[ljowdy]

In regards to attempting to register an out of state car using clean "old" plates and claiming that they were the orignal plates: Technically, once the car is registered in a foreign jurisdiction (out of state) those plates can not be re-issued to that car unless it falls under the Vehicle code section I posted above, regardless if the car returns to California. In this case, the car would be issued a new reflective white background, blue letter plate.

Lately, DMV has been doing some serious investigations into matters such as this. While it may be possible to squeak by at a local DMV office, when the paperwork reaches Sacramento, in most cases, it will be denied. But, it never hurts to try.

My 1973 came with the blue plates and had been registered as Non-op for years. It was no problem to obtain current registraton and keep those plates. The reason being, those were the original issue plates and were still associated with my car. Another reason I kept those plates is that the letters are S I N.