Steve Jobs bought a brand new car identical to his last one every six months for a bizarre reason

Steve Jobs was never one to follow the rules, and that extended well beyond the walls of Apple headquarters and to the car parking lot.

The tech visionary had a habit of replacing his car every six months with the same model, same color, and same spec.

To outsiders, it looked obsessive.

In reality, it was a calculated workaround that perfectly captured his unconventional approach to life.

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Steve Jobs was known to be rather quirky

The Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, was famous for his minimalist wardrobe, intense scrutiny of products, and laser focus on design.

He parked in disabled bays at Apple in the early days because he liked being close to the building.

The tech billionaire even reportedly walked barefoot around the office, so that should tell you a little about his eccentricities.

That apparently extended to his car habits.

For years, Jobs drove a silver Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG.

While the car itself wasn’t very memorable, at least for someone with his net worth, the key detail was actually how often he swapped it.

Every six months, like clockwork, he would return it and take delivery of a brand new, identical one.

Why? Because of a quirk in California law at the time.

In California, new cars could be driven for up to six months without permanent license plates while owners waited for registration to be processed.

While most people simply attached the plates when they arrived, Jobs saw an opportunity.

By leasing and returning the same model every six months, he could legally drive without plates indefinitely.

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Privacy was important for a tech billionaire

This still doesn’t give the full picture.

Why does he want to drive without plates?

Well, apparently, it was all about privacy.

Steve Jobs disliked the idea of being easily tracked or identified.

A car without plates made it harder for members of the public to report his whereabouts or for photographers to follow him.

Given his status as the public face of Apple, and later as CEO during the iPhone revolution, anonymity had real value.

Of course, the strategy also had a side benefit.

He was always driving a brand new vehicle, free of wear and tear, in perfect mechanical condition.

That aligns with his known obsession for precision and freshness.

In the grand scheme of Silicon Valley eccentricities, the no-plates Mercedes might seem minor.

But it perfectly illustrates how Jobs operated: he understood systems, spotted loopholes, and bent them creatively to suit his preferences.

For a man who reimagined personal computing and changed the way the world communicates, quietly gaming DMV regulations almost feels on brand.

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