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Old 02-11-2013, 10:52 AM
 
Location: Denver, Colorado U.S.A.
14,164 posts, read 27,106,972 times
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This (below) is according to the LicensePlates.cc website:

"Although Q has not been used, it will be in the near future. When 999-ZZZ is reached, the state will go back through the 000-XXX series using the letter Q in each position. The next series after 999-ZZZ will be 001-AAQ, then ABQ, ACQ, and so on through AZQ, then BAQ. After 999-ZZQ, the Q will move to the center position for AQA through ZQZ, then QAA through QZZ will be used. After exhausting those combinations, the series will reverse to XXX-000, skipping the remaining numbers in that format that are still in use on the 1982 base."

I had read a year or so ago that they would introduce the "Q" to our license plates, but figured that just meant running through "123-QAA", etc. But this sounds like they're making even more use of the letter Q.

I don't understand how they would go back to the "ABC-123" series (there are still old plates on the road from the '80s that have ABC-123 plates) and simply skip the plate numbers that are on the road. Seems like a bit of a logistical nightmare. I used to work at the CO DMV and you would get a new box of plates for distribution and they were all in sequential order. You would then load the group you had into your computer and your computer would then asign them as you went along (as customers came to you and required new plates). But every now and then you'd get a box where they screwed up and the plates were out of sequence and it caused a huge headache to make changes on your computer to reflect the out-of-sequence plates (or skip over a set that was missing in your box), if that makes sense.

I just hope they aren't going to flat plates on the standard base. IMO, they don't look as good as the embossed plates.
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Old 02-11-2013, 10:58 AM
 
Location: Western Colorado
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Wouldn't the DMV require you to turn in your old tags for the new ones? I still see tags with the county name on them around here.
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Old 02-11-2013, 11:14 AM
 
Location: Denver, Colorado U.S.A.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jim9251 View Post
Wouldn't the DMV require you to turn in your old tags for the new ones? I still see tags with the county name on them around here.
No. To my knowledge, CO hasn't replaced all the old plates on the road in decades. That's why you still see the older green plates, or even some of those really old white or blue "alternative base" plates with the county name. If you have some of the older plates and they're still in good condition, you can transfer them to a new car. Apparently some people prefer the old plates and hang on to them.
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Old 02-11-2013, 03:19 PM
 
Location: Berkeley Neighborhood, Denver, CO USA
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Default The last time someone mentioned

requiring people to turn in old plates, there was a huge outcry from the public.
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Old 02-11-2013, 05:00 PM
 
Location: Denver, Colorado U.S.A.
14,164 posts, read 27,106,972 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davebarnes View Post
requiring people to turn in old plates, there was a huge outcry from the public.
I read an article once (think it was in the Rocky Mtn. News) about how a lot of older, especially rural Coloradans take pride in having the old plates where you could tell what county the car was from.
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Old 11-10-2014, 09:24 AM
 
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I received a QAA-### plate in October 2014. When I tried to register it online, I was unable to do it. Then I called Colorado DMV and they told me to call Boulder Co. I did that and they thought I was reading my plate wrong. (um, yeah I can't read 3 letters and numbers). They couldn't put it into the system. They thought I was issued a misprint and would call me when they found out what to do. I received a call about a hour later. They told me that the reason I was having trouble is that none of the systems were updated with the new format. Appearantly the new plates weren't supposed to be in the sytem until January 1. 2015. They updated their system and was able to register my plate. So I am wondering if I was issued the first plate in the new format or was I just the first one to try and register the plate? Is there anyway to find out that information?
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Old 11-10-2014, 10:49 AM
 
Location: CO/UT/AZ/NM Catch me if you can!
6,926 posts, read 6,892,031 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by denverian View Post
I read an article once (think it was in the Rocky Mtn. News) about how a lot of older, especially rural Coloradans take pride in having the old plates where you could tell what county the car was from.
I held onto my old "XL" Montezuma County Plate the entire time I was back in Colorado Springs taking care of my elderly Mom. When I finally moved back to the Western Slope after she had passed, the plate finally came off somewhere on Wolf Creek Pass. I now have an "UPY" plate - not nearly as cool.
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Old 11-10-2014, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Denver, Colorado U.S.A.
14,164 posts, read 27,106,972 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Isavedogs View Post
I received a QAA-### plate in October 2014. When I tried to register it online, I was unable to do it. Then I called Colorado DMV and they told me to call Boulder Co. I did that and they thought I was reading my plate wrong. (um, yeah I can't read 3 letters and numbers). They couldn't put it into the system. They thought I was issued a misprint and would call me when they found out what to do. I received a call about a hour later. They told me that the reason I was having trouble is that none of the systems were updated with the new format. Appearantly the new plates weren't supposed to be in the sytem until January 1. 2015. They updated their system and was able to register my plate. So I am wondering if I was issued the first plate in the new format or was I just the first one to try and register the plate? Is there anyway to find out that information?
You mean you got the new reversed format with ABC-123 rather than the current 123-ABC format? This is what I read, that they were going to reverse it after they exhausted all the possibilities with the letter Q in the 123-ABC format.

I find it odd that they're going back to ABC-124 since there are old green plates on the road with that format. The article I read said they would skip any combinations that are still on the road on the old green plates. Seems like a logistical nightmare to me. I worked at the DMV back in the mid 90s and you would open a new box of plates that were all in order, and load them into the computer so it would issue plates sequentially to customers. If one was missing, it threw everything off and you had to take time to correct it on your computer so you gave the right plates to the right person.

But I know we're near the end of all the Q possibilities on the 123-ABC plates, so it makes sense that the new format would be showing up.

Also, is this a specialty plate? I've never heard of going online to register your plates.
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Old 11-10-2014, 01:32 PM
 
Location: Colorado
3,994 posts, read 2,672,199 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by denverian View Post
No. To my knowledge, CO hasn't replaced all the old plates on the road in decades. That's why you still see the older green plates, or even some of those really old white or blue "alternative base" plates with the county name. If you have some of the older plates and they're still in good condition, you can transfer them to a new car. Apparently some people prefer the old plates and hang on to them.
I got a new car back in August, and to my surprise, they let me transfer the plate from the old car to the new one. (For some reason, I could've sworn that when I'd gotten the previous car back in 2007, they made me switch plates.) So I could conceivably have the 123-ABC format plates for at least another ten years (I've already had them seven.)

I'm surprised that they'd go back to a format that presumably still had plates in the sequence on the road. Wouldn't it be easier to adopt, say, an AB-1234 format for the next round? I'd think you could have such a format out for a long time before you ran out of combinations (since you have more numbers to run through.)

ETA: Presuming I mathed that correctly, I'm coming up with a bit shy of 7 million combinations before they ran out, and I'm guessing it's not likely we'd run through 7 million plates in a tearing hurry.
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Old 11-10-2014, 02:00 PM
 
Location: Denver, Colorado U.S.A.
14,164 posts, read 27,106,972 times
Reputation: 10428
Quote:
Originally Posted by Indigo Cardinal View Post
I got a new car back in August, and to my surprise, they let me transfer the plate from the old car to the new one. (For some reason, I could've sworn that when I'd gotten the previous car back in 2007, they made me switch plates.) So I could conceivably have the 123-ABC format plates for at least another ten years (I've already had them seven.)

I'm surprised that they'd go back to a format that presumably still had plates in the sequence on the road. Wouldn't it be easier to adopt, say, an AB-1234 format for the next round? I'd think you could have such a format out for a long time before you ran out of combinations (since you have more numbers to run through.)

ETA: Presuming I mathed that correctly, I'm coming up with a bit shy of 7 million combinations before they ran out, and I'm guessing it's not likely we'd run through 7 million plates in a tearing hurry.
I'm pretty sure they've already used AA-1234 back in the 70s. And they already used part of the AAA-1234 configuration in the 90s.

Colorado allows you to transfer plates from one car to the next. That's why you occasionally see a new car with old plates. I opted to get new plates for my car when it was new.
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