Folks Of Interest New CA DMV License Plate Program

Jeez, some of you guys make it sound like they're trying to defraud us.

Read the release. It's still just a proposal, it's completely voluntary and it won't go into effect until it's funded by direct private sale. Not tax revenue, private sale. If they can't raise enough from private parties to run the program, it won't happen and all monies will be refunded. No risk, no shared cost. I'm no fan of the CA DMV, but really, this is all there in black and white. And relatively little black and white, for that matter.

I take it as a good sign. If nothing else, it shows that they're listening to and therefore recognizing the desires of enthusiasts. If the market drives policy, and not the other way around, there's not other way to take it. If you don't want the plates, if you really object to the program that much, the best thing you can do is not buy.

 

I hope it goes well. The more programs the state does for the hobby the better.

No, I'd never put it on my old vintage drag car... but I sure would put it on my 1960s economy car that I putter around with the kids in (if they emboss the state).

Some of you guys need to loosen-up. You're sounding like the Model A restorers of the 1980s.

 

I think it sucks! Those of us who have original old CA plates have had to earn them – hunt down an old set of plates that are in good condition, make sure they are DMV clear, get the right year for the car and then deal with DMV to register them. Now any Schmoe with fifty bucks can put something that sorta looks old on ANY car. Great the PT Cruiser geeks are going to have 1956 looking plates on their cars.

The other thing is, you notice they don’t show any pictures of the “New” version. The plates shown are the original for those three style. The new ones are going to be of reflectorized paint so they are gonna look wrong anyway.

I hope they don’t get enough pre orders and the whole thing goes way!

 

And before the YOM law... you guys were the "posers" (and "schmoes") who now had access to black plates... and the guys who had ORIGINAL black plate cars were in your position.

 

^^^ Hotroddon.....I agree 100% . Very well said IMO.

 

well put, hyfire

 

If the car is the right year for the original Black (or any year/color) plate to be on that car how is it a poser? That makes NO SENSE at all.
If these so called legacy plates were being issued only to the year range of cars that they cover that would, but a yellow and black plate on a 2013 Prius just cheapens and degrades the real thing.

 

I think it's cool as hell. Dunno if they'll get 7500 people to sign up for it though.

 

Im part of that 7500. I ordered some for my 77 CT-70 Motorcycle, theres no YOM program for bikes.

The 52 truck however has the real deal plates

 

Don,

Your original argument, if you remember:

"Those of us who have original old CA plates have had to earn them – hunt down an old set of plates that are in good condition, make sure they are DMV clear, get the right year for the car and then deal with DMV to register them"

So, does that mean you've never bought, for example, any reproduction parts? If you don't hunt down original parts and recondition them then you're a poseur? By that logic, rodding would already be dead--the supply of legitimate components would have dried up years ago.

This program is obviously intended for people who own old cars and want original-looking plates for them. Who else is really going to be interested? How many Prius owners are really going to jump at the chance to put a vintage-style plate on their cars?

 

Nothing wrong with Reproduction parts when you can't get a good original. That has nothing to do with this. There are 2 main differences. 1) These aren't going to be reproductions but rather a case of "whoops we missed the mark" and now we have a Fisher Price type thing that looks sort of like the original, but not quite. and 2) they are going to be available to go on any car, not just year appropriate, and you had better believe the owners of new Camaro's, Mustang's and Challenger's are already talking about them on the forums and ordering them. Not to mention PT Cruisers, HHR's and Corvette guys. And when you stick stuff that is reproduction on on something new you get this:

 

^^That car is so hideous

The Pruis owners won't show any interest, but I guaran-damn tee the PT Cruisers owners will. Those guys think their rebodied Neons are street rods.

 

Almost, but not quite.

7500 pre-orders for any one of the three styles.

 

Still, the first point you made had to do with the amount effort previously involved, that people who had old plates had to "earn them," and I think that's ridiculous.

I don't want to see old plates on new cars either, but again, I seriously doubt that'll be the main market or source of interest. With these plates (which are, let's be honest, really just another kind of reproduction vintage part) just as with any other part that has symbolic value beyond its practical value, the attitude and the perception won't change; a PT Cruiser isn't going to look like an old car, no matter what color the plates are. Think about Moon discs on PTs (I know you've seen some of those around So-Cal). Nobody's fooled. This is not going to make anyone think new cars are more legit but will make it easier for those with old cars to get the look they want, and I'm for that. Again, this is, at its heart, a proposal that's intended to serve old car owners missing their original plates. If they said these plates were only available to cars made before a certain year, you'd open a huge can of worms, and cost the public money.

Ultimately, this is just a matter of taste. The legislation involves compromise, obviously, but I'd still rather have the plates available than not.

 

Well, if these do sell you ARE going to see them on new cars, and that's a fact. So that "cheapens" the scarcity and point of putting the originals on in the first place.
But maybe more importantly, I think if these do happen (in other words enough orders), they aren't going to look right anyway, so the people with old cars are going to be disappointed and they are going to look crappy.
If they had wanted to truly do a reproduction plate that looked exactly like the originals, and then limited them to the appropriate vehicles, that would have been OK, but this is just a money grab, has nothing to do with supporting the old car hobby or helping the enthusiasts out.

And why is it "Ridiculous" that folks had to earn them by putting some work into finding the originals and running them on their cars? Isn't that what we have to do with our cars in the first place? Isn't that part of what sets us apart from the folks driving Camry's? Don't we have to put effort and time into building them? Otherwise you might as well drive a new reproduction like a Shay, or a Fuaxbra and pretend you have an old car. And if you want a set of Black and Yellow plates for your 65 Ranchero, just go buy a used set and take them to DMV and register them and you'll have the real thing.

 

Oregon re issued the Pacific wonderland plate and folks pad big bucks for them. the problem is there printed not imbossed like the true plates were. glad I have my true plates off my 60

 

A buddy of mine, up in the Sacramento "Special Plates" Dept., said the plates will be reflective with painted "unembossed" figures. And, as with personalized plates no three "numerics" followed by three "alphas" or vise versa will be permitted so copying that old single plate won't be happening. But things may change................

 

Don,

Well, it makes money by giving a segment of the hobby something it wants, no more of a cash grab than vanity plates, and I'd wager there's a pretty healthy cross section of HAMBers that own those. I just don't think scarcity necessarily equals legitimacy. You may be right, they may be crappy and disappointing, but the market ought to correct that pretty quickly if so. And anyway, if you are right, and the repros look like shit, that'll actually have the opposite effect on real old originals, making them more special and more valuable, not less.

It's not ridiculous at all that somebody would put effort into finding, restoring and registering old plates, but the extra value and satisfaction that that imparts is really just to the person that did it. Your car means more to you if you work on it, and you certainly earn a different sense of pride as a result of the extra effort, but isn't hot rodding about doing what the hell you want and not worrying about people who don't get it? The arbitrary, exclusive club stuff is antithetical, in my opinion.

I can see your point, and I think you can see mine. We don't have to agree. Again, I think it's really a matter of taste. I won't be buying 'em but I take it as a good sign that they're out there.

 

Well, I guess we will agree to disagree, but I feel sorry for anyone who shells out the $90.00 (50 for the plate and 40 to register it) and then it looks like crap with reflectorized paint and no embossing) But then that will help those of us with the real thing keep the value of having it.
It kind of reminds me of collecting Coca Cola stuff. You used to have to seek out old items that no one wanted for so long, in many cases restore it, and end up with unique items. Then along came the reproduction knocks offs and no one cared any more because every other hose had fake Coke stuff. It does knock down the "value" whether that be monetary or just the uniqueness of having something different. Like it or not, part of the attraction to collecting and restoring something is its rareity. And when you get right down to it, isn't that part of the difference between a "Collection of Rare Items" and just having a whole bunch of plastic copycat junk ?

 

Thank you for doing that, I love the YOM program!


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Yessir.

By the way, as to the question of scarcity, I was really only talking about cars that people drive and the parts that go into them. In most other cases, you have a point.

 

I agree....but I long since sold the car....and it went to The Netherlands. So I don't think there is an issue or I wouldn't have posted this

 

The trick is to learn how to register your Pre 40 car or truck with a purchased set of original matching plates (proving they came with the vehicle), and then using those originals. It can be done !

This way you avoid the $50 a year fee for the YOM program and the new program that stamps you a plate from aluminum and then still charges you $50 a year.

 

^^^^
YOU are still paying the state $50 a year for a personalized plate....which is stupid IMO.

Card stock does not hold up well in the weather, and your not fooling anyone with card stock or plastic made plates from your mail order company you listed.

 

I did that but the DMV guy couldn't figure out the correct procedure and my vin didn't match my license on the computer. I never got pulled over but I did have a cop buddy check and he said it would have caused some major problems if I had.

Sold the car to a Sheriff and he didn't seem to be bothered by it.

 

As a purveyor of all things CA license plates for quite some time, I find it very entertaining to see all of the bad information & rumor-based opinions that these threads spew.

All of the FACTS associated with the legacy plates and the YOM program are available online. No good information at the DMV offices. Don't think that bits and pieces from either program overlap. The legacy program will likely be just as much a clusterfuck as the YOM, and it will all depend on the DMV office that you get serviced at. But it will likely be workable if you do your homework.

I will laugh at any inappropriate use of the legacy plates...out loud...every time.

Read a little bit before you get fired up.

 

It's my $50 and I wantd the personalized plate so what do you care? Inasmuch as I sold the car years ago its not an issue anymore so I gotta wonder why you feel the need to tell me your opinion, but whatever.

There's no weather in SoCal...at least not when I drove that car and the licenseplates.tv plates are not plastic. They're aluminum and are indistinguishable from new DMV plates.

I posted in case someone else was interested. I don't know why it prompted the hard reactions but rest easy boys no one got hurt, it was my money and the plates said the exact same thing as the genuine DMV plates did other than being a difference color.

 

Neat program, but like most reproductions, will probably look nothing like original plates - I wouldn't put 'em on anything I owned.

Original license plates really tie the room together...man.