Originally posted by 98 SE: On top of that, that plate combination isn't allowed: MA sucks ... no numbers allowed in the first two character places, plus the numbers and letters can't interchange. Basically it means you can only put numbers at the end of your plate.
what about Elky's plate on his hearse?
That one's not a vanity plate.
He got that one through a friend of a friend who had connections to the RMV. Because it was (at one time) a state-issued, green-and-white plate and had been taken off the road, they changed it from his friend's name to his. Remember, how he was saying it was awesome because through that he didn't have to pay vanity fees, because strictly speaking it wasn't a vanity plate?
###XXX was the older style of plate naming in MA, began in the 70s and used for a long time - the style that's on his hearse.
#### XX was implemented in the early 90s IIRC and was used until late 2002. My favorite plate format, we got an awesome tag number when my parents bought the Contour in 2001.
##X X## was implemented in 2002 and is still used. It's my least favorite plate style so of course it's the one I get stuck with when I finally register cars in my old name.
Believe it or not, the green/white plates were supposed to be rid of in 1989 but due to funding problems, we see many grandfathered from their registration time still on the road today.
http://www.mass.gov/rmv/history/
The following is a clip of rules copied from the RMV website:
