Personalised Number Plates - Naff or Cool?

Personalised Number Plates - Naff or Cool?

Author
Discussion

J4CKO

41,755 posts

201 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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I have my sons one on my car as I bought the car off him and he hasnt bothered removing it and I cant be fussed either way.

I think they are like tattoos, a lot of them about and most are predictable, rubbish or badly done but its worth it for the small percentage of really good ones.

PGNSagaris

2,942 posts

167 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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This was on the car when I bought it. It has had mixed reviews biggrin

Would I have gone and spent money on it? Not a chance. It’s a bit naff




Henz

212 posts

103 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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I'd never felt the need to get a personalised plate before and had multiple cars over the years of varying ages....nothing against the majority of them mind you. I just felt that seeing the contrast on this car with less characters vs the normal plate made a difference visually.

I guess on a wider point, people spend a lot of time and money personalising/modifying their cars, so why not the plate? As with any mods, you get the good and the bad and opinions either way. As long as it's not too crass of course.

C2 CUM it is then!

Edited by Henz on Friday 18th February 15:51


Edited by Henz on Friday 18th February 15:52

wingdings

19 posts

33 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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I bought a cheapish one for my last car, primarily to hide the age of it, but also because I like how it looks. The car was a 4 year old S3 convertible that was still in production, so with the plate it could pass for brand new. Vain I suppose, but *gallic shrug*.

It’s an old 1960’s NI plate with the ‘LZ 1234’ format, which seems to be far less common than the ubiquitous later NI plates with 3 letters e.g. ‘BLZ 4897’ that all the local minicab and coach firms seem to use. But I’m under absolutely no illusion that spending a few hundred quid on a plate makes me look ‘posh’ or whatever some deluded folks apparently think.

If you want to hide the age of your car or put your initials on it, then why not? The only ones that might negatively prejudice my view of the owner are the ones with illegal spacing or extra screws to make them vaguely resemble a surname or a vulgar word.

paulguitar

23,866 posts

114 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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wingdings said:
If you want to hide the age of your car
This is what I don't get. Why would anyone wish to hide the age of their car?





Muddle238

3,927 posts

114 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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paulguitar said:
wingdings said:
If you want to hide the age of your car
This is what I don't get. Why would anyone wish to hide the age of their car?
Thing is, you’re not hiding the age by sticking a private plate on it. For example, a 10 year old Merc is still a 10 year old Merc, regardless of its number plate.

We have a 75 in our fleet, it has a private plate but not to hide its age. It’s blindly obvious to anyone that it’s at least 20 years old. hehe

P5BNij

15,875 posts

107 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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I've never bought a plate but this one came with the car when I bought it last year, it's been on it since '97 and I can't be bothered to change it....



Naff or otherwise, does it really matter?

sticks090460

1,079 posts

159 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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The number of people who seem to have a view on how other people spend their own money is astonishing. If you want a personal plate, have one; if you don’t, don’t. Simples.

ddom

6,657 posts

49 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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paulguitar said:
This is what I don't get. Why would anyone wish to hide the age of their car?
Why do people buy anything. Because they want to.

swisstoni

17,161 posts

280 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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P5BNij said:
I've never bought a plate but this one came with the car when I bought it last year, it's been on it since '97 and I can't be bothered to change it....



Naff or otherwise, does it really matter?
Absolutely not imho.

AstonZagato

12,758 posts

211 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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I think a non-butchered private plate in a decent format (e.g. A1 ABC, or AAA 123) looks a bit neater than the AB12 XYZ style on a car. I have three. None cost more than £200 originally.

David Beer

3,982 posts

268 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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I have two , both have my initials plus three numbers, same numbers but in different order . Not to hide the age, just vain. .. however, had a guy follow me to the chippie, jump out and offer twice the money I paid, when I said I had two, more than twice x2 !
Personally, a car relative number plate is naff, unless it something like RR 1 , 911 1 etc .
Anyway, do what you like, one is on my van !

Jaguar steve

9,232 posts

211 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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paulguitar said:
wingdings said:
If you want to hide the age of your car
This is what I don't get. Why would anyone wish to hide the age of their car?
Vanity of course.

If you're materialistic and aspirational and need to impress it's essential not to be seen miserably failing at the Game of Life by owning an older car so the ability to both disguise a vehicles age and adorn it with the conspicuous display of wealth that's represented by a distinctive or non dating registration is a perfect win-win for such people.

Muddle238

3,927 posts

114 months

Friday 18th February 2022
quotequote all
paulguitar said:
wingdings said:
If you want to hide the age of your car
This is what I don't get. Why would anyone wish to hide the age of their car?
Thing is, you’re not hiding the age by sticking a private plate on it. For example, a 10 year old Merc is still a 10 year old Merc, regardless of its number plate.

We have a 75 in our fleet, it has a private plate but not to hide its age. It’s blindly obvious to anyone that it’s at least 20 years old. hehe

Ron240

2,785 posts

120 months

Friday 18th February 2022
quotequote all
paulguitar said:
This is what I don't get. Why would anyone wish to hide the age of their car?
I've had 7 brand new cars in a row since 2012 and all of them have been first registered with the same number.

Zerotonine

1,171 posts

175 months

Friday 18th February 2022
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I have one, got it fairly recently and put it on my 07 Civic shed. It is just mine and my son’s initials. It is of no interest to anyone else, isn’t illegally spaced but it does the cardinal sin of ‘hiding’ the age (02 plate) I plan to let my son have it when he is old enough to drive.

AstonZagato

12,758 posts

211 months

Friday 18th February 2022
quotequote all
Zerotonine said:
I have one, got it fairly recently and put it on my 07 Civic shed. It is just mine and my son’s initials. It is of no interest to anyone else, isn’t illegally spaced but it does the cardinal sin of ‘hiding’ the age (02 plate) I plan to let my son have it when he is old enough to drive.
Same with me - the personal plates go on brand new cars. One plate is car related and so occasionally people think it isn't mine and is a factory press car. Not sure there is much vanity in it

ddom

6,657 posts

49 months

Friday 18th February 2022
quotequote all
Jaguar steve said:
Vanity of course.

If you're materialistic and aspirational and need to impress it's essential not to be seen miserably failing at the Game of Life by owning an older car so the ability to both disguise a vehicles age and adorn it with the conspicuous display of wealth that's represented by a distinctive or non dating registration is a perfect win-win for such people.
It's the view of a simpleton to be fair. Because you have a personal issue you assume things about others. Sad.

Leon R

3,235 posts

97 months

Saturday 19th February 2022
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Jaguar steve said:
Vanity of course.

If you're materialistic and aspirational and need to impress it's essential not to be seen miserably failing at the Game of Life by owning an older car so the ability to both disguise a vehicles age and adorn it with the conspicuous display of wealth that's represented by a distinctive or non dating registration is a perfect win-win for such people.
Steve have you named your boat? Could you rename it to whatever the embarrassing private plate is? That would keep it in the family and allow you to drive the car without the humiliation you are currently suffering.

You could even drive the car to the boat then without coming across as materialistic and aspirational.

IAmTheWalrus

1,049 posts

45 months

Saturday 19th February 2022
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I find personalised plates a sad egotistical behaviour which will only ever be of satisfaction to the onlooker helping out a police enquiry...

Once read about a moronic bank robber who will not only was dumb enough to do it in his own car but has a personal reg plate took so it did not work well for him at all.