lack of front plate = euro car

[CARIBOULH@domain.elided]

Chris Shepley wanted to know that since motor vehicle dealers in California 
only need carry the "dealer plate" with them, then...

<<does that mean if you could sneak a euro car into the US, you could
 simply affix your dealer plates and drive around at your leisure?>>

Essentially Chris, yes! While a car is in the dealers inventory it need not 
be registered, nor need to be "smogged" or anything else. Don't get me wrong, 
it would still be technically "illegal" to be in possession of a 
nonconforming vehicle, but if you drove it around with a dealer plate affixed 
you would give the "appearance" of being legit. 

Pretty much, you can put a dealer plate on ANY vehicle (expired registration, 
registration out of state, no registration at all, etc.) drive around be be 
"legal". But, dealer plates do not allow a "free for all", as there are some 
restrictions on their use. For example, only the dealer principle is allowed 
"free use" of a plate. Any other use that results in a dealer inventory 
vehicle being on the road must be related to a business "use". Myself (being 
the dealer principle) is allowed to drive anywhere, anytime with a dealer 
plated vehicle. If however, my wife took a dealer plated car to go grocery 
shopping that would be an invalid use. But if I was going to go on a test 
drive later in the day and needed gas in tank to do so and my wife took the 
car to the gas station to fill up that would be perfectly okay. But if after 
filling up, she stopped at the grocery store on the way home, well... that 
would be borderline.

If you were interested in buying a car from me, I could give you a dealer 
plated vehicle to take on a test drive. Test drives can even last as long as 
2 or 3 days and still be legit, but if your neighborhood policeman noticed 
that dealer plated vehicle in your driveway for say 2 weeks or so, then he 
could take action as you should have been able to evaluate the car long 
before then.

I could not give my visiting brother-in-law from New Jersey a dealer plated 
vehicle just to drive around in while he's out here in California visiting 
for the weekend. But, if my brother-in-law was interested in BUYING that 
vehicle from me, then I could allow him a 2 or 3 day "test" drive. See how 
you can "split hairs" here?

Oh, and most importantly a dealer plated vehicle really, actually has to be 
"for sale". You're not supposed to put a dealer plate on a car that you call 
a "keeper", a dealer plated car has to be currently available for sale (and 
at a reasonable price... you could not keep driving around forever in your 
1991 164 just because no one wants to pay the $45,000 price you are asking).

The bottom line is, if DMV thinks you are acting in a way that does not 
conform with their ideas of how a dealer plate should be used they will 
simply revoke your license and that is powerful enough to keep most "dealers" 
in check. I am not advocating any of the "borderline" uses I have outlined 
above, but simply trying to give examples of how to use a dealer plate 
correctly and how you can get into "gray" areas.

Happy Holidays,

Ed at Caribou
www.caribou.cc
(still need 1979-1985 upholstery.... help!)

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