Front Plate - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Perfectlap · 01-23-2013, 08:09 AM

It occurred to me that I have not had a front license plate on my cars for nearly 20 years now. When I would take the car to inspection they would either pass me or ask me to put the plate on the dashboard. Another time I got a ball buster so I squeezed a couple of suction cups from my V1 into the holes in the license plate just to stick to the front bumper for five minutes.

More importantly I have passed dozens of cops, state, local, county and not one has ever pulled me over for not having a front plate. One guy gave me a no plate ticket but that was as reduction for actually speeding. I wonder if the plate makes it easier for the cops to nail you with the radar guns. I'd rather pay the ticket.

At any rate front plates look terrible!

jmatta · 01-23-2013, 08:19 AM

It seems as most sports cars in northern IL (north Chicago suburbs) do not sport a front plate and the police don't bother you, unless you've been pulled over for some other reason.

kk2002s · 01-23-2013, 08:27 AM

Drives me crazy to have to clutter up the front of the car. I seriously thought about not putting the front plate on. Both my son (18) and I have smoked plate covers. On a couple of occasions where both of us have been pulled over for speeding, an 'Obstructed License Plate' has been the officer's way of cutting us breaks. So I make sure I have a smoked cover. No plate in the front may be an excuse to be pulled over so I'm torn. It would be nice if states with front plates made a European thin style for the front

CoBeerToad · 01-23-2013, 08:29 AM

I've never had a problem not sporting a front plate, but living so close to Indiana and most of my driving occurs there, may have a lot to do with that, as Indiana only uses a rear plate.

The only vehicle I've owned that I installed a front plate on is my '96 Ford F 150 and the bumper rusted out in about a year and the plate fell off somewhere about 4 years ago. Always keep it parked on the street and never had an issue.

Although I do love my license plate... I figured out how to post it!

BYprodriver · 01-23-2013, 09:01 AM

I got my 3rd citation for no front plate in the last 10 years a week ago while pulled over for a improper lane use violation. The CHP parked behind me & approached my window from the rear. After getting my DL, Ins & reg he walked to the front to check for a front plate & returned to his car. I was driving my IS350 because the Box is waiting for new parts. Since I bought the IS new in 07 there are no holes in the front bumper. I guess I will be ordering the towhook plate mount for $60 off E-bay. Front plate enforcement varies around the LA area from city to city. LA city metermaids now write citations for no front plate. Enforcements go up when redlight & speed cameras get installed. Saw a article online last night about speed cameras in Maryland overestimating speed & mailing citations for the last 5 years.

DFW02S · 01-23-2013, 09:32 AM

About a year ago I got pulled over on a 70mph 2 lane road for no front plate.
While he went back and called me in, I sat in the car steaming about how stupid he was to endanger me, him and other people for no plate.

I decided that when it was over I was going to let him know what I thought.
Then he came back and gave me a written warning.
So I just shut up. Still don't have a plate.

Chuck W. · 01-23-2013, 09:34 AM

These look like a good alternative to the tow hook application. The holes are under the lip.

Skene Design License Plate Mount

schnellman · 01-23-2013, 09:57 AM

Here in Ohio the Gestapo will ticket you for not having your front plate mounted in the proper location with the proper hardware. A friend with a new Impala didn't want to louse up the front bumper with a plate and got a ticket for her trouble. Another friend with a Bullitt Mustang got a ticket for wanting to keep his front bumper clean.

BlueStar · 01-23-2013, 10:32 AM

I have a plate by choice. It is a non-official vanity plate with my initials and identifies the car as a 2001 986. Florida doesn't require a front plate and I wouldn't have put it on but the previous owner already had the license plate holder mounted to the car. I have had people ask me after seeing the plate if I brought the car over from Germany.

srad34 · 01-23-2013, 11:33 AM

Hmm, yellow plates are from Netherlands, but I like your style.
In the UK, you have to have front and rear plates and you are not allowed to change the font or size (officially) although a lot of folk do as 'private' registration plates are very common.

jesseborgelt · 01-23-2013, 11:55 AM

I also reside in Ohio. The first thing I did when I purchased my Boxster was remove the plate holder and cover up the holes. Boxsters and many other cars look horrible in my opinion with front plates. I also purchased my daily driver new and instructed the dealership not to mount the front plate bracket or I wouldn't buy the car. I have not had any issues thus far.

Kenny Boxster · 01-23-2013, 12:08 PM

I don't sport a front plate and haven't gotten any flack for doing so. Drove by countless police with no problems. Took mine off in 2012 when they accidentally omitted the rule, but cannot say if it is still like that now we're in 2013. I abhor front plates.

tonycarreon · 01-23-2013, 12:13 PM

removed the front plate shortly after purchasing the car.

in maryland, front plates are required. cops generally leave me alone. was pulled over by highway patrol once. when he asked where the plate was, i was upfront - "it's in the garage. i hate the way it makes the front look," he wrote me a warning and laughed it off.

so far, no actual citation for no front plate.

when i'm out of state, no one has ever mentioned or bothered me about it. pulled over a few times and they've never said anything...

ProjectM96 · 01-23-2013, 12:36 PM

I lived in Maryland and D.C. for a while and often drove to Virginia.

I drove in all three locations with only a European Plate in the front, which happened to be illegal in those states. And I passed by many police cars, but I never got stopped.

I now live in Philly and often drive to NJ where the plates are in the front. I assume they care about the Euro Plate only when it's time for H2O because I know many VW/Audi's guys get stopped for that.

Perfectlap · 01-23-2013, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenny Boxster

I abhor front plates.

They are obscene and grotesque.

I would rather see a Red Sox/Patriots flag pinned to the back bumper.

Frodo · 01-23-2013, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schnellman

Here in Ohio the Gestapo will ticket you for not having your front plate mounted in the proper location with the proper hardware. A friend with a new Impala didn't want to louse up the front bumper with a plate and got a ticket for her trouble. Another friend with a Bullitt Mustang got a ticket for wanting to keep his front bumper clean.

I've had the opposite result in Ohio: Haven't had a front tag on the Box in the nearly 8 years I've had it. So far so good. I did have one guy stop me for a speeding violation one time who also commented about the lack of a front tag. I basically told him I thought it destroyed the nice lines of the car, made it look like crap. I guess he agreed---he didn't write me up for it. As I recall, he cut me a break on the speeding as well...

I think age may come into play as well. My 25 year old son has been stopped at least once for no front tag. I think we're all familiar with the convenient-reason-for-stopping-someone-who's-not-doing-anything-else-wrong phenomenon...

thstone · 01-23-2013, 02:42 PM

Yes, I have a front plate here in Commiefornia. Resistance is futile (and expensive).

Ckrikos · 01-23-2013, 04:25 PM

I haven't had a plate on the car since I bought it. I bought some bumper plugs and have never looked back. I got a ticket once in Nassau County in LI as the cops had a road block and wanted to bust my balls. At the end of the day if the cost for no plate is one ticket in 11 years that's fine, I'll pay it.

Jager · 01-23-2013, 05:03 PM

Front plates ruin the aerodynamics and the looks of a Boxster.

I have never had front plates on my sports cars and have never been warned or ticketed for it... Darn it, you guys are jinxing me.

Topless · 01-23-2013, 05:45 PM

I have one and I know where it is, but I prefer not to wear it thanks. In 8 yrs of ownership I have only been stopped once for it.

We had a most amazing, clear, wonderful day last August in the middle of a long heat wave. My brother and I decided to hit Angeles Crest Hwy for a 3 hr tour. We behaved ourselves and mostly stayed within the speed limit but enforcement was heavy. We probably saw 1/2 dozen CHP and they were quick to hand out tix for irrational exuberance. The motorcop that pulled us over gave us a warning "If I see you up here without it again I'll have to write you up!" Yes Officer, thank you for your kindness...