Am I associated with the criminal underworld?
September 25, 2013 1:45 PM   Subscribe

I've noticed some odd things about some acquaintances' vehicles recently. One acquaintance has multiple (new/new-ish) vehicles that have never been fitted with license plates (this is in the US, in a state where one gets temporary registration before receiving plates mailed from the DMV). Surely this is not simply to save on registration fees, or to avoid red-light-camera tickets...? Another acquaintance purchased a new Hyundai from a dealer and it has the standard "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" written exclusively in Korean on the passenger side mirror. That's not normal for the US, is it? Will definitely not act on any ideas; just curious.
posted by karbonokapi to Travel & Transportation (16 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: I really doubt a criminal mastermind would drive a car without a license plate -- it's a really fast way to get pulled over. But I suspect your acquaintance may be a casual car salesman -- I know a few states that have pretty lax laws about plates and registration if you sell under a certain number of cars per year. Down south, for example, there are several excellent new-ish / used car lots on people's front yards.

As for the acquaintance with a Korean side mirror . . . who knows, maybe your first acquaintance helped him get a really good deal!
posted by mibo at 1:53 PM on September 25, 2013 [2 favorites]


One acquaintance has multiple (new/new-ish) vehicles that have never been fitted with license plates (this is in the US, in a state where one gets temporary registration before receiving plates mailed from the DMV). Surely this is not simply to save on registration fees, or to avoid red-light-camera tickets...?

Perhaps he's an auto dealer or broker (although they typically have dealer plates), or he may work at a rental car agency. Those folks have access to late model vehicles, some without plates.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:55 PM on September 25, 2013 [2 favorites]


These aren't particularly dubious questions to ask in the appropriate circumstances.
posted by oceanjesse at 2:06 PM on September 25, 2013


Depends on where you are. If I recall correctly, in California you have 6 months before you're required to get the regular state-issued license plates, and until then, your car can wear nothing more than the cardboard 'Jones Buick Dealership' advertising plates, or even no plates at all.

Whereas here in Virginia, when you buy from a dealer you get state-issued (cardboard) temporary, numbered 'plates' with a stated expiration date to tide you over until you receive the regular metal plates; otherwise, someone moving a currently-owned car into the state is required to get the regular metal state plates within 30 days.
posted by easily confused at 2:10 PM on September 25, 2013


He might be executing the Steve Jobs's license plate loophole.
posted by procrastination at 2:12 PM on September 25, 2013 [3 favorites]


Perhaps the dealer broke the mirror on the lot and replaced it with a part from the factory, not realizing it was ordered in the wrong language?
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:32 PM on September 25, 2013


My dad used to be an auto broker (he was bored one year after he retired). There were often unplated cars in our driveway until he sold them.

The car mirror language would be the only thing to make me a bit suspicious but unless bullets started flying, I'd just mind my own business (which is probably a good idea even if bullets start flying.)
posted by nubianinthedesert at 2:38 PM on September 25, 2013


I know of one guy who prefers his (sports) car's body to not be cluttered with a plate. Apparently the fee for getting a new set of plates (ie getting vanity plates or whatever) is pretty minimal, and when you order a new set of plates, there a grace period before you have to display them, to allow for things like shipping and fitting. So if you'd like to pay the new-plates fee on a regular basis, you're never out of the grace period.

If it works like that in CA, then Steve Jobs was just throwing money away. But I doubt he noticed.
posted by anonymisc at 3:09 PM on September 25, 2013


I once left no plates on my car for like six months (the plates were in the trunk) because I never wanted to walk back into the garage and get a screwdriver to put them on.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 3:14 PM on September 25, 2013 [4 favorites]


One acquaintance has multiple (new/new-ish) vehicles that have never been fitted with license plates ...the standard "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" written exclusively in Korean on the passenger side mirror.

It's possible that the cars are grey imports. It's not generally illegal.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:29 PM on September 25, 2013


My dad knew someone like this. He came by our house once and gave me a ride around the neighborhood in his Ferarri. I said something about it being new, since he didn't have plates, and he said it wasn't super new, he just "didn't do plates." I think it's some weird personal tick, not anything illegal.
posted by radioamy at 4:50 PM on September 25, 2013


Best answer: it has the standard "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" written exclusively in Korean

It may have been quicker/cheaper to replace a broken English mirror with a Korean mirror, it may have been a mistake at the plant (car or mirror plant), it may have been a mistake at the replacement parts warehouse, or a lot of other things. "My friend has purchased a smuggled Hyundai" is probably very near the less likely end of the spectrum.
posted by clorox at 5:07 PM on September 25, 2013


As for the unplated cars, I think the other posters have posited reasonable explanations. I live in a "the plates belong to the person, not the car" state, so I am unfamiliar with other states and their vagaries. You could get along here in Illinois without a plate, but not for very long. No plate is a giant, flashing red light for the police to pull you over. Dealership cars have dealership plates which are stuck on with magnets. And there are paper temporary plates available- you can (or must) even buy a 7 day temporary if you want to drive in the state even briefly. My point being, no plates would be just about the last thing you'd want to do if you were trying to fly under the radar.

Another acquaintance purchased a new Hyundai from a dealer and it has the standard "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" written exclusively in Korean on the passenger side mirror. That's not normal for the US, is it? Will definitely not act on any ideas; just curious

It's not normal, but I can state with certainty that there is a subculture of people who like to up-equip their cars. My Hyundai, for example, is not available in the US with heated mirrors or mirror mounted turning signals. But it IS available like that in other countries. On one of the Hyundai forums, there is a link to purchase the Korean market side view mirrors, where the only non-US seeming thing is indeed the Korean characters printed on the mirror.
posted by gjc at 6:05 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]


I've seen plenty of cars with no plates or magnetic plates or plates in the window instead of on the car, and it's almost always a car dealer (or a friend/relative of his) borrowing a car from off the lot. The sketchiest situation I've ever heard of involving a missing license plate was a driver who kept a new (to him) car registered under the plate number of an old hooptie that he'd sold-- he didn't want to display the (mis-registered) license plate unless he absolutely had to because he was trying to save on property taxes. Not above-board, but not especially nefarious.

As for the other friend, the mirror was probably broken originally, and whoever got the spare bought it cheap from one of those online stores where you can buy mechanical or car parts from Asia. I bought a small engine from one last week. Also not nefarious. I did get some fraudulent charges on my debit card right after, so maybe tell the car-mirror friend to be careful!

Anyway, I suspect that your acquaintances aren't criminals, they're just cheap.
posted by rue72 at 9:10 PM on September 25, 2013


On the mirrors -- after-market parts, or maybe the entire vehicle is a private import.

Pretty much any after-market part is legal unless it compromises performance characteristics (such as emission) that are a driver's responsibility to maintain. The vast majority of regulations are the burden of the OEM or dealer, and don't bind a driver once he's off the lot with the car.

Private imports are expensive in price, taxes and transportation, and the paperwork is a PITA, and there are going to be certain domestic requirements (most notably emission) that may require modifications, but if you go through all those hoops -- perfectly legal. Lots of enthusiasts buy abroad and ship home cars that for whatever reason the OEMs don't want to ship here. Sometimes it's because the whole model is something the OEM thinks doesn't work for the US brand, other times it's a variety or trim package for which they expect insufficient US demand to work. If you think your dealers could only move a few thousand copies (or less!) nationwide, easier not to ship it in at all.
posted by MattD at 6:23 AM on September 26, 2013


If the car was a private import, wouldn't the whole car be in Korean and not just the passenger side-view mirror?
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:21 AM on September 26, 2013


« Older Why is my smartphone (Android) burning through my...   |   Where to buy — and test — knives in NYC Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.