Personalised plate?
Author
Discussion

James McScotty

Original Poster:

460 posts

174 months

Tuesday 29th January 2013
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A friend has recently bought a used car from a main dealer. It has a "personalised" plate, and she was initially told this was included. However, when she picked the car up, they suddenly said the previous owner wanted his plate back, and it would need to be changed at some point in the near future.

The invoice has the personalised plate on it, and she is obviously using this number to get insurance quotes. Additionally, she lives in an area with residents' parking permits, which have to be picked up in person from an office during office hours. So, if the plate changes, she'll have a load of additional hassle with insurance, road tax and parking permits all needing to be changed.

Who owns the number plate right now?

Does anyone think the garage have acted unprofessionally?

ajb85

1,124 posts

172 months

Tuesday 29th January 2013
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As soon as her name's on the logbook the plate, just like the car, is her' s.

Shaw Tarse

31,898 posts

233 months

Tuesday 29th January 2013
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ajb85 said:
As soon as her name's on the logbook the plate, just like the car, is her' s.
Really?

mrdemon

21,146 posts

295 months

Tuesday 29th January 2013
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Yes the plate is hers now

Seller should have put a standard plate on it before selling it.
Nothing the org plate owner can do now, bar buy it from you :-)

HowMuchLonger

3,041 posts

223 months

Tuesday 29th January 2013
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Indeed, garage cocked up. Plate is hers.

andy-xr

13,204 posts

234 months

Tuesday 29th January 2013
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DVLA own the plate when it comes down to it. I've sold cars where the buyer wanted a quick sale on the understanding that I'd pay to put the plate on retention and they'd get their insurance etc sorted out

If the forms have been filled it it could get more messy for whoever owns the car now, just be aware incase anything's already in process

Paul O

3,167 posts

213 months

Tuesday 29th January 2013
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I think if she now has the log book and it has her name and the reg number on it, then it is all hers.

I bought a car with a private plate on it once - he was in the process of having it transferred, so I didn't get a logbook until the number was transferredi - the v5 came with the new number.

T5R+

1,226 posts

239 months

Tuesday 29th January 2013
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Garage sold you a car with "that" plate.

You bought the car with "that" plate.

Surely, it is your prerogative whether you allow them to have "the" plate.

James McScotty

Original Poster:

460 posts

174 months

Tuesday 29th January 2013
quotequote all
Thanks guys. I have no prior experience with personalised plates, always having seen them as a marker of the Daily Mail readership. She doesn't have a V5, only the invoice from the car dealership. And the car, of course.

HowMuchLonger

3,041 posts

223 months

Tuesday 29th January 2013
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Ahh...if she has no V5 then they can swap the plates.

James McScotty

Original Poster:

460 posts

174 months

Wednesday 30th January 2013
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Seems a bit unfair, and now she is super stressed-out as she has a very demanding job, and no time for this carry-on.

LooneyTunes

9,466 posts

188 months

Thursday 31st January 2013
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Assuming she has no particular attraction to the plate in question and is happy to let it go: cash or plate of equivalent value should be making their way to her from the dealer... plus something to cover the inconvenience. And that, imo, is if she's feeling kind.

End of the day, the garage has sold the car complete with plate.

Why did she not insist on getting the new keepers slip when she picked up the car?

Dixie68

3,091 posts

217 months

Thursday 31st January 2013
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This happened to me once but I was aware of it well before the car was mine. Insurance was not a problem, I just called them when I received the v5 and they reissued the documents at no cost to me, although this was a few years ago. As for the parking permit I don't know, but previous experience has shown that these people are pretty inflexible so I suspect she will have to take time off work to sort it before she physically changes the numberplates.

Porkupine

1,722 posts

195 months

Thursday 31st January 2013
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James McScotty said:
Thanks guys. I have no prior experience with personalised plates, always having seen them as a marker of the Daily Mail readership. She doesn't have a V5, only the invoice from the car dealership. And the car, of course.
Does she have the new keeper's supplement though??

She should have been given that, and the MOT when she bought the car?

If she has these, I would assume the garage has sent v5 off to be transferred into her name.

mercfunder

8,535 posts

203 months

Thursday 31st January 2013
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James McScotty said:
Seems a bit unfair, and now she is super stressed-out as she has a very demanding job, and no time for this carry-on.
Now whose coming over all "Daily Mail"?

LooneyTunes

9,466 posts

188 months

Thursday 31st January 2013
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Dixie68 said:
This happened to me once but I was aware of it well before the car was mine. Insurance was not a problem, I just called them when I received the v5 and they reissued the documents at no cost to me, although this was a few years ago. As for the parking permit I don't know, but previous experience has shown that these people are pretty inflexible so I suspect she will have to take time off work to sort it before she physically changes the numberplates.
But in this case the buyer has been sold the car with the plate.

If the plate has any value, it's no different in principle to the seller deciding after the deal has been done to retain something else of value from the vehicle. Bit like swapping a set of nice alloys for some bog standard steels.

Dixie68

3,091 posts

217 months

Thursday 31st January 2013
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LooneyTunes said:
Dixie68 said:
This happened to me once but I was aware of it well before the car was mine. Insurance was not a problem, I just called them when I received the v5 and they reissued the documents at no cost to me, although this was a few years ago. As for the parking permit I don't know, but previous experience has shown that these people are pretty inflexible so I suspect she will have to take time off work to sort it before she physically changes the numberplates.
But in this case the buyer has been sold the car with the plate.

If the plate has any value, it's no different in principle to the seller deciding after the deal has been done to retain something else of value from the vehicle. Bit like swapping a set of nice alloys for some bog standard steels.
I wasn't clear - when I took possession of the car it still had the private plate on it but I knew it would be getting changed. I insured on the private plate and changed the details once the DVLA notified me of the new number. It didn't bother me as I didn't want a private plate anyway.

Coldfuse

518 posts

224 months

Thursday 31st January 2013
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Bought my S2000 and it had the previous owners personal plate on it, she wanted it back and i said it was fine for her to have it and i will give her a deposit and wait for her to take the plate off. She then called me to tell me we can go ahead with the sale as she thought we can just take the plate off when we hand over the V5. Turns out of course this wasn't the case. I did a little reading and on the DVLA website it states that if the cherished plate is on the car when the V5 (or the small slip thing) is handed over then the plate is the property of the new owner.

I did not want her plate (it said Jennifer lol) so i was quite happy to let her go ahead with the transfer of the plate even though it was technically mine.

LooneyTunes

9,466 posts

188 months

Thursday 31st January 2013
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Yes, got that Dixie - was just saying that the OP's situation was a little different. smile

Dixie68

3,091 posts

217 months

Thursday 31st January 2013
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LooneyTunes said:
Yes, got that - was just saying that the OP's situation was a little different. smile
Oh right, sorry - too early in the morning for me smile