HartFB

I've always been a fan of the old CA blue and yellow license plates from the 80's and I was just curious if it's possible to be able to get one of said license plates of off eBay or something and re-register it to my non-80's era lexus? I tried doing some research online but couldn't get a definitive answer so I thought maybe someone on here might know, appreciate the help, thanks.

mjeds

no

this is something I am very familiar with as I just went through a YOM (year of manufacturer) registration with my 1939 Ford.

you can get YOM plates for any vehicle PRE-1974, that is you can get a plate off from ebay or whatever as long as that plate number is clear and that plate matches the year your vehicle was manufactured pre-1974. I just got some clear 1939 plates for my Ford.

you cannot put any plate on any vehicle after 1974 that is not the correct plate for that vehicles manufacturer year series EXCEPT if you already own a personalized plate. So if you own a blue/yellow personalized plate from the 1970s early 1980s (blue/yellow stopped in 1984) then yes you can transfer to your current car as long as you have 2 plates that are not faded or discolored.


you cannot just buy a plate from ebay to do it.. if that plate design was not available the year your car was made, you cannot use it.


however there is now the CA Legacy plate program where you can get the 1960s Black/Yellow from the DMV in either a current number series or personalized, but these are not original 1960s plates, they fall under the 'special plate' category, and the plate numbers are a current number series, not the 1960s number series, they cost $50 extra for the first year and $40 every year thereafter to own.. you own the plates so they can be moved from car to car, unlike standard plates that travel with the car when you sell/trade.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/de...cyplates/index


these are the only allowed plate options for modern cars:

Drizell

I tryed to look it up and like you got mixed answers. best thing to do before purchasing is contacting Tax collector/registration for plates aka dmv. Asked them directly as your state may have some rules that i am not aware of here in Florida. My guess is that you can because we know some wealthy people here in Naples with the limited Jag and ferrari's. They get custom plates and some of them are the old styles. They told me just pay extra for it. Cost extra 200.00 for the one the guy has. I'll try and snap a picture when the residents are not looking. But you will see that the plate choices are defantly not from the time. Rolling 60's? Good luck HarFB

Drizell

Oh, Thanks to Mjeds. I was typing a post and dident see you post the answer. So there you have it. He has fully explained what you have needed. I will take credit for being no help at all but contributing to your thread. Yay I am still worth something!

mjeds

BTW, it is also illegal to repaint a current plate, there are authorized DMV restoration companies that can restore a pre-1974 plate legally.. But if you paint or modify the plate on your own (YOM or otherwise) it is a $1000 violation, while most LEOs probably won't bother with it, there are those that can and are a-holes about it..

mjeds

Yeah GA and FL have some different rules in that regard.. my uncle has homes in both states and bunch of hot rods and fancy cars, and he said the same thing, as long as the plate is a legit number the year is irrelevant you just pay extra to reassign the number to a car that doesn't match the YOM.

by CA is much different.. I had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get my YOM plates approved.. First I bought them off Ebay and had to make sure they are clear, which you can't do unless you own them and take them to the DMV, you can't just call and check, they have to see the plates.. Mine cost $250 on ebay and it was a crap shoot as to whether they were free and clear, I lucked out as the seller was honest about it.

Then the DMV has to inspect them, and if they are not in "worthly" shape, free of rust, dents, and not discolored or faded, then you can get approval to put them on a car manufactured that year as long as the title of said car is clear (not a salvage or buy back), in my case I had to have them restored before the DMV would approve them as they had 1 little dent and some rust.. So $250 from an approved DMV plate restoration facility..

Then $50 one time fee to link them to the car.

here are the CA YOM rules:

HartFB

Thanks for the clarification mjeds, I have friends that have put their blue and yellows on their "modern" cars which is why I was confused when looking online but your explanation clears that up. I own the black and yellow plates as I'm a fan of the vintage designs that California has made so the thought just crossed my mind and I figured someone would have some experience with it on here. Thanks again for the time, much appreciated.

mjeds

as long as they are personalized plates you can use them, if they are standard issued numbers you cannot.