Just made a trip this last weekend to Chicago & back on the Ohio Turnpike from the Cleveland, Oh area. I've made this trip many times, but never in the Crossfire (04' SSB). Got pulled over in Elyria (an old rust-belt suburb of Lorain) by the State Highway Patrol. I've always had respect for these guys because of the risk they take on this highway. It's the major East - West route through Ohio. However, my attitude had changed.

It was early Sunday morning with little traffic. I was exactly at the speed limit & no other infractions. I was pulled over because I have no front plate (the car is ugly with it & reportedly the requirement for a front plate will be dropped in '06). I had the plate in the car & have driven this car for nearly 2 years without it installed. However, the "officer" thought it was important that I have one & commented that I had 2 years to take care of it & that was enough time. I asked if I could place the plate in the windshield for my trip to Chicago. He indicated it would be OK & smiled at me as he gave me the $200 minor misdemeanor citation.
I guess he had nothing better to do on a Sunday morning.

Two days later, I returned home from Chicago being extra careful the entire trip. The errant plate was now placed clearly in the right side of the windshield and I monitored my speed, etc. even more carefully. No problems until I reached the exact same mile marker (opposite side of the road) in Elyria on the Ohio Turnpike where another "officer" was "assisting" a troubled vehicle. The officer was the only one visible on the berm & was directing traffic to move into the adjacent lane. Unfortunately, I was driving cautiously in the far right lane next to the berm & had traffic near me in the lane to the left. I passed him reducing my speed further and saw no problem or risk in the situation. However, about 30 seconds later, I get pulled over again.

This officer was the one on the berm & indicated to me that he was going to give me a warning about not "using caution when approaching an emergency vehicle", but he was going to give me a citation for not having my front plate mounted properly. After some difficulty in getting him to listen to me regarding my earlier citation for the plate, he agreed to then give me a warning for the plate & would now site me for "not moving into the adjacent lane". Another $200 minor misdemeanor citation. He refused to allow me to explain the conflict with the traffic next to me & when I asked him what he was going to do about all the traffic currently passing us in the adjacent lane, he responded "nothing he could do about it".

My point about all of this is that I believe the "patrol" has a revenue crusade on & the Crossfire is easy to pick out of traffic & there are so few of them. Little chance to get them confused with other vehicles.

If anyone else has experience anything like this, I like to hear about it. I am seriously considering selling the car if it continues to get this kind of exposure. This was an expensive trip.