Model A standard registration in Pa.

Jedediah

Jedediah

Junior Member
Greetings,
Have any of you had experience registering your Model A with standard plates, as opposed to antique or classic plates? I dislike the severity of the restrictions Penna. puts on Antique plate cars (cannot be driven but to shows, etc., nor can it be driven more than "occassional use" which is defined as no more than once per week), so I am pondering if I could get it registered as a ordinary vehicle.
 
Does Penn have collector plates?


Wisconsin has collector plates that have a one time fee and are good as long as you own the car. They are more expensive, but you pay once and do not have to buy tags/registration every year.


Jedediah said:
Greetings,
Have any of you had experience registering your Model A with standard plates, as opposed to antique or classic plates? I dislike the severity of the restrictions Penna. puts on Antique plate cars (cannot be driven but to shows, etc., nor can it be driven more than "occassional use" which is defined as no more than once per week), so I am pondering if I could get it registered as a ordinary vehicle.
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You can do that but it will require registration every year plus yearly inspection. Even though you vehicle only needs what it originally came with to pass inspection I am not to sure any inspection stations would have a clue on how to do it.
Don't let all the rules with antique plates stop you. Unless you plan to drive to work or use it everyday you shouldn't have any issues. One time fee and no inspections. Plus insurance is cheaper.
 
If the insurance company won't cover an accident because you weren't using it as it was registered it could cost you a lot!
Register for daily use.
 
62pan said:
You can do that but it will require registration every year plus yearly inspection. Even though you vehicle only needs what it originally came with to pass inspection I am not to sure any inspection stations would have a clue on how to do it.
Don't let all the rules with antique plates stop you. Unless you plan to drive to work or use it everyday you shouldn't have any issues. One time fee and no inspections. Plus insurance is cheaper.
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I would do this. The states put restrictions but at least in MD they are very lenient. Same rules apply here but not enforced. Being a model A it may throw a red flag if you use it as a daily driver though as opposed to taking it out on a nice weekend just because. I cant count the number of cars I see on a daily basis with historic tags (MD anything older than 20 yrs). Your insurance is a different story. Mine allows me to drive whenever I want and no limitations on mileage, yours may be different.
 
Not sure about PA, but in my state if you register historic/antique you can run year of manufacture plates and keep the new issued ones inside the car.
 
Curtis is right. Have an accident and you will be in court all by yourself. I had regular plates in New Jersey. Took it for inspection several times. No problem it even passed emission test.Few years back they no longer required inspection on cars over 25 years old
 
Jedediah said:
Greetings,
Have any of you had experience registering your Model A with standard plates, as opposed to antique or classic plates? .
Click to expand...


It's actually a very good question. Pennsylvania requires vehicle safety inspections to ensure that vehicles are maintained for safe operation. So if you are going to register it as a everyday vehicle do you need to follow the rules for everyday vehicles that includes emission testing? I think yes, you will need to have all the basic safety equipment in good order as well as emissions. I think that one of the reasons for the special classifications and reduced inspection id due to the reduced risk of accident and low impact on the environment.


Go to your local DMV and ask. PLEASE let us know what you find out so as to help others that may want to do the same thing.
 
more like go visit your local title agency and inspection station- which are usually gas stations.
 
Ok, thanks for all your replies, good food for thought. Once I visit the DMV I will let y'all know what I find.
 
I have run my A on the NJ emission testing machine when NJ tested tailpipe emissions, the specs are based on years--- the A could pass the specs for a 2000 vintage car---- but when I went for inspection they wouldn't test it because it was not in the database
Normally the vehicles in inspection is started, stopped several times, I left the hand crank on the seat----
 
MD no longer runs cars on the treadmill. Emissions are tested soley electronically through the under dash plug in. I can imagine the look on the inspectors face when a Model A went though ! LOL
 
I live in PA (Phila area) and have my collector cars registered as antiques. I don't drive them as daily drivers but enjoy driving them every several days when there's no salt on the roads. I also tend not to drive at night not due to the cars, but because I don't trust other drivers. Never had a problem, the police tend to wave and smile but they all know me anyway. I've found the Tag service places, like BEST, tend to be the most knowledgeable about what the law says rather than the inspection or DMV counters (go figure). PA is a YOM state as of a couple years ago. You can register your antique car on a YOM plate as long as the plate is legible and not duplicated by a modern number. You do have to provide pictures of the plate (I have one on my 42 Ford).
 
Vehicle inspection in PA is a joke. I purchased my roadster on eBay in large part because it had a PA inspection a few hundred miles before what showed on the speedometer. This car was so unsafe it was laughable. The steering, brakes and suspension were all altered and unsafe. Even an idiot would have seen it was unsafe. Because I bought it for the relatively good body I overlooked what I saw when I got to see it in person, but when things like this gets passed on a "safety inspection" it is a disgrace.
 
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