Biggest factor is how long have you owned the car.
I just bought my second Farrari, a 1986 Mondial 3.2 Cabriolet. I registered it as a historic. I think I saved a little money on reg fees.
btw, got my reg paperwork...no smog request (should have got it since it's every two years)... but from what I've seen YMMV so good luck!
It gets even better when you renew those historic plates. My renewal of historic plates this year is $92 (was the $127 when I switched to historic plates last year).
Since I've moved out of state, I don't mind outing myself now - I have nothing to lose. I was one of the people Brian Harper knew with historic plates. My car is a 1979 308GT4, and I bought it in January of 2006 from a guy in SF who smogged it prior to the sale. Sometime later that year, I went to the DMV in Sunnyvale and filled out the historic plate application and paid the fee. In the subsequent 10 years of residence in CA until we moved to Georgia, I never received a SMOG notice on my annual renewal. Never. I too had heard that they "closed the loophole," but perhaps I was grandfathered in, as my renewal that next year still didn't require it... Go figure!
For comparison, annual registration for my oldest vintage car (with YOM plates) is $102.00. Of course it was registered almost 30 years ago and taxed for then purchase price of parts in a crate on top of the frame I bought and estimated labor value for putting it together, though not sure if I included the value of beers, cigarettes and help from friends the effort required. It's the insurance that seems a lot, though still less percentage wise than my DD (+/- 1% vs. +/- 2.5%). Perhaps 5-10 years ago, last time I had a car registered with YOM plates, the extra cost for that privilege was either $30.00 or $60.00. Not sure if any of it carries over to annual renewals. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Finally got my historic plates. There she is, at the supermarket parking lot, sitting, just by happenstance, right next to a beautiful MG. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Of course, you weren't using your car to run groceries or other basic errands, because that would violate the terms for receiving historic plates...right?
I could have sworn Safeway carries motor oil. I went over to pick up a few quarts. Turned out I was wrong. So I figured might as well buy some groceries while I was there. This Saturday I am going on a "Fun Drive" with some car enthusiasts, including a retired judge and some attorneys. I'll post some pix.
My story, had I ever been questioned about why I was driving on historic plates, was that I was either on my way TO my mechanic's, on my way home FROM my mechanic's, or on a shakedown drive because I turn my own wrenches... How could anyone say any of those scenarios, depending on the day, weren't plausible in a 35+ year old Italian car?
Wow, the Mondial looks like it's twice the size of the MGB in those photos. And a current 488 Spider would probably look twice as large as the Mondial!
Unfortunately yes, I got a smog check form last month.... So cheaper reg, but looks like they fixed the back end (for me at least)
Hey everyone, I have historic plates on my 1990 348TB (since March 2019). My tags expired in November but I just now noticed I never received a renewal notice. I was under the impression that my registration cost would drop down 75% yet I would still need to have it smogged every two years. I called DMV this morning and they advised that vehicles with historic plates no longer require registration renewals or SMOG checks! WOO HOO! There is however a $2 annual fee that must be paid. Other than that, renewal and smog exempt for the life of the car as long as it has historic plates. Anyways, thought I'd share this great news with all of you. DMV site: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/reg_hdbk/ch21/ch21_25
Please disregard the smog exemption, DMV made a mistake and added my car to "exempt due to stature" but has now put it back into the smog system
No longer requiring tag renewal? Is this a new 2020 law? I just renewed my 89 328 last year with its historical plate.
Good question, my tags expired in Nov 2019 so i should have received a renewal notice but didn't. When I called DMV and BAR they both said no additional renewal fees and that I only had to pay $2 VLS fee every year moving forward.
After seven or is it eight year of having historical plate on my 84 QV, last year 2019 was the first time I’m required to get a smog certs. as the new law has changed but I’m still keeping my historical plate just in case.