• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

The time has come!

blu_fuz

New Member Classroom vulture
Joined
Sep 25, 2002
Messages
16,028
Location
Waupun, WI
My '95 SE is taking the next step in its life turning 20 years old :shocked: next year.


Now, I have had the EGPLNT personalized license plate on this car for pretty much the full 14 years I've owned it.



Collector plate: Can not personalize. 1 time registration fee of $200 for as long as I own the vehicle.
Personal plate: Keep my EGPLNT letters. Need to pay yearly registration fee of $90+ for custom plates.


So what do I do?
Retire my beat up EGPLNT plates and hang them on the wall?
Treat eggy to a new paint job this summer and put on blue colored collector plates?
Order a new set of EGPLNT plates so they are shiney and fresh?


Not sure what to do because I really want my 95 to be one of the first in our club with collector plates and an obvious perk is not paying any more registration fees...... :ponder:
 
Tough call. What are your state's laws on mileage with collector plates?

I looked into collector plates for my Shadow convertible (that turned 20 last year). But in PA, there are restrictions on how much you can drive with those plates. I don't ever put that many miles on my "fun" cars, but I want to have the freedom to if I so choose.
 
The only thing that the DOT website says is that I can't drive the vehicle in January and if I need to I can apply for up to a 5 day 'use' form if I need to use it in January. I read some places that it could be 2500-3000 mile limit only..... but nothing on DOT website about it :shrug:
 
Collector plates would be sweet! A set of new shiny EGPLNT plates would look nice too!! I would definitely find out all of the restrictions to getting Collector plates in your state. SD Law's are basically only Parades, Maintenance and Shows.
 
A motor vehicle at least 20 years old from the current calendar year that is being preserved because of its historical interest and has no alterations to the body may be eligible for Collector license plates. Please refer to the chart below for examples of alterations; however, please keep in mind this list is not all inclusive. It will be the owner’s responsibility to properly certify if the vehicle has body alterations. Misrepresenting a vehicle’s eligibility could result in citations for improper registration.


This might be the only modification rule that keeps me from a collector plate:

Ground effects kits Yes* Not an alteration if factory available option offered the year the vehicle was manufactured. It is an alteration if not factory-offered(after market).

^ the thing is my SVT body kit is not 'after market', just the front bumper is in fact a '95 SE and SVT molded together and all pcs are still factory offered parts.

Also, my car did come with skirts from the factory, so its not an option I added with the SVT ones they are just a little more pronounced :cool: along with the bumpers.
 
The only real benefit I see with collector plates is the one-time registration. If you had generic plates on your car, then it would be a no-brainer to make the switch. But since you have personalized plates that reflect the vehicle (not a name or some letter/number combo only you know the meaning of), I would say stick to the plates you have, if its an expense your comfortable paying every year. just my opinion though...
 
I've been paying the $75-$90 every year for 15 years, so that cost isn't a big deal. I will miss the custom plates, but the thought of collector plates sounds fun because people won't believe it.
 
Back
Top