So who's owned their personalize number plate the longest..?
Discussion
CRA1G said:
Ok,seen the other thread's and I know they are various opinion's on the subject of personalized plates but for those of us that own one who had one the longest .......?
I'll start with 23 Years...........
Hate to piss all over your chips....you don't actually own your private plate.I'll start with 23 Years...........

My Dad bought a Mk. 1 Escort in 1972.
When he sold it some years later, he kept the original number, and transferred it to all his subsequent cars since.
It's not even anything special - just a fairly ordinary 7-digit number - but just ends in a 'K' for '72.
I asked him years ago why he kept it, and his reply still brings a tear to my eye - he said 'because 1972 is the year you were born, so for me is the best year I've ever had.'
He died in 2005 - so I felt duty bound to keep the number too, and have had it on all my cars since as well.
I often get comments and questions about it from other people - it does look rather strange hanging on the ends of a modern car! But when I tell people the story behind it, they usually smile and understand the tip of my hat to my late Dad
ETA: So yeah, for the purposes of the thread - it's been in the family for 41 years now!
When he sold it some years later, he kept the original number, and transferred it to all his subsequent cars since.
It's not even anything special - just a fairly ordinary 7-digit number - but just ends in a 'K' for '72.
I asked him years ago why he kept it, and his reply still brings a tear to my eye - he said 'because 1972 is the year you were born, so for me is the best year I've ever had.'
He died in 2005 - so I felt duty bound to keep the number too, and have had it on all my cars since as well.
I often get comments and questions about it from other people - it does look rather strange hanging on the ends of a modern car! But when I tell people the story behind it, they usually smile and understand the tip of my hat to my late Dad

ETA: So yeah, for the purposes of the thread - it's been in the family for 41 years now!
I bought mine in November 2003 when they released the 04 plate registrations.
I had it on a couple of cars and its been on retention for about 4 years. It always raised a laugh but I've thought about selling it as its not the most pc thing.
It says BL0 4LAN
Not a good number to roll upto the inlaws with
al
I had it on a couple of cars and its been on retention for about 4 years. It always raised a laugh but I've thought about selling it as its not the most pc thing.
It says BL0 4LAN
Not a good number to roll upto the inlaws with
al
My Dad bought a Mk2 escort new in 1977 and gave it to me in 1997 when I learned to drive. I kept the plate when I recently sold the car as I'm sentimental like that. I think it quite suits my Accord Type R and saves me trying to remember new reg numbers as I tend to get bored of cars after 6 months!
18 years, bought in 1995 when "N" issued.
Some PHers would call it a "chav plate" but as somebody else bought "my" plate, so I opted to go with a "chav plate"......luckily it cost me nothing (apart from the price of the transfer fee and retention).
"My ideal plate" was recently advertised for £35K
Some PHers would call it a "chav plate" but as somebody else bought "my" plate, so I opted to go with a "chav plate"......luckily it cost me nothing (apart from the price of the transfer fee and retention).
"My ideal plate" was recently advertised for £35K

We've had two for 33-odd years.
My grandpa died aged 67 after a routine operation, shortly after retirement. My dad was finance director of a small chain of car dealerships at the time. A few months later, when the 1st August W-suffix registrations were issued, they happened to have two with grandpa's initials - TWW1W and TWW2W. Dad managed to either transfer them off the cars they were allocated to or ensure they weren't allocated to anything at all (not sure how the new registration process worked then). Eventually he got TWW2W onto his car, where it's stayed ever since, and TWW1W onto my Granny's car. When she died in 2001, we transferred it to my car.
We almost lost TWW1W in the early 90s when Granny's car was stolen and never recovered. I seem to recall that the DVLA and the insurance company both put the onus on the other to OK it's reuse. It took a few months of persistent letter writing to get it back.
My grandpa died aged 67 after a routine operation, shortly after retirement. My dad was finance director of a small chain of car dealerships at the time. A few months later, when the 1st August W-suffix registrations were issued, they happened to have two with grandpa's initials - TWW1W and TWW2W. Dad managed to either transfer them off the cars they were allocated to or ensure they weren't allocated to anything at all (not sure how the new registration process worked then). Eventually he got TWW2W onto his car, where it's stayed ever since, and TWW1W onto my Granny's car. When she died in 2001, we transferred it to my car.
We almost lost TWW1W in the early 90s when Granny's car was stolen and never recovered. I seem to recall that the DVLA and the insurance company both put the onus on the other to OK it's reuse. It took a few months of persistent letter writing to get it back.
Not had it very long and it's not even a personal plate [why bother i hear you ask ?]
but i kept a 5 digit plate GKM 3 Y,when i sold the car, it was allocated to originally
in July 1983.
I just didn't want to give away a good plate with a cheap car[£700 for a RS1600i]
Buyer was and probably still is irked about getting a generic Y plate with it...
GKM went on the Cosworth for a bit and now lives permanently on the Fiesta.
but i kept a 5 digit plate GKM 3 Y,when i sold the car, it was allocated to originally
in July 1983.
I just didn't want to give away a good plate with a cheap car[£700 for a RS1600i]
Buyer was and probably still is irked about getting a generic Y plate with it...

GKM went on the Cosworth for a bit and now lives permanently on the Fiesta.
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