Hi all! It's come time for me to renew the tags on my '84 BRAT and I was thinking about registering it as a 'Special Interest' vehicle. My only concern is that it is my DD. The DMV says that the vehicle may only be used for exhibitions, parades, club activities and similar uses. That sounds pretty vague to me. If I register it this way, I can get the 'old school' license plate and I only need to display it on the rear of the BRAT. Here is what the DMV website says:

 

General Information: This plate is issued to a vehicle that is maintained as a collector's item and is at least 25 years old at the time of application, a vehicle sanctioned as a vehicle of special interest by an established organization that provides for recognition, or is a street rod as defined by ORS 801.513. This plate is also issued to a vehicle that is a racing activity vehicle as defined in Oregon law. Vehicles may only be used for exhibitions, parades, club activities and similar uses.

Plate Fees: $12 (one plate issued)

Available For: Passenger Vehicles, Motor Homes, Buses, Mopeds, Motorcycles, Trucks, Travel Trailers, Campers, Special Use Trailers, Heavy Trailers and Light Trailers.

 

So what do you guys think?

"Vehicles may only be used for exhibitions, parades, club activities and similar uses"

You might have trouble with that.

 

I wouldn't do it - too much risk and likelyhood of being pulled over and questioned about not having a front plate. That's happened to me more than once with normal plates.

 

GD

If it was NOT your daily I would say go for it.

 

But being your daily, I wouldn't do it.

My thinking is that there wouldn't REALLY be a way to prove that I'm not coming or going from a 'club activity'. When I donate to USMB, I will officially be a member of a Subaru car club. I would be 'gathering information' for 'research' every time I drive the BRAT. AM I WRONG?!?!

Yeah, there are all kinds of ways to bend that definition and make it fit. Particularly for the states that include "test drives after vehicle maintenance" and "to and from a place of repair" in the descriptions. Drive a car that is old enough and needs enough work, and it pretty much always applies.

 

But think about it all the way through though. I was going to go this route for a car that genuinely fit the intent of the description (<200 miles/year of driving)... but I found out that it would have been a huge hassle with insurance of all things. Anything registered with the state under any of the "collectible" categories gets you into this odd category... My insurance carrier had higher premiums, required proof of covered & locked storage, and wouldn't cover it if it wasn't 100% stock. A third-party "specialty" carrier would have done it, but they required the same covered/locked storage as well as an appraisal. I also would have lost my multi-vehicle discounts, as the specialty carrier wouldn't do "normal" vehicles, so I would have had to use two carriers.

 

In the end, it was far cheaper and far easier to just keep it registered as a "normal" car.

You have a good point about the insurance aspect. I could look into it with my provider, but it seems like way too much of a hassle all around. The BRAT would just look way cool with only the rear old school plate. But then again, it looks cooler than any car on the road anyway!:cool:

You can get some of the blue pacific wonderland plates... then its legal and still old school

Just wave at people and toss candy out the window when you drive. Who's to say you are not in a parade?

I do that already. But my 'wave' is my middle finger and my 'candy' is dog crap.

That is the saddest parade I've ever heard of.