# Just saw a car driving with a Hawaiian license plate.....in Minnesota.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838 "2018-05-26T01:40:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mrdeals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/1 "2018-05-26T01:40:09Z")
How does this happen? Do people who live in Hawaii sometimes actually ship their cars to the mainland? Was it a fake plate? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/2 "2018-05-26T01:45:52Z")
Maybe they just moved to the mainland. [Pasha Hawaii](https://www.pashahawaii.com/tools/vehicles/ship-a-car-to-and-from-hawaii) > [@](#): > > Standard Service > Pasha Hawaii offers standard vehicle transport service between our California and Hawaii Terminals {San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Honolulu (Oahu), Hilo (Big Island) and Kahului (Maui)}. **Our pricing for Standard Service starts at $870.** We also serve Kauai, Molokai, Lanai. \ If you’re already shipping an entire household, that seems reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/3 "2018-05-26T01:51:14Z")
Probably military. PCS and all that. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/4 "2018-05-26T02:10:40Z")
We’re building a really long ramp out here in volcano land. Our overlords insist it’s just a 20 mile rail line. With a cost, so far, estimated over $10 billion and climbing; it’d better be a ramp to California. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/5 "2018-05-26T03:27:11Z")
I know a number of people, military, who had there cars shipped to Hawaii when being stationed there and shipped back to the mainland when done. I don’t know if the military has a program for that or if they had to pay out of pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/6 "2018-05-26T03:35:02Z")
Saw a van with Hawaii plates in the Black Hills about 20 years ago. Just a father and his two sons on vacation. Of course, the reason I remember it was because the two boys, both big kids of high school age, started walking straight at the largest bull buffalo, right past the “Buffalo are Dangerous: DO NOT APPROACH” sign and telling their dad to get a picture of them on it’s back. :smack: I looked at the dad, pointed to the sign and said “I really don’t think that’s a good idea”. He called them back. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/7 "2018-05-26T06:37:41Z")
I once saw a car with Ontario plates in Poland. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/8 "2018-05-26T08:48:58Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > I know a number of people, military, who had there cars shipped to Hawaii when being stationed there and shipped back to the mainland when done. I don’t know if the military has a program for that or if they had to pay out of pocket. As long as the vehicle is owned or leased by the military member prior to the effective date of the permanent change of station orders, the government will pay to transport the vehicle. The registration of the vehicle remains in the original state unless the military member decides to change his state of legal residence (different than home of record). So, it’s not out of pocket. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/9 "2018-05-26T09:01:26Z")
If I wanted to ship my vintage Rolls Royce, with British plates, to the US, would I be able to drive it without registering it in a State, and if so, for how long? ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/10 "2018-05-26T09:30:34Z")
When I grew up at an Army base in El Paso, TX, I’d occasionally see Puerto Rico plates, and once saw a Guam plate or two. Hawaii plates were really not too remarkable (probably more common than Vermont). Army bases are the best places to play the license plate game. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/11 "2018-05-26T12:07:41Z")
We like looking for unusual plates here in the Mid Atlantic region. Hawaii is certainly rare but we see a few each year. One magical day I saw a Hawaii and a North Dakota on the same shopping trip! ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/12 "2018-05-26T12:35:55Z")
I saw Jeep with Hawaii plates between Santa Fe and Los Alamos. Same guy, **MrDeals**? Tripler Probably a military PCS. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/13 "2018-05-26T12:45:30Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > If I wanted to ship my vintage Rolls Royce, with British plates, to the US, would I be able to drive it without registering it in a State, and if so, for how long? If you are moving to the USA rather than on vacation, many states require a change within 30 days of establishing residence. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/14 "2018-05-26T14:30:16Z")
> [@syncrolecyne](#): > > When I grew up at an Army base in El Paso, TX, I’d occasionally see Puerto Rico plates, and once saw a Guam plate or two. Hawaii plates were really not too remarkable (probably more common than Vermont). > > Army bases are the best places to play the license plate game. And if this car the OP saw was near Lake Superior there is a good chance it was a Coast Guard transfer. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/15 "2018-05-26T14:46:34Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > We like looking for unusual plates here in the Mid Atlantic region. Hawaii is certainly rare but we see a few each year. One magical day I saw a Hawaii and a North Dakota on the same shopping trip! We look for plates too, we actually have a board that has the plates on it that you can flip over. Hawaii isn’t too hard in the DC area, but we had never seen a Wyoming, then one day we saw two with in a few minutes of each other. That was so crazy. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/16 "2018-05-26T17:47:35Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > I once saw a car with Ontario plates in Poland. American trucks can have worse fates: > **[Plumber sues dealership for $1 million after truck ends up with terrorists | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/14/us/terror-truck-lawsuit/index.html)** > > Mark Oberholtzer sues a Ford dealership for $1 million-plus in damages after his old pickup ended up with Islamic militants in Syria. > [@](#): > > Just how the truck ended up in the hands of militants is a bit of a mystery. > In October 2013, Oberholtzer took the truck to AutoNation Ford Gulf Freeway in Houston for a trade-in, according to the lawsuit. > > He got a 2012 Ford F-250 and said goodbye to his old truck. > > He started to peel off the company’s decals from the truck’s doors but a salesman stopped him, according to the lawsuit. The man told Oberholtzer that peeling off the decal would damage the paint on the truck, according to the lawsuit. > > Oberholtzer said the salesman told him that AutoNation would remove the decals before the truck was resold. > > CNN requested comment from the dealership and its corporate headquarters. Neither had responded as of Monday afternoon. > > The truck was auctioned off in November 2013. The next month, it was shipped from Houston to Mersin, Turkey, according to the lawsuit. > > About a year later, the truck popped up in a tweet posted by Caleb Weiss, a contributor to the Long War Journal. It showed militants firing a heavy weapon from the bed of a truck with the Mark-1 company name on the front door. > > Threats and losses > > The photo went viral, was picked up by news outlets and led to thousands of phone calls to Oberholtzer’s business and personal phones, according to the lawsuit. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/17 "2018-05-26T19:24:42Z")
I know at least two people who moved from Minnesota to Hawaii, and then moved back. Reasons cited were the islands unfriendliness to “outsiders”, feeling psychologically trapped, and the outrageous cost of living. I’m assuming there’s a lot more and they likely took their cars with them and haven’t re-registered them yet. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/18 "2018-05-26T19:49:51Z")
I saw a guy in London driving a US model Mustang with the steering wheel on the left. He was a local , not from the US. Did not ask him where he got it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/19 "2018-05-26T20:58:32Z")
I’ve told this story on the Dope before, but… My dad was a National Park Service ranger at Cape Hatteras, N.C. many years ago. One summer there was a rash of license-plate thefts, and the rangers, realizing it was never from the same state twice, figured they had a collector. They had the Alaska BMV send them a set of plates, put them on a car, parked it in an out-of-the-way parking lot, and staked it out. Within a day or two, a man drove by, stopped, looked around carefully, and started removing the plates. The rangers pounced. They got a search warrant for his house and garage, and soon found all the stolen plates. Pretty good police work. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838/20 "2018-05-26T22:31:11Z")
I knew a guy in college who came from a wealthy Hawaii family. He had his Alfa Romeo shipped to California. It had Hawaii plates. So obviously one can get cars shipped here from Hawaii, it just takes money. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-a-car-driving-with-a-hawaiian-license-plate-in-minnesota/814838.md?page=2)