Let's Talk About This Year's New Michigan License Plates

[missn]

Any old timers remember when Michigan plates had two letters and four numbers? If you kept the paper they were wrapped in, you had the code to figure out what county in which the car was registered. Wayne County plates
had AA to something like GG.

[Ray1936]

Remember it well, missn, and all commercial plates were reverse, with four numbers followed by two letters.

In the pre-computer days, police kept a stolen car board up to date daily before on-duty roll call. It was a board divided into 100 squares, numbered 01 to 10 in the top row, 11 to 20 in the second, ad nauseam. The first two digits on any plate were placed in its entirety in the appropriate square. So plate number AB 1234 would go in the "12" square as AB34. Was logical and easy. Now they just push numbers on a keyboard. Sigh.

[mtburb]

Well, I'm about to report the highest known numbers reported from both plates. Both highs were spotted here in Wyandotte today:

• The "michigan.org" plate has now reached "DBU ####". It appears that it may enter the "DCx" series soon.
• The Mackinac Bridge plate has now reached "ACC ###". That was just after learning last night that these same plates have reached the "ABC" series.

Speaking of the bridge plate, it appears I've seen more of that than I've seen the "michigan.org" plates today [[at least). Plus, I've seen the first bridge plate in person that was higher than "AAA", this one was "AAF 622" [[even though prior to then, I've known digits higher than "AAA" were sighted in northern Oakland County), spotted in front of Roosevelt High School in Wyandotte picking up an old African-American man I thought was awaiting the hourly bus to Trenton [[SMART #160) [[since he was standing right there at the stop).

Any old timers remember when Michigan plates had two letters and four numbers? If you kept the paper they were wrapped in, you had the code to figure out what county in which the car was registered. Wayne County plates
had AA to something like GG.

Speaking of that, I've spotted a parked car today that had authentic plates from 1969 [[white-on-red, "GREAT LAKE STATE") on the front and back of the vehicle. I'm not sure what that one read, though. I've also recently seen a new commercial for the Detroit-area Chevrolet dealerships that features a 1965 authentic plate near the beginning [[U-M colors, "WATER-WINTER WONDERLAND").

[Ray1936]

Little off-topic, perhaps, but my adopted State of Nevada has issued a new plate in observance of Nevada's sesquicentennial, occurring in 2014. Nice plate, methinks.

[canuck]

Little off-topic, perhaps, but my adopted State of Nevada has issued a new plate in observance of Nevada's sesquicentennial, occurring in 2014. Nice plate, methinks.

I like the "Battle Born" motto; the stark contrast to everything the entertainment industry peddles as ultimate in comfort and speakeasiness. Nevada's "True Grit" stamp gives the glitz a little patina.

[gazhekwe]

Oops, I got lost! Sorry about the temporary hijack

[rooms222]

• The Mackinac Bridge plate has now reached "ACC ###". That was just after learning last night that these same plates have reached the "ABC" series.

Speaking of the bridge plate, it appears I've seen more of that than I've seen the "michigan.org" plates today [[at least). Plus, I've seen the first bridge plate in person that was higher than "AAA", this one was "AAF 622" [[even though prior to then, I've known digits higher than "AAA" were sighted in northern Oakland County).

Thanks for letting us know, I wondered where the AAA plates were sent. I think almost the entire AA# series was distributed at the beginning. The first bridge plate I saw was AAS ### on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, two days after release. It was in the Eastern UP. I think AAA was distributed Downriver, and the higher letters spread out across the state, with the Western UP having the highest letters. Now some SOSs are restocking with the higher AB# and AC#, I think. Also, I wonder if the AB# was mainly sent to the mail order unit for mail order sales [[which will roll out more slowly as they are mainly sold by renewal at birthday time, while some people went to the branch to get the new bridge plate before renewal time).

[jackie5275]

Love or hate the new plates, you'll have to get a new one if your current plate is 10+ yrs old if this legistlation goes through.

http://www.freep.com/article/20131015/NEWS06/310150075/Michigan-bill-requires-replacement-of-old-license-plates

[Ray1936]

I like the "Battle Born" motto; the stark contrast to everything the entertainment industry peddles as ultimate in comfort and speakeasiness. Nevada's "True Grit" stamp gives the glitz a little patina.

Nevada's state motto, "Battle Born", relates to the fact that it attained statehood during the Civil War. Lincoln, needing [[a) another 'northern' state, and [[b) the vast riches of silver and gold being mined at the Comstock Lode, overlooked the sparse population and got Congress to accept the proposed constitution. Statehood for Nevada became a fact on -- appropriately -- Halloween Day, 1864.

[poobert]

http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Delaw...ateColors.html

My favorite is Delaware.

Solid. Now that's a real man's license plate. None of that NERD shit.

[mtburb]

Bumping this to remind you that after just over a year, the Mackinac Bridge plate has been redesigned. I first saw the new design on Wednesday in either Wyandotte or Southgate.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Bumping this to remind you that after just over a year, the Mackinac Bridge plate has been redesigned. I first saw the new design on Wednesday in either Wyandotte or Southgate.

That looks better than that hideous orange one that screams Arizona or New Mexico.

[Zacha341]

You don't like the 'smog' orange version......! I have that one. I think I only like it because it brightens up my rather blah colored car!

[mtburb]

In addition to that, it seems that earlier this year the U-M plate was redesigned as well-instead of just the maize M [[which clashed with the white background) it's now in a blue box with the words "UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN" below it, moving there from the bottom of the plate to make room for the new words "GO BLUE". I first saw this back on July 17, 2014 on a car that was parked in a surface lot across Monroe Street from the Greektown Casino parking garage and hotel tower and behind the two churches.

[canuck]

In addition to that, it seems that earlier this year the U-M plate was redesigned as well-instead of just the maize M [[which clashed with the white background) it's now in a blue box with the words "UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN" below it, moving there from the bottom of the plate to make room for the new words "GO BLUE". I first saw this back on July 17, 2014 on a car that was parked in a surface lot across Monroe Street from the Greektown Casino parking garage and hotel tower and behind the two churches.

Yes, but do you remember the car models on either side of it, their colors, their respective license plate numbers and whether one of them had fur dice hanging from the rearview mirror?

[That Great Guy]

Coming soon, a tax on license plates to pay for SMART and DDOT operating costs.

Your thoughts on this please?

[jiminnm]

That looks better than that hideous orange one that screams Arizona or New Mexico.

I've had the balloon plate since moving here 15 years ago. My wife got the turquoise plate in 2012.

[Sandhouse]

The "Auto Centennial" and Mackinac Bridge commemorative plates must be replaced when they come due in Calendar 2015. The state will nick you an extra $5 for your new plate, or $10 if you want other than the standard. Hereafter, all plates [[except permanent trailer plates) must be renewed when they reach 10 years old. This change was enacted earlier this year in HB 4633.

The registration surtax for RTA is still up in the air. The enabling law was enacted in SB 911 of 2012, but the RTA board of directors has not yet moved to place the question on a ballot. The tax rate could be anything up to 0.0012 X the list price of your car, or $32/year on a car that cost $27,000 new. If approved by voters, this would apply in Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties, and single counties cannot opt out.

One change has already been made to the 2012 enabling law. Cars owned by and registered to auto makers and given to their employees for "testing" would not be subject to the tax. This benefits, I'm told, General Motors, which registers all these cars in its own name. Ford, Chrysler and others make the employees register the cars themselves. This is not quite so self-serving as it sounds. Registrations for GM's cars are divided among the several counties, so that the state road funds will follow the registration addresses t southeast Michigan. Without the RTA exemption, GM would register tens of thousands of cars in another county, that would receive the road tax associated with the registrant's address.

The interesting question is whether voters in the 4 counties will approve of a tax for the RTA's express-bus system. Will auto drivers willingly pay more for roads that might be narrower to accommodate the BRT scheme? Will the record of voter approval for the SMART millage be repeated for RTA? I don't know.