If we didn't know better, we'd think there was a lack of worthwhile ways to spend money on cars; what with all the apparently obscenely rich motorists out there dropping enormous amounts of money on license plates – the one part of the car that the rest of us take most for granted.
After the British tuner who spent $870k on UK's "F1" plate and the sheik who dropped $14.5 million on the UAE's number 1, Frank Vassallo IV of Wilmington, Delaware, just bought license plate number 6 for $675k at auction, and admittedly was prepared to spend up to a million. His family already owns Delaware plates 9, for which they paid $185k at auction in 1993, and number 27. "It's a family thing," explains Vassallo. "It's a Delaware thing." It's an I've got more money than I know what to do with thing, if you ask us. But hey, it's his money.
[Source: Delaware News Journal via Winding Road]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Alex @ Feb 21st 2008 10:32AM
Anyone whose name ends in a roman numeral can be suspected of having too much money.
TwinTurbo3000GT @ Feb 21st 2008 12:08PM
A shame no one lives in delaware to see it...
3seriesisking @ Feb 21st 2008 12:38PM
Haha 3000GT.....good point.......This kind of thing is just getting out of hand.
John R @ Feb 21st 2008 3:24PM
Hey! I live in delaware! No matter. Nobody in DE really cares about the black plates....
...at least all the people I know. Maybe this Vassallo character and his tool bag friends do.
DKB_SATX @ Feb 21st 2008 10:34AM
"Not only am I stupid enough to blow the price of a median-priced house in southern Delaware (2 of them in northern Delaware) on a LICENSE PLATE, I allowed my name to be printed in connection with this idiotic action so that everyone will know I'm a wasteful fool."
Shakatar @ Feb 21st 2008 10:41AM
Is there a 0 plate up for grabs, and how much would he be willing to pay for it? I think it would be more appropriate for him.
mk @ Feb 21st 2008 10:46AM
This just in:
Confirmation on the common colloquialism: "A Fool and their money are soon and easily parted."
Moron. It's a damn license plate, fool!
iSpec @ Feb 21st 2008 10:46AM
When will it end? Living in a country where you can spend your money on anything you want! Vote Democrat to stop the insanity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTz7nojEC80
ermax18 @ Feb 21st 2008 11:39AM
HAHAHA. I just wish we could hand our entire pay check to the gov. They will do a much better job of distributing it then I would. That is why we (some of us) work so hard after all. Right?
Tim @ Feb 21st 2008 1:30PM
Man, you and I think exactly alike. If my doctor prescribes medical marijuana then I should be able to buy it. Ditto an abortion. They have no right telling me how I can and can't spend my hard earned money. Right now the gov't takes our money and spends it invading foreign countries while creating the biggest gov't expansion in decades. If you want your personal freedoms back and a smaller gov't join iSpec and I in voting Democrat.
John R @ Feb 21st 2008 3:27PM
iSpec, you're not really helpin' out Obama's cause saying stuff like that.
papercutninja @ Feb 21st 2008 10:48AM
Delaware sucks. They have to do SOMETHING to keep themselves interested.
evosky @ Feb 21st 2008 11:01AM
delaware doesn't suck. you're just jealous of the plate.
get over yourself.
Frank @ Feb 21st 2008 11:38AM
I have lived in Delaware and of all the Northeast states it was the best IMO. No sales tax, low income tax. Not everything is perfect but if you have to live in the Northeast that is the place you want to be, not NJ, PA, MD, or NY.
The plates are valued because they can be renewed and don't have to be turned in when a new design comes out. Number 6 dates back to whenever they first started registering motor vehicles. So it's not just the number like the Middle East country, it's more the age of the plate.
Corey W. @ Feb 21st 2008 10:50AM
This is retarded... nuff said!!
ron @ Feb 21st 2008 10:54AM
The 2 most common elements in the universe - carbon and stupidity!
Mike F @ Feb 21st 2008 10:56AM
0 in Delaware is reserved for the Governor. I know it's idiotic to spend a lot on a plate but those black and white DE plates are actually ceramic and you can only get them with 5 digits or less (A. they are the original DE plate design B. they are a vanity plate which costs in the neighborhood of $75). I had someone approach me because I have a 5 digit plate and they offered me $150 to switch the plate registration to them.
I declined because my time to go through that hassle was worth more...
for papercut... DE has its pros and cons like everywhere... Tax free shopping (although 2.75% on cars)... Dewey beach...apparently you haven't been there!
mattydread @ Feb 21st 2008 11:35AM
I didn't know about 0, but 1 is also reserved for the Governor.
Mike F @ Feb 21st 2008 11:42AM
You're correct Matt... There may not be a 0 plate. I was just going by memory from what I learned years ago.
L.Wood @ Feb 21st 2008 10:58AM
I am with ispec about voting Democrat. We need nation license plate reform so it will not be possible to spend this kind of money on one. We need legislation to create legislation dictating what we can and cannot spend our money on based upon our income. Example - family of 4 income is $31,000 gross so no play stations or x-boxes can be purchased by this family until they can raise their gross income up to $61,381. Maybe Barak O'Bama, the Irish lad, will take on this one after he is elected President of these here United States.