Talk me into buying a private plate

Talk me into buying a private plate

Author
Discussion

acealfa

Original Poster:

280 posts

202 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
I've never been one for private plates for various reasons but this certain plate has caught my eye.

It's being sold privately through an agent and currently listed up for £5k so about £6.5k with fees. Having never purchased a plate before, would I be able to knock the price down? Is there a way to determine the true value of a plate, i.e The price where I could sell it tomorrow?

Now I'm not rich so that is a lot money to me but I can't get away from the urge to have it.

Someone convince myself that it's not a waste of money & in fact is a worth while investment smile

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
acealfa said:
It's being sold privately through an agent and currently listed up for £5k so about £6.5k with fees.
A grand and a half of fees? What fees are they?

acealfa said:
Having never purchased a plate before, would I be able to knock the price down?
Only the seller can answer that.

acealfa said:
Is there a way to determine the true value of a plate, i.e The price where I could sell it tomorrow?
There is no "true value", other than what somebody else is willing to pay for it. If you're willing to pay £6,500 all in for it, then somebody else might be willing to, so that's as near a "true value" as you can easily figure. You can take advertised prices for similar plates into account, but they're different. You don't want them, you want this one. Others might not want this one.

g7jhp

6,959 posts

237 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
A plate is worth what someone will pay.

Single letter and number combinations e.g. A1 are worth more and some like F1 will have a value as it also has a meaning.

Irish or Isle of Man plates devalue your car IMO.

If it's your name, it will be worth more to you.

If it's a car model you own e.g. X5 it might appeal to someone who also has an X5.

Without telling us the plate it's hard to value.

I have a couple of private plates including OGS 455 which I like as they are date less.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
g7jhp said:
Irish or Isle of Man plates devalue your car IMO.
At most, by the cost of removing them.

(BTW, you can't have either Irish or IoM plates on a UK-reg car. I think you mean NI)

X5TUU

11,910 posts

186 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
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Many plates up for sale at dealers are actually still available on the DVLA Cherished site much cheaper and without comical fees, worth checking!

When I bought my daughters plate (when she was born 2yrs ago) the plate was on several sites for upto 5x what is was on the DVLA site!

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
I can understand (sort of) the appeal of plates that relate to the car - there's a Riley Nine with RIL 9 on it - or one that is the owner's initials but what I don't understand is why people put dateless plates on their cars. Anyone care to enlighten me?

VUB

69 posts

161 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
Buy it if you want it and can afford it.

By the way, F1 is available at £12,250,270.83. I've got the 83 pence ...........

k-ink

9,070 posts

178 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
I managed to buy the perfect plate for my girl for £250 from the DVLA direct. It helps she has a simple name, so no faffing with spacing or bodges required. Alternatively V6, V8 etc plates can be had rather cheaply. Obviously put them on the right car.

As for the expensive plates I can't help but see them as 99% profit for someone else. So they don't really interest me at all.

acealfa

Original Poster:

280 posts

202 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
The plate is my second name basically so would only really appeal to me. If I ever wanted to shift it on I would probably have a hard time.

The only plate I've ever had came on a car and was a B16 'xxx' plate. It was valued apparently at £1500 but didn't even meet reserve on eBay at 400 so just left it on the car.

X5TUU

11,910 posts

186 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
Riley Blue said:
I can understand (sort of) the appeal of plates that relate to the car - there's a Riley Nine with RIL 9 on it - or one that is the owner's initials but what I don't understand is why people put dateless plates on their cars. Anyone care to enlighten me?
We have cherished plates on all our cars, none are vehicle specific and they are all related to our names (predominantly first) although I do have a plate for my surname as well ... Horses for courses really, we like them and it's just an extension of the tailoring of a vehicle/fleet

k-ink

9,070 posts

178 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
In my case it put a smile on my girls face for peanuts.

Would I pay ten grand to show the world I was then ten grand poorer? No! Each to their own.

Stickyfinger

8,429 posts

104 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
Here are 129 pages of posts to show why you really do not want to do this

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

rossub

4,400 posts

189 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
May as well tell us what it is, so we can offer a proper opinion?

I just paid £3,800 all in for 3 numbers, then my two initials.

I justify it by the fact that I can always sell it again for £3k easy enough and the purchase price is only a couple of years depreciation on a second hand car.

sim16v

2,176 posts

200 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
I say each to their own, and if it makes you happy, it's a worthwhile purchase.

I don't understand the anger from people who don't like "cherished plates", surely it is something too insignificant to get upset about?


If the plate is "good", and a late DVLA issue, you can check on the DVLA SOM website to see if it was sold at auction, and for how much.

From that, you can decide whether you think someone is making too much from it or not.

Also, if it is advertised at a dealer, they will actually want to sell it and get their commission, even if it reduces, so make an offer, even if it is a low ball offer.

I've bought plates and managed to get a good discount, and when i've sold plates, I've always had low offers to consider.

MrReg

1,930 posts

221 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
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PM me the number and I'll see if I can help you.

civicduty

1,857 posts

202 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
Read 'plate' as 'plane'.

Opened the thread, realised my mistake, felt disappointed, as you were :-)

k-ink

9,070 posts

178 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
rossub said:
I justify it by the fact that I can always sell it again for £3k easy enough
I'm not convinced any of these will sell quickly for anything like the figure originally paid. Especially once you factor in commission. Unless you own something spectacular (if a number on plastic can be called that), such as "1", which can be put through an auction. I get the impression people spend years trying to sell them on.

DSLiverpool

14,673 posts

201 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
A plate makes the car your own and people know it's you - good or bad.
Before I named my new company I checked I could get VE15 TAR and names it ..... Velstar!

TonyTony

1,880 posts

157 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
quotequote all
civicduty said:
Read 'plate' as 'plane'.

Opened the thread, realised my mistake, felt disappointed, as you were :-)
Same here, I started reading and thought £6.5k for a plane.. thats cheap. laugh

Doofus

25,732 posts

172 months

Sunday 24th July 2016
quotequote all
acealfa said:
The plate is my second name basically so would only really appeal to me. If I ever wanted to shift it on I would probably have a hard time.
I read that as "It's not very saleable."

So how come it's six and a half grand?