of the system. it did not show up at all, i had to have the vehicle verified by the chp. when i registered my wagon this year i asked the guy at the dmv and he said just bring them both in to be checked out. i would not be able to supply any documentation as there isn't any or is this catch 22. i only disagree on having to supply documents.

 

Supposedly it is possible.

Dear 69nomad and Station Wagon Lovers,

I don't know what to tell you, but the author of the bill specifically mentions that this technique of transferring plates "can be made to work." Therefore I assume it is possible. However, you might have to locate a period car that has license plates still in the DMV system.

I certainly agree that this is a seedy and risky strategy to try to put back period plates on your classic. Sadly this bill is addressing a real problem with respect to wanting period looking plates. However, like so many things in California, it appears to be a botched up solution.

Oh well,

Cheers, Edouard