Vanity Plate Dos and Don'ts
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Thinking of getting a vanity license plate?
From the "I guess you can have too much money" file, a British Ferrari owner was the winning bidder at an auction last month. He paid $782,000 for a license plate with 25 O on it, which can be used on any Ferrari 250, making it the most expensive license plate on one of the most expensive cars in the world.
Even more shocking, it was an auction. That means that there was at least one other idiot who bid $781,000.
And even more shocking, no matter how much you pay, there are some vanity plates you just can't use in the US - although 25 O is ok.
Dumb. We already know you have a Ferrari, you dummy. But ok.
What is and what isn't acceptable on a custom license plate is based on state law.
Some laws ban certain plates in order to eliminate confusion with plates used on governmental vehicles like in NY where you can't use FDNY or NYPD.
And, offensive words are almost always forbidden, as are references to drugs, alcohol, and firearms in most states. Even once you get a vanity plate, it can be revoked if other drivers complained, like the driver with an apparently high opinion of herself whose license plate 'Got MILF' was revoked.
And, of course the lesson of the Ferrari driver: showing us you can buy a vanity plate doesn't make us like you any better.