So it’s pretty obvious that the designers drew out the car, made the clay, approved the body panel dies, delivered the first cars to the dealer, and at that point it was realized “(insert Japanese expletive here) those stupid Americans have to have a front license plate!”

the only slightly not fugly option I can see, would be to remove the Mazda emblem from the nose and put a license plate reproduction sticker there instead. It would take a raging dick of a LEO to pull you over for that.

anyone tried it? I just may. That front plate HAS to go.

 

When i lived in TX they required a front plate. I kept it on the dash on the PS, Never had an issue.


Travis

 

williard, they let you just put it on the dash to pass inspection in TX?

 

I've been using the front plate as designed.
I don't want to give any LEO's an excuse to pull me over.
There is a DIY thread for relocating the front plate.

 

I never had my front plate on the car, and only got one single ticket for it back in 2004 or so (from a meter maid, tacked on to the parking ticket as an additional present ).
Not even when I was stopped for speeding did any LEO mention it.
Unless you live in an area where cops go specifically for this kind of thing, I don't think it's a big deal not having it on.

 

Tamas, same here.
The front plate came off the car about 10 minutes after I left the dealership lot in 2005 and hasn't been back on since.
With my current autobahn bumper, there aren't even mounting holes.
I was just surprised they count a plate on the dashboard as meeting the front plate requirement in TX. CA vehicle code has some verbiage about it being permanently affixed so as to not let people do that

 

I tried it for a few years ...till I got hammered to the tune of $800 in fines one day (was caught speeding at same time so they threw the book at me).
BTW ..... I live in NZ