Can you buy a plate registered to a car but not in use?

[TTmonkey]

I want to buy a particular number plate. According to DVLA it’s assigned to a car that’s 28 odd years old but has no MOT, never having had one recorded, It’s also not insured currently.
I suspect the car no longer exists. Perhaps written off, or scrapped.

Not sure why they stilllist it.

Would dvla allow me to apply for the plate? Is there a process that allows this.?

[Scrump]

Unfortunately not.

[Wildcat45]

It’s such a shame and allowing plates from scrapped cars to be reused could be a money spinner for the DVLA.

There are a couple of numbers from my Dad’s cars back in the 1970s that I’d be interested in owning today. Nothing special, just ABC123A style numbers.

[bullitinhead]

The plate isn't p4 nts is it.?


You can get it off the car if you buy the car, MOT it and TAX it. And the v5 doesn't have the dreaded "this registration can not be transferred" on it.....

Quite a few hoops to jump through


Bullit

[TTmonkey]

bullitinhead said:

The plate isn't p4 nts is it.?


You can get it off the car if you buy the car, MOT it and TAX it. And the v5 doesn't have the dreaded "this registration can not be transferred" on it.....

Quite a few hoops to jump through


Bullit

Lol no, not pants. There are three numbers and three letters after the P.



I don’t think the car exists, in any state, and even if it did, I would have no idea who owned it or where it was.

[Cliftonite]

TTmonkey said:

bullitinhead said:

The plate isn't p4 nts is it.?


You can get it off the car if you buy the car, MOT it and TAX it. And the v5 doesn't have the dreaded "this registration can not be transferred" on it.....

Quite a few hoops to jump through


Bullit

Lol no, not pants. There are three numbers and three letters after the P.



I don’t think the car exists, in any state, and even if it did, I would have no idea who owned it or where it was.

Defeatist!

[V 02]

Car was probably scrapped before 2005

[Mabozza]

V 02 said:

Car was probably scrapped before 2005

P-reg Rover? probably scrapped before 1999 ;-)

[AL5026]

It was scrapped on the 14th of March 2007, bizarrely it has passed its mot with no advisories less than 2 months prior so it might have been an RTA that saw its demise. Either way, it’s gone.

[V 02]

AL5026 said:

It was scrapped on the 14th of March 2007, bizarrely it has passed its mot with no advisories less than 2 months prior so it might have been an RTA that saw its demise. Either way, it’s gone.

How do you know that without the plate? Spooky!

[Tommo87]

Wildcat45 said:

It’s such a shame and allowing plates from scrapped cars to be reused could be a money spinner for the DVLA.

There are a couple of numbers from my Dad’s cars back in the 1970s that I’d be interested in owning today. Nothing special, just ABC123A style numbers.

It academic as they cannot be reissued but IF they could it wouldn’t be a money spinner as the value of ALL plates would reduce when the number of newly available ones hit the market.

It’s the economy of supply and demand.

[Mwn11]

Wildcat45 said:

It’s such a shame and allowing plates from scrapped cars to be reused could be a money spinner for the DVLA.

There are a couple of numbers from my Dad’s cars back in the 1970s that I’d be interested in owning today. Nothing special, just ABC123A style numbers.

Honestly dont understand why they dont... They have all the data they need on file

[randlemarcus]

Mwn11 said:

Honestly dont understand why they dont... They have all the data they need on file

I think their excuse is around the avoidance of reissuing a plate, and then seeing the original rustbucket being resurrected from the barn it has been sleeping in for decades.

[TTmonkey]

V 02 said:

AL5026 said:

It was scrapped on the 14th of March 2007, bizarrely it has passed its mot with no advisories less than 2 months prior so it might have been an RTA that saw its demise. Either way, it’s gone.

How do you know that without the plate? Spooky!

???????

[Mikebentley]

P918GTS I checked your garage too. Porsche 918GTS. That’s my guess.

[TTmonkey]

Mikebentley said:

P918GTS I checked your garage too. Porsche 918GTS. That’s my guess.

Ahhhaaaa……. Very good. Great sleuthing. But I wished I could afford a 918. It’s P981GTS

[Mikebentley]

TTmonkey said:

Mikebentley said:

P918GTS I checked your garage too. Porsche 918GTS. That’s my guess.

Ahhhaaaa……. Very good. Great sleuthing. But I wished I could afford a 918. It’s P981GTS

Bugger undone by my own typo!

[jonwm]

bullitinhead said:

The plate isn't p4 nts is it.?


And the v5 doesn't have the dreaded "this registration can not be transferred" on it.....



Bullit

Recently bought a 2010 beemer with that written on the V5, why is it? I'd never seen it before.

[Mwn11]

jonwm said:

Recently bought a 2010 beemer with that written on the V5, why is it? I'd never seen it before.

Never even heard of this? Any more info

[chrisch77]

Mwn11 said:

Never even heard of this? Any more info

My guess is that this situation arises when someone takes off the originally issued plate on a car and puts it onto retention, rather than letting it lapse when they put a private plate on the car. When they subsequently take the private plate off the original registration cannot be re-assigned automatically by DVLA and they have to issue a new age related plate. The non transferrable marker is to stop people from effectively getting a load of new plates issued by DVLA on the same vehicle and then selling them on.