Historic Tags in New South Wales Auustralia

Just read an article that if you have historic tags on your car in New South Wales, Australia, you are restricted to only 60 days of use per year! You must carry a log book and mark the times you drive, if you don't have the log with you and are stopped by the police, you will be fined for driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle. A fellow down there had this happen and was fined $3500.00, even though his car was registered, he didn't have the book with him. No excuses! And we think we have it bad, go figure. PJ

hmmm - doesn't sound good at all.

What's the situation if the car has insurance and standard tags?

I think I found a source.

https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/drivin...toric-left-hand-drive-and-street-rod-vehicles

If you register only as "historic", you get a break on other fees, and you're only required to have liability insurance. So I guess I can see a need to limit driving with it.

Slightly similar to USA classic car insurors, who limit driving to "ice cream runs and car shows", and number of miles you can drive the car.

Yeah, I think you found the right source of information Tom. Not too bad if the car isn't driven much, just obey the rules. PJ

Paul - just for the heck of it ... what's the purpose of having "historic plates" and special registration, anyway?

Here in Connecticut, you can do that if the car is at least 25 years old. But what purpose does it actually serve, other than saving the car's owner $100 in registration fees, greatly reducing the car's value for property tax, sometimes making it eligible for classic car insurance, and cutting down state revenues?

Example: here in CT, an MGA insured with Hagerty for $25,000, and purchased for $20,000 - is only taxed at $500 value for property tax. Wow. Sure, it's nice for the owner - but the classic car owner often has a lot more assets and income than the average Joe who only has a ten year old Honda.

Thanks.
Tom M.

Here in PA having antique plates also exempts you from annual inspections. It also comes with limited use restrictions.

Here in Oregon you get a huge break on taxes/fees with historic plates... BUT one is only supposed to drive the car to shows, clubs or for repair-related work. Technically, the police can stop you to inquire (though this rarely happens). I've had friends with historic plates and never have had a problem. One of those friends figures that if caught will say "just testing out my brake repairs" (which could be a problem if out with regularity). I chose to get regular plates.

Edit: no emissions testing required on cars before, I think, 1975.

Thanks Elliot. In CT, there are no use restrictions on the historic registration, but we don't have to get the emissions tested.

Interesting that in CT, you're exempt from emissions testing if the model year is 1992 or earlier, regardless of standard or historic reg. So if you're possibly emitting toxic goo and noxious gases, I can see a state wanting to limit mileage drive.

TM

Boink said:

Here in Oregon you get a huge break on taxes/fees with historic plates... BUT one is only supposed to drive the car to shows, clubs or for repair-related work. Technically, the police can stop you to inquire (though this rarely happens). I've had friends with historic plates and never have had a problem. One of those friends figures that if caught will say "just testing out my brake repairs" (which could be a problem if out with regularity). I chose to get regular plates.

Edit: no emissions testing required on cars before, I think, 1975.

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here too - and I chose regular plates for the same reason. No testing here on cars before '86 - was supposed to roll forward but I guess the money was too good so it is stuck there.

Try Singapore.
My car is from Singapore, so I had done a little research on the laws there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Singapore
Off Peak and Restricted categories.

Singapore has license plate camera identification technology everywhere. They track your vehicle wherever you go (which is part of the thinking here in the US with "good to go" passes that readers read whether tolled or not).

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/cars-cars-204/[info]-traffic-parking-violations-driving-directions-parking-rates-2013385.html
An offender can be fined up to $10,000 for using an OPC without displaying a valid day licence. For tampering with the day licence, the penalty is a fine not exceeding $20,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 12 months or both.
About one-third of those convicted were found to have tampered with the licences - a more serious offence.

The punishment is a fine of up to $10,000 for the first offence. Subsequent convictions carry fines of up to $20,000, a maximum jail term of 12 months, or both.

They also face an additional charge of driving without a valid supplementary licence, which carries a maximum fine of $5,000 for first-time offenders.
On average, the tamperers were fined $8,000 - equivalent to almost half their tax savings. Those who drive without a supplementary licence or an invalid one face fines of up to $5,000, which can double for repeat offenders.

In California, they charge extra (currently, one time fee of $25) for Historical Vehicle plates.

I have collector plates on the 49 Willys. I have Horseless Carriage plates on the 50 Tudor. $25 sounds right. Supposedly one time deal, but the old car clubs I was in talked about the desire to tax you anyway..someday. The HC plates have a spot for month and year tags, but no tags...yet.
If they jack the rates on the 50 F1, I have an original 1950 Truck plate to do.
I am so tired of this.

Also,in CA,if you have a pickup,you probably have commercial plates.
I had a '60 Chevy 1 ton panel truck that I paid $1750 for (w/5100 miles!).When
I bought it,dmv fees were about $550,& about $250 the next year.
They also adjust your renewel on what you paid for it for a few years,
which causes many people to lie about the purchase price.
I'm paying about $82 a year on our 50 year old MGB GT.

What they have done here for taxing and tabs has nothing to do with purchase price, even with a notarized bill of sale.
I knew a guy who bought an early 70's Chevy pickup, body rotted to the windows, for 500, just to have a truck to haul stuff to the dump.
DMV told him, no, they valued the truck at 5000, charged 9.5% tax on THAT plus high tab rates. There is no appeal process.
If we had a law to tell them, fine, you think it's worth 5000, it's yours, make the check out to me for 5000.
That would stop this BS inside of three days.

TOC said:

I have collector plates on the 49 Willys. I have Horseless Carriage plates on the 50 Tudor. $25 sounds right. Supposedly one time deal, but the old car clubs I was in talked about the desire to tax you anyway..someday. The HC plates have a spot for month and year tags, but no tags...yet.
If they jack the rates on the 50 F1, I have an original 1950 Truck plate to do.
I am so tired of this.

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In Oregon there is a SIGNIFICANT premium paid for so-called "vanity plates" (in my case "BOINK"). Not sure I'll maintain it because it might be $150 every other year/

I do like my plate though, PJ

View attachment 47844

PAUL161 said:

Just read an article that if you have historic tags on your car in New South Wales, Australia, you are restricted to only 60 days of use per year! You must carry a log book and mark the times you drive, if you don't have the log with you and are stopped by the police, you will be fined for driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle. A fellow down there had this happen and was fined $3500.00, even though his car was registered, he didn't have the book with him. No excuses! And we think we have it bad, go figure. PJ

Click to expand...

The reason for restricting it to 60 days (until recently it was much less) is that the Conditional Registration Scheme (or Historic Vehicle Scheme) is a way of allowing cars of historic interest to use public roads without the owner having to pay the cost of fully registering the car. The requirement to keep and carry the log book is to ensure that the scheme is used for its intended purpose, and not as a way of registering a car for a few hundred dollars less than you would pay for a new car. If you have a classic and want to use it as daily transport, you just put it on normal registration and you can drive it when and where you want, without logbooks.

In Oklahoma, you must register the car with regular plates, then you can apply for a vanity plate, which took me 9 months to get! The regular plate must be carried in the car at all times while displaying the vanity plate. A fee is charged on both plates every year. Crazy part of that is, the plates are due months apart. PJ

OK - vanity plates aside, why are there such things as "classic" plates?

They're cheaper for the owner - but cut down state revenue.

So why do states offer them? They could just remove restrictions on inspections and/or emissions, etc. for cars over a certain age.

If you put classic plates on your car here, it first must be a minimum of 25 years old and is severely restricted for use. To and from car shows and parades. Vanity plates have no restrictions since they are an extension of the regular plates. Oklahoma has no vehicle inspections, but troopers will pull a car over if it looks unsafe, burnt out lights and with a smoking exhaust. PJ