Steve Jobs stayed tag-less by leasing a new car every six months

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
One well-known quirk about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was that he never had a California tag affixed to his Mercedes -- something made possible through a legal loophole.



California vehicle laws stipulate that anyone with a brand-new car has a maximum of six months to affix a license plate to their vehicle. This loophole was utilized by Jobs, according to ITWire, to avoid putting a plate on his car.



"Jobs made an arrangement with the leasing company; he would always change cars during the sixth month of the lease, exchanging one silver Mercedes SL55 AMG for another identical one," author David Heath revealed. "At no time would he ever be in a car as old as six months, and thus there was no legal requirement to have the number plates fitted."



The detail comes from a former senior security official at Apple, Jon Callas, who is currently the chief technology officer at Entrust. He explained how Jobs legally drove without a tag, dispelling rumors that Jobs would pay fines from police for not having a plate affixed.



Jobs was even known to park his $130,000 Mercedes sideways into a handicapped space on Apple's corporate campus in Cupertino, Calif.



Jobs's Mercedes, as seen in 2010 without California plates.



Jobs's affinity for the Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG is said to have rubbed off on Scott Forstall, Apple's senior vice president of iOS software. A recent profile of Forstall revealed that he takes after Jobs and drives the same car his former boss did -- though it did not make any mention of missing license plates on Forstall's car.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 131
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    This literally made me LOL. I'm through the first three chapters of the bio and this move fits him perfectly!



    Thanks for putting a smile on my face this morning
  • Reply 2 of 131
    londorlondor Posts: 258member
    I find this story hard to believe considering the SL55 AMG stopped being built in 2008.
  • Reply 3 of 131
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Londor View Post


    I find this story hard to believe considering the SL55 AMG stopped being built in 2008.



    ? So he leased a bunch of them. Does "out of production" mean "oh, we're going to be destroying absolutely every single one now"?
  • Reply 4 of 131
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Londor View Post


    I find this story hard to believe considering the SL55 AMG stopped being built in 2008.



    He must've been driving the newer model of the 55, the SL63 AMG.

    http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicl...-SL/model-SL63
  • Reply 5 of 131
    crunchcrunch Posts: 180member
    Yes, this made me laugh, too, although this attitude is probably what ultimately killed him, or at least killed him when it did, as opposed to however much additional time he might still have had if he only hadn't been so stubborn about getting his surgery in 2003. And that's sad. Because he didn't have to die. At least not yet.
  • Reply 6 of 131
    jay-tjay-t Posts: 39member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Londor View Post


    I find this story hard to believe considering the SL55 AMG stopped being built in 2008.



    You can order whatever you want from AMG. You're right, the model changed in 2008 and with it the motor but if you are a good customer (and someone who purchases a new SL AMG every 6 months is a very good one) you can always get your wishes fulfilled. Hell, you can even tell them you want your car to have pink exterior and yellow interior. As long as you pay what they want of course...
  • Reply 7 of 131
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    ? So he leased a bunch of them. Does "out of production" mean "oh, we're going to be destroying absolutely every single one now"?



    Or he could have been simply swapping back and forth between just two cars. It's not like he couldn't afford to pay a premium for his lease to have the dealer simply store the extra car for him.
  • Reply 8 of 131
    And the ones that have the money to do whatever the <> they want.



    Here Here, Steve.
  • Reply 9 of 131
    +1



    His arrogance may well have driven Apple to make great products... But it was ultimately the cause of his untimely death.
  • Reply 10 of 131
    conradjoeconradjoe Posts: 1,887member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    One well-known quirk about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was that he never had a California tag affixed to his Mercedes -- something made possible through a legal loophole.







    he would always change cars during the sixth month of the lease, exchanging one silver Mercedes SL55 AMG for another identical one," author David Heath revealed. "At no time would he ever be in a car as old as six months,



    Jobs was even known to park his $130,000 Mercedes sideways into a handicapped space on Apple's corporate campus in Cupertino, Calif.






    This is how the 1% lives.



    Legal loopholes.

    New Mercedes every 6 months.

    Parks in handicapped spaces sideways.



    What sort of a person does this shit?
  • Reply 11 of 131
    pendergastpendergast Posts: 1,358member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bloodline View Post


    +1



    His arrogance may well have driven Apple to make great products... But it was ultimately the cause of his untimely death.



    I believe cancer was ultimately the cause of his untimely death.



    Cancer doesn't care who you are and takes no prisoners.
  • Reply 12 of 131
    He probably detested the design of the California license plates and thought the plates ruined the design of the car.
  • Reply 13 of 131
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bloodline View Post


    His arrogance may well have driven Apple to make great products... But it was ultimately the cause of his untimely death.



    It is unlikely he would have survived had he had surgery in 2003. The misfortune of having pancreatic cancer killed him, not his "arrogance."
  • Reply 14 of 131
    i hate to speak badly of the recently deceased, but parking sideways in a handicap spot? what a total shitbag.
  • Reply 15 of 131
    dbtincdbtinc Posts: 134member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Londor View Post


    I find this story hard to believe considering the SL55 AMG stopped being built in 2008.



    no, still being built and sold in the US ... but more importantly ol' Steve didn't want no dents or dings. Apparently there were no "crips" working there either.
  • Reply 16 of 131
    technotechno Posts: 737member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bloodline View Post


    +1



    His arrogance may well have driven Apple to make great products... But it was ultimately the cause of his untimely death.



    No, cancer was.
  • Reply 17 of 131
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CPWicks10934 View Post


    He probably detested the design of the California license plates and thought the plates ruined the design of the car.



    I always thought he did it to keep stalkers from spotting him on the road.
  • Reply 18 of 131
    dbtincdbtinc Posts: 134member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    This is how the 1% lives.



    Legal loopholes.

    New Mercedes every 6 months.

    Parks in handicapped spaces sideways.



    What sort of a person does this shit?



    Someone who is convinced that he's better than the 99%. He's not alone in this attitude. Being rich does not assure that you are human.
  • Reply 19 of 131
    jasenj1jasenj1 Posts: 923member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    This is how the 1% lives.



    Agreed. With virtually unlimited money, I could live a lot more care free and take many more risks. But I have a family, mortgage, 401k, etc. As a wage-slave, an extra $1000 here or there is real money.



    If only I'd bought more AAPL shares when they were $20.



    - Jasen.
  • Reply 20 of 131
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    This is how the 1% lives.



    Legal loopholes.

    New Mercedes every 6 months.

    Parks in handicapped spaces sideways.



    What sort of a person does this shit?



    He is bipolar in this regard. At times increadibly arrogant and at others increadibly humble.

    This was his handicap.
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