[Scstables]

I live in Pennsylvania and since my car is officially 25 years old I can get antique license plates for it. However there are some restrictions such as occasional driving, what does that mean?

The upside of this if I get antique plates, I will not have to take the car for inspection every year which is required in Pennsylvania and a pain in the butt. That would save me some money every year not having to get it inspected.

Should I or shouldn't I get antique plates?

 

[TurboPacifica]

I did It for my 88 Daytona last month.
It cost about $90 for custom HISTORIC plates.
NO more inspections.
you must renew your registration every 3 years and it is Free.

Now the Insurance is a different topic all together.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

In MA, it's a little different. It would cut my insurance from about $480 a year to $160 or so. The antique plate registration is more, it's $45 a year, vs the regular fee of $50 every two years - so almost double. It still requires a safety inspection at $29 a year.

It can be used "only for exhibitions, parades, car club functions, and other public events." That's why I don't do it. They might never know, but I want the option of using it anytime, anywhere. I often commute to work with it in good weather for fun, or if my daily driver is down.

 

[ChargedDust]

It depends on the state laws, as you can see they vary quite a bit. Also have to be careful of the laguage, sometimes there are differences between "classic", "historic" & "antique". But if your state's language is as vague as "occasional driving", I would go for it. But if you're putting 10K+ miles on it a year it's a bit more than occasional, but then that also depends on how often and if and how they check on that.

 

[TWX]

Must be nice... In Arizona the Historic Vehicle plates are just another choice of plate, but just for older cars and with less characters available for vanity options.

 

[DCTZ]

NJ initial cost of plates is $44 (personalized plates are $50 more), Registration every 3 years at no fee for renewal. No inspection required. No inspection sticker requires on windshield.

NJ application: http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/pdf/Vehicles/SP-121.pdf

NJ historic plate help guide: http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/pdf/Vehicles/historic-samples.pdf


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Amendment to NJ Bill 463 that permits historic cars to display rear licence plate only: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/9899/Bills/a0500/463_i1.pdf

Keep a copy of the amendment in the glove compartment in case the police pull you over for not having a front plate in NJ.

 

[ImperialCrown]

I found a pair of NY 1962 plates in my great uncle's garage. He never threw anything away just like me.
I have a 1962 Lark Daytona V8 that I have put them on. NY DMV will let you do this with a good color photo of the plates and filling out an application to wear them.
$10 NYS safety inspection is yearly.
The Antique Auto insurance is $60 a year. I am restricted to 'to and from' car shows and club events. The car is not a daily driver, but might appear at an ice cream stand occasionally in nice weather.

 

[TurboPacifica]

 

[Jeff2KPatriotBlue]

You should also consider getting replacement value insurance.

The book value of a typical "old car" is considerably lower than the replacement value of an "antique" that is cared for.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

A good appraisal is necessary. I have kept printouts of the value of my car, pending getting it appraised. NADA Collectible says it's worth about $4,000.