On phunfamily trips, we often count license plates from other states. Also, every day, when I drive the phunkids to school, they point out license plates from other states. On any given day, in my 6 mile round-trip drive to school/work, I encounter about 8-10 license plates from states other than PA. NJ and DE might be expected, but I regularly see CT, NY, VA, MO, FL, even cars as far west as OR, CA and CO…
So, what are all these cars doing in the Philadelphia suburbs? My thoughts are:
-college students (about 5 colleges in the area, but most students live on campus)
-there is a Naval Base in Philly, but I’m not sure how “active” it is, or why active Navy folk would be commuting from the Philly burbs
-it is expensive to have a car insured in Philly, so people register elsewhere
-there are a lot of people who move and do not re-register their car until it runs out
Are you one of these people (in PA or elsewhere)? Can anyone add further explanation?
my parents own property in WV and in FL. one of their cars is registered in WV, but it’s down in miami. they drive it up in the winters since it’s a 4WD. that said, I can’t speak for what I see everyday in miami- an abundance of about every plate but Florida. I guess they are largely vacationers.
I was. For maybe 7 years. I just never got around to registering my car in Texas (I mover from Georgia) and cops don’t pay attention to out of state expiration dates. Then one day I was sitting at a traffic light and two motorcycle cops pulled up behind me and actually looked at my plates. Got a ticket for expired plates and out-of-state license. But, if I got local plates and a license in a month, the fines were waved so there was absolutely no downside to procrastinating.
My car is registered in Alabama for the moment, but will soon be transferred to Georgia (fancy insurance footwork, all way over my head – I understand that this is saving me money somehow). As a side note, I despise Alabama license plates. “Stars Fell On,” really, blah!
I’m driving a NY registered car (93 volvo) in chicago. I’m a college student, and it’s my parent’s old car. Oh, and if I tried to register it here, it would have to pass the IL state emissions test, which is a laughable idea.
I’m in NJ - if you see me driving a car it will have CA plates on it. The owner, with whom I’m staying temporarily, recently moved to NJ from San Diego.
Driving home, early evening, Route 30 (Lancaster Ave. by Villanova for any locals) I pass a car with Cali plates, and say to Phungal “where are they going” and she says “just passing through”…
I lived in Kansas and had Nebraska plates.
I moved to Texas & decided after my plates had expired apx 4 yrs prior it was time to get legal (hangs head in shame). My excuse? workin 60+ hrs (usually 70-80) , maintaining a household & raising 3 kids on my own. Even when I was pulled over by Texas cops one day, didnt get a ticket (that was strange).
Yes, I am. I don’t actually own my car – my business does. The business is incorporated in Montana, transacts business in Montana, has employees in Montana, and pays taxes in Montana.
My ass (and the car I drive) is currently in Nevada. The car and I also spend quite a bit of time in Texas, California and Idaho, but only about 2 weeks of every six months in Montana.
It’s legal, if you do all the proper paperwork correctly.
I drive a Louisiana car in Texas. I’m a grad student, so I’m only supposed to be here for two years anyway. I was just wondering about that today, though. My inspection sticker runs out in June, and I was curious about whether I should drive back to Louisiana to get it renewed or if I should just let it lapse.
There are a large number of people in Indiana with cars registered in neighboring states. This is because of the large fees associated with registering a car in Indiana. Friends of mine live in Huntington Indiana, and there were at least 3 families on their 4 block street that had Ohio registration. The state started offering a reward for turning in people doing this, so I don’t know if it is still as prevalent as it was.
On the MA/NH border it’s a big deal. They regularly run stings in the border cities/towns.
When I lived in MA last, I knew I was moving to NH in the very near future, and I needed a new car. I registered it at my then girlfriend’s (now wife) apartment, though I continued to live in my MA apartment. I was always worried that I’d get caught, but it was only for about 4 months.
I moved down here a year and a half ago from Seattle and still have those same places. And yup, the registration is now about a year expired. Thankfully, I haven’t been pulled over yet…