"Stating" the obvious

Imagination is a wonderful thing. I love when I am driving along, I see a personalized plate, and I actually have to think about it for a minute or two (or even longer). A well-crafted license plate tells you something about the car’s owner, be it a personal preference, a hobby, a career, or a philosophy. I’ll be bringing you all of those topics and more as I add to this website. Today, sadly, we are going to start with some rather NON-imaginative subject matter.

Sorry for the blurriness, I was at a stop behind this one. RD RAM. Thankfully not ALL truck drivers are this boring! At least, I don’t think they are. A few of my friends drive pickups, and their powers of imagination seem to be fully intact. Can’t explain what happened with this vehicle’s owner, though.


I sure am glad that it’s YOUR Infinity, and not someone else’s.

There are a few more examples of this phenomenon for which I was not able to take a picture:

COOP360 on a mini Cooper. Blah, blah, blah. Mini-Coopers are so cute, why did you burden your car with such an inane plate? Next up: I spotted ZEE 4ME on a red Z-4 BMW. Lame. Then there’s PALZ CHG, seen on a Dodge Charger. Hella-lame. Don’t even get me started on putting your own NAME on a license plate, for some reason that really bugs me. At least in this case it’s not a girl’s name, which in MY imagination invites potential stalkers and evildoers to lie in wait. Oh.. wait.. I did see one of those recently, too!


These are all representations of obviousness that make me say “jeez Louise” (or something to that effect, but with actual expletives) when I see them on the road. I am firmly of the opinion that if you can’t say something “good” on a plate, you shouldn’t say anything at all.

Now let’s talk about some much BETTER examples!

This plate is on a Mustang. I see it regularly in the parking garage at one of my work locations. This is an excellent use of obvious-ity with a nice side order of wittiness, making it a happy statement of ownership. Alas, I have no photos of the following plates, but you’ll get the idea.

1SKCHVY – I saw this on a black Chevy pickup of some kind, with fancy low-riding wheels. I don’t care much for lowriders, but they get points for originality.

AZTOSTR – This one was on an Element, or a Scion, I don’t remember which. It was some kind of boxy car, but it wasn’t a Cube. I know that much because it was before the Cube was in production. I have seen a lot of Cubes lately, though - apparently it’s the current box-shaped vehicle that is capturing many toaster-car fans’ hearts. I expect I will be crafting a Cube-related blog somewhere down the line.

EVIL442 - I don't remember the color or exact style of this car, but the Internet informs me that the Oldsmobile 442 was first produced in 1964, and that the 442 designation was most recently used on Cutlass models from the early '90s. Some plate enthusiasts might put this one in the "boringly obvious" category, but two things saved it for me: a bumper sticker that said "Pagan", and a Darwin Fish sticker.

Neither of those are inherently "evil," of course. I just really appreciate this driver's sense of humor!

Next up: license plates of my friends!