I went to the DMV the other day and picked up some antique plates for the Thunderbird. Once a vehicle hits 25 years old in Illinois you can get antique plates for it, if it's not your daily driver and you own another car. I've owned the Thunderbird for over ten years and I was a little over two years old when it was built in September of 1987. I feel old now :eek:.
I haven't decided if I'm going to keep the kind of py looking brown antique vehicle plates or run a set of 80's triple blue Illinois plates. I have a set I just need to get a local printer to make me a September 88 expiration decal.
I just realized yesterday that mine is 30...and it's my newest car.
Yea to bad in CA they all still need smog and those things called catiletic converters lol
They've gotta be 30 here before they're considered antiques... makes it a lot cheaper to own, once they are. Registration is $15 per year, insurance is under $100 for full coverage...
No emissions testing for cars from 1995 and down as we don't have dyno rollers. They just plug in the OBD-II cars and that's it. I haven't had to go to an emissions test with the Thunderbird since about 2004.
$15 a year for registration? Even in corrupt arse Illinois it's only $39 for four years, so $10ish a year. You pay $39 when you get the plates and then $39 every 4 years.
I really need to leave CA I don't even want to know what you guys pay for gas
STANG8U: More than you do, I'll bet. It's $4.94/gallon here... Only good thing from an auto enthusiast point of view is that we don't have any emissions testing. At all. Not even on brand new vehicles. Our provincial law only states that a catalytic converter must be present on 1991 and newer vehicles. Doesn't have to work, it just has to be there...
Thunderjat302: I live in the most expensive, most heavily taxed province in Canada, which itself is generally more expensive and higher taxed than the USA. How's 15% sales tax on everything sound? $8/gallon for milk? $14 for two chicken from the grocery store? I would say the good thing is we don't have to buy health insurance, but Nova Scotia has the highest taxes and worst health care in the country, while oil-rich Alberta has the lowest taxes and best care.
We can use period plates....the plates that were issued when the car was new.
the vert is slowly creeping up to 30
Canada make CA seem like a dream lol
Has to be 30 years old to get Antique plates here as well. No emissions testing whatsoever here for anything pre-95, just the standard joke of a safety inspection, which even a rusted-out deathtrap could pass.
in kansas they have to be 35 years old, and its just about time to do my 79 bird :)
I guess we should stop bitching about the 10% sales tax in Cook County:hick:. With how much you guys are paying $15 a year for plates isn't bad.
I guess Illinois is kind of in the middle as far as antique plates are concerned. Some states have it at 20 years and some are up to 35. I've noticed the further south you are the longer you have to wait for antique plates. Probably because the tin worm doesn't have as much of an influence the further south you go.
Here in Europe, it's 30 years for all countries (because of some FIA regulation). It was 25 years untill May 2012. Then we have 2 options, one is for the cars with valid registration and the second is for cars without registration.
The cars with the registration can do the "club testing", which is cheap, you keep the black on white license plates and you will pay 1/12 of the standard insurance fee. You have to visit a historic inspection once a year and it costs about $15. The result is, that you can use your car as you want and you can save up to $500 on insurance fee every year. The only thing is, that you have to visit standard roadworthiness inspection every 2 years.
The second option is the "region testing". It's for the cars without registration. It's more expensive, you have to be a member of some historic cars club and you have to pay the club fee about $250 per year. After you pass the first testing, you will get the green on white license plates. The insurance fee is 1/12 as well. It's not the cost saving option, but you don't have a choice. There is no other option to register an antique car. You have to visit the historic inspection once a year as well. You don't have to visit any roadworthiness test.
PS: We don't have to update the registration every year as someone mentioned. We pay the regitration fee once when the car is registered to our name and that's all. It's about $40.
In Connecticut, it's 25 years for historic plates. It's a -little- cheaper than standard plates, same price for everything else. Vehicles older than 25 years are exempt from emissions testing, registered as an antique or otherwise. I've got antique plates on mine, and all the emissions stuff is gone :D
We pay taxes and registration fee's every year. Think it was about $70 last time I did it.
Antique plates in 25 years if manufacturer is no longer around, and 30 if it is. Still have to pass saftey and emissions every year, as well as having cats. Every car older then 95 has to do a dyno test, except pre 1967. Only had one car fail emissions though, reguardless of how well it was taken care of.
interesting to see how the registration costs and laws around the world :D
Mines on a "Club Permit" which is a limited 90 day per year use registration, costs about $150 compared to the *normal* $700 a year registration.
Car has to be over 25 years old to be allowed on a Club permit.
I heard that in Australia you don't need insurance?
Third Party Insurance is included with Registration, some $400+ of it.
That only covers personal injury, not property.
Third Party Property/Full Comprehensive Insurance is completely optional.
In VA the vehicle has to be 25 yr old and it's a ONETIME fee of $50 for antique registration, plus that includes the py yellow with blue numerals antique plate(several have painted them black with white numerals, cops don't seem to have a clue)... VA will only allow year of mfgr plats up to '73 as that's when we switched to decals(and I probably have a set some on older tags)... For those it's still $50 even if you supply your own plate...
BTW when I registered the '69 Cobra Jet Fairlane as antique in '06, the fee was a onetime $6... Went to $50 the next year...
We have learned that if you have a car outside of the US it costs waaayyy too much money to register it :), and my car is old.
I shouldn't complain about my $39 once every 4 year plate fee. It's $100 a year for regular plates.
Yep.. I have 3 fully registered cars @ $700 each, and one club Permit car @ $150
add insurance to that too :P
I had no idea it was so cheap to register them over there.
Insurance coverage on the Fairlane is $235 year for $24K with zero deductible ...
Dunno what amount I'll insure the Bird, prob let Hagerty suggest figure when I register it as antique... That will exempt it from yearly inspections, so plans are to carb the 331...
I'm also looking at another older Ford product(1972) that will be reg as antique... I'm having a tough time NOT wanting to put the 331 in it, but it's a 66K mi orig(has fresh paint) so likely it'll remain stock...
Details as(if) they become avail...
Insurance on the T-bird is $180 a year for $9K with zero deductible. I have a clean driving record but apparently being in your 20s and male makes the insurance companies think you're going to crash all the time, so they charge ya more :hick:.
I'm 17 so my insurance is about 900 for a year, good think the bird is considered a Bucket lol or else it'd probably be around 2 grand
I pay about that for a two year old Focus. I guess I'm not getting screwed. Living in a major metro area jacks insurance rates as well.
Mine is only $360 a year (liability) for the bird. I'm 29, and with a clean driving record though, or else it would be much higher, even with the these cars not being worth much.
Also forgot to mention before that reg/inspection/tag sticker/tax is only $35 per year here for anything pre-95.
nope 20 For Early american plates. They changed the law. BUT the car has to be 100% stock right down to the cigarette lighter. Thank God for REPAIR PLATES!!