As those in NJ know, our lovely state requires us to drive with front and back license plates affixed to our vehicles. Considering that the state that borders us to the west, Pennsylvania, only requires their vehicles to have one rear plate, that always seemed a bit silly to me; nevertheless, I've always complied and had front and back plates on my car. Until now.

I just can't bring myself to put a front plate on my beautiful HHR SS's front bumper. I'm lucky because I bought the car in Pennsy, so the front bumper was never drilled out and fitted with a plate mount. I've decided I'm not putting a front plate on for a couple of reasons:

1) A few fellow enthusiasts have been driving without front plates for years, and none of them have been pulled over.

2) I'm hoping to move to Pennsylvania within the next year (NJ taxes are absurd), so the whole front-plate issue will be moot anyway.

Any fellow NJ drivers saying "screw it" and driving without a front plate? Have you had any problems with police and tickets?

 

I've contemplated it, but I don't need another reason for NJ cops to pull me over.

 

It's the same way down here in Texas. We've got have them on the front and back but Arkansas only needs the rear. I just stuck my front plate up on the dash where they ould see it until I decided whether or not I wanted to put the front plate bracket on or not

 

Yeah I know what you mean. When I was modding my 2001 Vortex Blue New Beetle and swapped out the original front bumper for the Turbo S version, the body shop that did the work tried to talk me into not mounting a front plate. I pretty much responded the way you did...having a front plate hardly killed the NB for me, but it did take something away from it. When I got my '05 PT Cruiser GT fixed after I rear-ended someone, I liked the way the PT looked without the plate frame, so I drove for a couple of weeks without the front plate before I traded it in. Obviously I'm breaking the law, so I can get pulled over at any time, and I might change my mind down the line, but I just love the way the front end of the SS looks without a front plate.

 

We here in Florida don't need the snow plow on the front so a front tag is not required. I personally think that tags don't have an aesthetic quality about them but if you must display one I would suggest a hideaway version. You can operate it from inside the vehicle. Hot rods have been using this getup for years on the rear so that the tag doesn't show at all. It's clean, it's cool and the cops would be bewildered. "Officer , I think if you look again there is a front tag"!!

 

Missouri requires a front too. I haven't had one since the summer of 2006! Didn't even check it when I got pulled over for doing 104mph.

 

It's funny you posted this issue. When I was looking for our Red SS we were only finding them at N.J. dealers, and everyone of them had the front plate already mounted. I told all the dealers that they should leave the plates off just like they do for the Corvettes. They all said they didn't really think about it until I mentioned it.
Anyway, I found one here in Pa. and I didn't have to worry about it.
If I lived in Jersey, I wouldn't have it mounted anyway. I see a lot Vettes with Jersey plates and nothing on the front.