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Sunday, September 18, 2016

Change In Law Regarding Maryland Historic Motor Vehicles

Bill Booz

58 comments:

Anonymous said...

its about time!

Anonymous said...

You wont believe me but I swear . I was I Seaford Delaware 2 weeks ago and A MARYLAND TAGGED HISTORIC OLD SUZUKI OR GEO TRACKER passed us with a Papa Johns light for a pizza delivery service on the thing lit up , right on 13 . I could not believe it . No joke. About time ,

Anonymous said...

Well this bites because I know someone on the western shore who has a body shop where people from all over the world buy cars from him and he restores cars from people all over the world and he drives one of his historic cars to and from his shop almost every day. Leave it to the government to come up with a law that affects more who don't abuse then those who do. Hogan is the biggest disappointment there ever was.

Anonymous said...

Agreed!

Anonymous said...

Such bull crap. Dmv must be losing to much money...

Anonymous said...

What if you don't have a job or are retired? Can you drive anytime/anywhere you want? Good luck enforcing this law. Just another way to collect more revenue by ticketing people that must pay. This is also part of the tax per mile movement. No computer to hook up to.

lmclain said...

Don't you love the part where these wanna-be Nazi's thank us for our "cooperation"?
Comply or die, I believe, is the current phrase.

Some rich white guy with a classic Rolls must have pulled up next to an historic tagged POS '73 Nova and got angry enough to call his wealthy friend, the local Congressman, to DO SOMETHING about all these poor people tagging their cars in such a way that makes his Rolls comparable to the poor guy's Nova.
And something got done, too.
Surprised???
And if any poor people DO use those tags, the Gestapo WILL be doing a full inspection on the roadside to make sure you know your place.
Keep cheering.

Anonymous said...

it's all about control. cant have these vehicles on the road when the self driving cars show up! start eliminating them now!

Anonymous said...

What's your point?

Anonymous said...

Would love to hear why people agree with it. Why does a historic vehicle cause a problem with you?

Anonymous said...

There also needs to be a 2 yr inspection on cars.

Anonymous said...

These restrictions have been in place for years. The issue is that they haven't been enforced. For those of who have invested time, energy and money to preserve and restore a classic, this is welcome news.

Anonymous said...

Dave T: typical crap, more regulations for the working people. God forbid anyone do anything without "Big Brother" telling us what to do and how to live.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Well this bites because I know someone on the western shore who has a body shop where people from all over the world buy cars from him and he restores cars from people all over the world and he drives one of his historic cars to and from his shop almost every day. Leave it to the government to come up with a law that affects more who don't abuse then those who do. Hogan is the biggest disappointment there ever was.

September 13, 2016 at 10:41 AM

WTF are you talking about? Hogan had nothing to do with this. Try your Democrat controlled General Assembly you ignorant Liberal, free-loading Moron!!

If this guy is in business as you say then his cheap ass needs to invest in some Dealer tags.

Anonymous said...

This is long overdue. A 1986 car is not Historic.

Anonymous said...

Have you ever driven in a Salisbury cab ?? They are death traps how they are getting away with no mechanical inspections is beyond amazing ,engine lights on,transmission slipping,brakes squealing, there needs to be enforcement on these death traps as in what big citys do in baltimore ,texas,nj

Anonymous said...

$$$$$$$$! That's all. (map)

Anonymous said...

I saw a 1999 Monte Carlo on the road a few weeks ago with historic tags. A car from 1999 is NOT historic. It's about time they did something.

Anonymous said...

Lol, seriously why are some complaining about this, Historic tags were never supposed to be used for daily use. Go to the high schools and see all the kids driving 1990s vehicles with historic tags. All are using for daily usage and not paying the same registration fees as the rest of us. It's simple, go get regular tags if you want to drive it every day.

Good job MVA.

Anonymous said...

3:03 and the similar are right on the numbers. Pay what I pay to drive on the roads. In my opinion anything newer than 1970 should not have historic tags. Hell, a Honda Prelude is historic now - in Charlie Brown voice "good grief!" People use the historic to get out of the inspection piece and I know people with vehicles that should not be on the road. As much as I cannot stand government - this is the one thing they should be enforcing.

Anonymous said...

GOOD !!!! Now implement yearly inspections too!

Anonymous said...

The problem is that the Good Ole Bous drive around 24/7 in there old pu trucks to Avoid paying real insurance there is ZERO enforcment by MSP.

Anonymous said...

How did he gets historic plates on a 17 yo car ?? i will tell you how Wrong Plates on the car.

Anonymous said...

Yes it is do your homework before commenting.

Anonymous said...

And while they are at it, how about Troopers pulling over every DE tag car heading north in MD from 6 to 8 AM? The tax scofflaws buy poopbox in DE and get the tags with it that are still good. When they expire they go buy another one. No insurance either probably. I pay my taxes.
Now to the historic tags. People use them to avoid MD inspection. Just what we need, a bunch of junk on the roads ready to kill innocent people. Make historic be 1970 and older, anything newer is crap.

Anonymous said...

Peaple wouldn't tag vehicles historic if they had plenty of money, we are taxed to death, these peaple do it to save money, because of the vehicle inspection racket that the state endorsed, yeah screw the struggling peaple again!

Anonymous said...


Have several older vehicles. The usual benchmark has been 25 years to achieve a historic tag, I think. But as someone pointed out, the thought behind a special tag is to permit an older vehicle to be driven occasionally for recreational purposes, and to cut the expense for that privilege. So no objection to the notice.

Anonymous said...

Its also said in the paperwork that you can drive to repair the vehicle and to shows. Im telling you i did go to votec and worked on one of these cars. As i attended my auto class ,just because you think my 25 year old care is not a classic, because some of you can afford a 50 year old expensive classic don't mean that im not as important as you , is says accasional use, not and exact milage.

Anonymous said...

Funny you all have to worry about inspections...another bonus since moving to florida.....NO INSPECTION...EVER...CASE CLOSED....have fun everyone...

Anonymous said...

I know the police were targeting students with historic tags at Stephen Decatur High School but how would they determine if you were using it for work? Also, I think inspections are ridiculous.

Concerned Retiree said...

Everybody wants to criticize a person who has a hobby of historic vehicles but saying nothing about the companies doing business in vehicles with historic tags. There is a blacktop sealing company in Salisbury been using historic tags on their trucks for over 8 years. That is where the problem is not the hobbyist that owns a vehicle over 20 years old and keeps in good operating condition enjoying the past instead of buying these pieces of crap they charge double what they really should because of their greed. I am one of those hobbyist and I will match my vehicle mechanically against anybody's New piece of junk.

Anonymous said...

They should not have more lax standards than the rest of us. All cars should be inspected regularly. I couldn't believe the shit I saw driving on the roads when I moved here from PA.

Anonymous said...

1:55 ever heard of veto! Dealer tags are when for a cars for sale. His aren't that he drives. He parks it out front of his shop in a special spot he's made to park and uses it as advertisement. That's the other thing too. Once or twice a month in the morning old car people gather in his parking lot to have coffee and donuts and talk old cars. This isn't really a show and these people meet in other places a few times a month so what happens with that.

Anonymous said...

If this was in place for years why does this memo say changes in the law? The smart thing to have done would have been to change the law to make the cars have to be older because right 1999 is not historic. Anyway this should burn everyone up. Always going after the little guys. How about going after the tractor trailers w/Maine tags who never spent a day up there ever. That's where the real abuse is. That won't happen though because every politician including Hogan have their heads rammed so far up big businesses butt they won't dare go after them.

Anonymous said...

9:05 Why should cars be inspected regularly? What difference does it make to you?

Anonymous said...

Be careful what you wish for. PA has annual inspections. They are done a private shops and they always find something that needs to be addressed. I moved all my vehicles to MD 15 years ago to avoid PA and paying $80-100 per year pear vehicle not to mention the time involved. Over the past several years, I been moving vehicle registrations on mine out of MD. Registration/fees getting to be too high.

Anonymous said...

So 10:38 - You do realize that the car must be tagged in the state where it is "garaged"? Unless of course you are one of the brave soles protecting this country in the military (which I doubt).

As for the historic tag thing, I agree with the change. Yes yell at me all you want. The biggest reason MOST cars have them in Maryland is not because the car is "historic". It is because the tags only cost $51 every two years. You mean to tell me some P.O.S. rice burner from the 90's is historic? Maybe if it was factory and not modified. But with the number of B.S. historic tags I see out there on modified tuner cars, I think not.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I DO have a 1988 car that is historic, less than 43000 were made and sold in the US. AND it was made in WEST Germany (for you millennials driving the rice burners, Germany use to be two separate countries, I'm sure your common core didn't teach you that).

Anonymous said...

I agree

Anonymous said...

12:42 Do you realize that some people own more than one residence and often in different states or have businesses incorporated in a state other than the one they may live in? You "legal experts" are sofa king smart in your own minds.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

I saw a 1999 Monte Carlo on the road a few weeks ago with historic tags. A car from 1999 is NOT historic. It's about time they did something.

No, you either saw a 1996 or older Monte Carlo and don't know what one looks like or the tags were illegally placed on the vehicle. Quit spewing your opinion as fact if you - the MVA would NOT issue historic tags to a vehicle less than 20 years old.

Anonymous said...

MVA employees haven't got a raise in a while.

Anonymous said...

glad to see every other major crime in maryland is solved and we are now down to chasing students. Way to go msp, or should I say barney? total bs!

Anonymous said...

I have a 1983 vehicle that is registered as historic. Now some may not think that a 33 year old vehicle is considered "historic," especially compared to vehicles made in the 60's and prior, but it is a rather rare vehicle and I performed a complete 3 year frame-off restoration on the vehicle. I take it to car shows, I drive it in parades, I have it insured through Hagerty and I do other similar things that people do with the older classic cars - mine just happens to be newer. I consider it historic, but others may not. Just like I don't consider a 1996 Honda Civic to be historic.

That being the case, just because a vehicle is 20+ years old, doesn't mean is it should be considered "historic." Conversely, just because a vehicle isn't relatively old, doesn't mean that it can't be considered "historic." There needs to be some sort of consideration factor in determining whether a 20 year old vehicle can be tagged as historic in the State of Maryland. Qualifiers such as production number, rarity, origin, historical significance, etc could easily be established by the state to limit the abuse of historic tags. Personally, I have always said that in order for me to consider a vehicle historic, it must have steel front and rear bumpers.

I get really irritated when I see a beat up early 90's Honda Civic running around with historic tags. Those drivers are clearly abusing the system in registering their vehicle as historic to avoid the regular registration fees and associated cost. I suppose I don't really blame them - why pay $135+ when you can pay $51 if the state will allow it? People also register their 20+ year old vehicles as historic to skirt the emissions and safety inspections that would otherwise be required on vehicle manufactured after 1976. To me, the State is talking out of both sides of their mouth:

1) Register your 1996 vehicle as historic, pay only $51 for registration and avoid the cost and hassle of passing emissions and inspection or

2) Register your 1996 vehicle as a regular passenger vehicle for $135, pay $25 for an inspection and pay the cost of any repairs necessary to pass inspection.

If your vehicle is running like crap, burning oil and missing half its nuts and bolts or if you're looking to save a few bucks then I'm pretty sure that you're going to go with option #1. I don't blame you; THE STATE ALLOWS IT! And people put unsafe vehicles on the road EVERYDAY by following the rules that the State established.

Now the state wants to limit use? How about you limit the registration process and clean up the contradictions? Let the insurance companies limit the use and the State can revist what they deem to be historic. What about grandma running around with her cherry 1960's muscle car that she has owned and driven since new? Her car is truly historic, but it is also her main source of transportation. Is she supposed to go out and buy a new car so she can drive to work legally?? Is she not allowed to utilize her vehicle as intended because the state is trying to curtail those who "abuse" the registration process that the State established? Where does that make sense?

Finally, how the hell did this pass without me knowing it? I have two registered historic vehicles and was never notified that this was even in the pipeline. Shoot, I didn't even get this letter! I understand what they are trying to do, but I think that they haven't thought through the process very well.

Anonymous said...

This IS long overdue....
There is a vast difference between a lovingly restored 60's era Corvette and a rust-patched 1985 pickup truck.Yet all have historic tags. It's been an easy way for people with old cars to avoid inspection and taxes.

Anonymous said...

Grandma can still drive her cherry muscle car, all she has to do is tag it like any other auto. the law does not require you to retro fit safety or emmissions just because it is old. I drive a 57 Willys Jeep, original, regular tags.

Anonymous said...

Bull crap , I have a old pickup not you midlife crisis car so you can pick up 17 year old braces wearing bubble gum chewing young girls , this truck should be driven and seen so that kids now can see what built the country, what the average working man owned and worked out of soo he could afford his midlife POS also!

Anonymous said...

I own a 1990 GMC Suburban tagged historic. I put less that 200 miles a year on it. My insurance is no different.

Anonymous said...

7:51AM - If you read the comment at 10:38, no where in the does the person say they own a business in one state and live in another. Or that they own multiple houses. But I guess you already knew that because you wrote it.

So where is your law degree from? When did you pass the BAR or be come commissioned as a sworn officer of the law? Please let me know what you drive so I can pull you over when you come into MY state again.

Facet the facts, you just want to skirt the law and do things your own way. You, like many south of the M&D line, feel that the laws do not apply to you.

Good luck with your robbing of two states. Your state of "ME" is due for a rude revolution.

lmclain said...

Did hillary move to Atlanta?

Anonymous said...

Other than the 1986 part the laws appear to be the same,but like earlier comments stated have not been enforced.And what is historic about a car built in 1986 anyway?

Anonymous said...

7:53 You are correct. Finally a shorebilly with a few brain cells. I also avoid paying MD income tax by being a resident of a state with no state income tax and spending a total of 6 months and 1 day there each year. Nothing illegal about it, it is called being smart and hiring smarter accountants/lawyers to ensure that you make and keep as much money as the law allows. Trump does it all the time as does every other person with money and assets.

You can pull me over anytime you want, there is nothing you can write me a ticket for related to the registration of my vehicles. I am not a MD resident. My vehicles can be driven in MD with what ever tags I choose.

Anonymous said...

Please note. Most reputable insurance companies will not insure a Historic or Classic auto insurance policies unless the vehicle qualifies. Just because The State issues a plate for a 20yo vehicle doesn't mean a insurance company will issue a policy for that vehicle being Classic. My classics are insured by State Farm and they are very strict if and when they will approve a vehicle. They usually require a yearly update with current photos. They may also include a storage facility inspection in order to approve a Historic Policy. These restrictions are welcome to us who try to protect our investments.

Anonymous said...

farm tags will be next, they are also abused

Anonymous said...

This has everything to do with money, not safety,,,,Maryland in it's usual thinking by the government, wants more money...your money.

Anonymous said...

Many Classic vehicles display a plate that is the same year as the car. These must be original Maryland plates of that year vehicle and are considered vanity plates. They come with a one time fee. However, you are still required to purchase the updated sticker for the Historic plates and they must be carried in the vehicle at all times. So in this case you have a vehicle with dual registration for operation and display. Also in Maryland, if a vehicle is an original, and unaltered and 60 years old, a black sticker can be issued for a one time fee of $60. That is a lifetime sticker as long as the owner remains the same.

Anonymous said...

I will still drive my Street Rod to work on days that the weather is beautiful! I looked into Street Rod tags and the car has to be 25 years old.. still have 2 more years to go on mine.

Anonymous said...

Why do people feel the need to get so upset about a small non issue? What is wrong with people that have a problem is they dont mind their own business. Their life is so uneventful they feel the need to dictate what others can and cant do. Does it really affect you? Really? No but you let it bother you. Its silly. Let it go, lots of people do it because its what they can afford, same with a maine trailer tag, heck i see them behind all sorts of rigs and I dont care!!! Why? Because why would anyone care? Historic tags also save waste because a car that may not be economical to repair can live on eventhough it has a few small issues. Mechanical failures are very low in the statistics of vehicle accidents but i bet you ride around playing on your cell phone and where does that rank? Oh yeah cell phones top alcohol related deaths now but you are worried about a historic tag.

Anonymous said...

I gots me 2 of them there Maine trailer tags. Screw MD's insane costs/taxes of vehicles and trailers.