Personalised Number Plates - Naff or Cool?
Discussion
bluezedd said:
WonkeyDonkey said:
A1VDY said:
The missus has SHZ 3532 (Sharon/Shazzer, I have on my Cayman V40 AG (AG, my initials). Also have a number of other council plates, none which are worth much, the two aforementioned were only £400 and £350,some of which would likely get you very irate due to sp 'a. c_i*n/g screws ect but really don't care.
We must be in the minority though as we live in a £750k property within a private deer park..
Can take the man out of council but you'll never take the council out of a man. We must be in the minority though as we live in a £750k property within a private deer park..
I'm sure Harry Enfield had a little sketch about your last line.
Edited by WonkeyDonkey on Friday 31st July 23:11
Council with Cash. There's nothing more obnoxiously vulgar than that.
I’ve never had one, and never will. I get that some folks think they’re great, and that’s fine. I prefer to remain inconspicuous, and a vanity plate doesn’t help there.
That said, when I see people spending a six-figure sum on a ego-boosting number plate I do have to ask myself if they’re entirely sane
And as for the illegal spaced, butchered chav efforts that try to spell words or end in ‘XX’, I can’t help but wonder exactly what the owner is trying to achieve (other than an MOT failure)?
That said, when I see people spending a six-figure sum on a ego-boosting number plate I do have to ask myself if they’re entirely sane
And as for the illegal spaced, butchered chav efforts that try to spell words or end in ‘XX’, I can’t help but wonder exactly what the owner is trying to achieve (other than an MOT failure)?
Aston Traveller said:
I have 26 FL and 62 FL.
Just thought it might help in the future when the memory starts to go.
Only 2 letters and 2 numbers to remember if you get stopped by the constabulary. Not necessarily in the right order.
My father has had a private plate since 1961. Didn’t pay a penny for it as it came on a Ford Consul he bought that year and ran for 10 years. Makes it very simple to remember the reg no and doesn’t have to changing the plates on his trailer or caravan when he changes the car.Just thought it might help in the future when the memory starts to go.
Only 2 letters and 2 numbers to remember if you get stopped by the constabulary. Not necessarily in the right order.
Wife has one, to an observer it just doesn’t match the year of the car but it means something to us and that is all that matters.
Personalised plates that try their best to spell something but still fail miserably are the worst. Especially if they’re on a crappy white SUV
Just don’t get why folk go to the lengths of bothering with them, unless it’s a tasteful couple of initials with a number on a performance car!
Just don’t get why folk go to the lengths of bothering with them, unless it’s a tasteful couple of initials with a number on a performance car!
Magnum 475 said:
I’ve never had one, and never will. I get that some folks think they’re great, and that’s fine. I prefer to remain inconspicuous, and a vanity plate doesn’t help there.
That said, when I see people spending a six-figure sum on a ego-boosting number plate I do have to ask myself if they’re entirely sane
And as for the illegal spaced, butchered chav efforts that try to spell words or end in ‘XX’, I can’t help but wonder exactly what the owner is trying to achieve (other than an MOT failure)?
Chav butchery says they're incapable of acquiring the plate they want so they'll just fake it and pretend instead.That said, when I see people spending a six-figure sum on a ego-boosting number plate I do have to ask myself if they’re entirely sane
And as for the illegal spaced, butchered chav efforts that try to spell words or end in ‘XX’, I can’t help but wonder exactly what the owner is trying to achieve (other than an MOT failure)?
It's the exactly same mindset that causes people to pretend a fake Rolex is the same as a real one or slapping on fake tan to pretend they've been on holiday for a month in the tropical sunshine or a knock off designer handbag from Romford market is the same as a real one from Harrods or that you can pretend you've got a performance car by faking exhaust pops and bangs out of fake exhaust tips.
Tragic really. I never know if I should feel desperately sorry for these pretentiously aspirational fools or carry on pissing myself laughing at them...
Jaguar steve said:
You don't have to be interested in vanity plates to recognise the particular mentality they represent.
That's where the real issue lies in my view, not so much with the plate itself but rather with the invariably noisy ostentatious loadsamoney people who purchase them to show off to everybody how much spare cash they've got.
Imitating a vanity plate by fulking about with spacing or trying to spell words with numbers and a handful of random screws and then trying to kid everybody you've got one as well simply takes that ostentatious loadsamoney mindset to a whole new level.
So no, vanity plates aren't worthy of attention in themselves but they always serve a useful purpose in identifying the sort of people who think they are.
See, while I fully agree with your sentiments about buggering about with spacing, screw caps and so on, I think you've a misguided view as to why people may have a private plate. That's where the real issue lies in my view, not so much with the plate itself but rather with the invariably noisy ostentatious loadsamoney people who purchase them to show off to everybody how much spare cash they've got.
Imitating a vanity plate by fulking about with spacing or trying to spell words with numbers and a handful of random screws and then trying to kid everybody you've got one as well simply takes that ostentatious loadsamoney mindset to a whole new level.
So no, vanity plates aren't worthy of attention in themselves but they always serve a useful purpose in identifying the sort of people who think they are.
Plenty of people buy a used car which happens to have a previous owners private plate on it for some reason, does that suddenly make the new owner ostentatious or big headed? Likewise, quite a few people inherit plates from someone in their family; often the sentimental value outweighs any profit to be made from selling it, so they keep it for sentimental reasons. Neither group of person has gone out and bought the plate, it's just been acquired through other means, not necessarily deliberate.
Then there's those who are given a plate as a birthday/anniversary gift - are they suddenly showing off? What about people who invest in plates - they may well have a folder full of retention certificates, but that's not showing off is it?
Finally, what about keeping a number that's sentimental. When I first met my OH, she still had her first car. Eventually we sold it just before it ended up getting scrapped, however we put the registration on a retention certificate as it had quite a bit of sentimental value to my OH. The plate itself is nothing special, just a regular prefix type plate, worth nothing. It's not even assigned to a car currently, how that makes her ostentatious I do not know.
Muddle238 said:
See, while I fully agree with your sentiments about buggering about with spacing, screw caps and so on, I think you've a misguided view as to why people may have a private plate.
Plenty of people buy a used car which happens to have a previous owners private plate on it for some reason, does that suddenly make the new owner ostentatious or big headed? Likewise, quite a few people inherit plates from someone in their family; often the sentimental value outweighs any profit to be made from selling it, so they keep it for sentimental reasons. Neither group of person has gone out and bought the plate, it's just been acquired through other means, not necessarily deliberate.
Then there's those who are given a plate as a birthday/anniversary gift - are they suddenly showing off? What about people who invest in plates - they may well have a folder full of retention certificates, but that's not showing off is it?
Finally, what about keeping a number that's sentimental. When I first met my OH, she still had her first car. Eventually we sold it just before it ended up getting scrapped, however we put the registration on a retention certificate as it had quite a bit of sentimental value to my OH. The plate itself is nothing special, just a regular prefix type plate, worth nothing. It's not even assigned to a car currently, how that makes her ostentatious I do not know.
They could always sell them if they didn't want them. Surely money is better than two bits of plastic?Plenty of people buy a used car which happens to have a previous owners private plate on it for some reason, does that suddenly make the new owner ostentatious or big headed? Likewise, quite a few people inherit plates from someone in their family; often the sentimental value outweighs any profit to be made from selling it, so they keep it for sentimental reasons. Neither group of person has gone out and bought the plate, it's just been acquired through other means, not necessarily deliberate.
Then there's those who are given a plate as a birthday/anniversary gift - are they suddenly showing off? What about people who invest in plates - they may well have a folder full of retention certificates, but that's not showing off is it?
Finally, what about keeping a number that's sentimental. When I first met my OH, she still had her first car. Eventually we sold it just before it ended up getting scrapped, however we put the registration on a retention certificate as it had quite a bit of sentimental value to my OH. The plate itself is nothing special, just a regular prefix type plate, worth nothing. It's not even assigned to a car currently, how that makes her ostentatious I do not know.
Years ago I worked with someone who had a dateless plate- the type that newreg would cream themselves over as it was popular initials and good number.
Not a week would go by this guy had no money and couldn't save deposit as he was desperate to buy a house. I mentioned he could sell his plate (I mean it was worth £30k easy) but he said no he liked having it on his (financed) Hyundai (yes). That's absolutely fine, but dont moan about not having a house if the answer is strapped to either end of your car!
It was apparently bought on a whim by his dad who'd paid 4k at auction. Not exactly a sentimental reason.
Argleton said:
They could always sell them if they didn't want them. Surely money is better than two bits of plastic?
Ive said this before on similar threads My wifes car came with a plate, similar ones can be bought for £350
We approached a plate dealer who offered £150
Less £70 transfer fee (its £80 now i think) so we get £80 for the plate
1 new set of plates need to be bought say £40?
1 pack sticky strips,1 pack of plate screws say £5
Ring insurance company, admin fee for change of policy say £30
So we are a fiver up now, an hour farting about changing the plates, two hours admin (your call is important to us), Its simply not worth the bother in many cases, plates like ours are very very common.
The plate is also very easy to remember, the new ones arent exactly memorable, in fact I have before had a ticket on my van with its standard plate because I screwed up entering the plate. If i had been in the wifes car that wouldnt have happened.
Argleton said:
They could always sell them if they didn't want them. Surely money is better than two bits of plastic?
Years ago I worked with someone who had a dateless plate- the type that newreg would cream themselves over as it was popular initials and good number.
Not a week would go by this guy had no money and couldn't save deposit as he was desperate to buy a house. I mentioned he could sell his plate (I mean it was worth £30k easy) but he said no he liked having it on his (financed) Hyundai (yes). That's absolutely fine, but dont moan about not having a house if the answer is strapped to either end of your car!
It was apparently bought on a whim by his dad who'd paid 4k at auction. Not exactly a sentimental reason.
Again, for some people a particular plate has a higher sentimental value than its financial value, especially it has been been handed down through a few generations. Sometimes it's difficult as "outsiders" to appreciate the sentimental value somebody else has for something, as we're simply not that person, instead we just try to put a price on it and judge the person from there. Years ago I worked with someone who had a dateless plate- the type that newreg would cream themselves over as it was popular initials and good number.
Not a week would go by this guy had no money and couldn't save deposit as he was desperate to buy a house. I mentioned he could sell his plate (I mean it was worth £30k easy) but he said no he liked having it on his (financed) Hyundai (yes). That's absolutely fine, but dont moan about not having a house if the answer is strapped to either end of your car!
It was apparently bought on a whim by his dad who'd paid 4k at auction. Not exactly a sentimental reason.
All I'm trying to say is that there's usually a story behind a private plate, it's not always about money and it's not always as clear cut as jaguarsteve likes to suggest.
is my answer....
bluezedd said:
WonkeyDonkey said:
A1VDY said:
The missus has SHZ 3532 (Sharon/Shazzer, I have on my Cayman V40 AG (AG, my initials). Also have a number of other council plates, none which are worth much, the two aforementioned were only £400 and £350,some of which would likely get you very irate due to sp 'a. c_i*n/g screws ect but really don't care.
We must be in the minority though as we live in a £750k property within a private deer park..
Can take the man out of council but you'll never take the council out of a man. We must be in the minority though as we live in a £750k property within a private deer park..
I'm sure Harry Enfield had a little sketch about your last line.
Edited by WonkeyDonkey on Friday 31st July 23:11
Not being able to quote the right post is a bit 'council'When I was a lad, private plates used to be a sign of wealth and status. As the years have passed, now not so much. There are an estimated 45 million private plates in circulation; for sale, in use and on retention. Hardly exclusive when you consider that there are only 39 million cars on the road.
Sure; if you want to spend upward of £500 on a piece of plastic and contribute to the government coffers (currently 6 billion pounds spent on private plates and counting), then go ahead, but realise that the only person that a private plate is important to is yourself.
IMO, the plates you see mostly nowadays are naff to the point of being cringeworthy. As a car enthusiast, I'm pretty sure that your wide arch Audi estate in metallic blue with huge alloys and quad tailpipes is an RS6 without seeing your RS06 KEV registration. I can see that you drive a Renault Zoe; it says so on the back. Don't need a ZOE number plate to see that.
Nobody else on the road cares what your name is, so your AL13EXX plate is a waste of time. No, I don't believe that your C200 with halogen headlights and 16 inch alloys is a C63 in disguise because your number plate says BJ01 AMG or your basic spec 520d is an M5 because you have a M5 number pate.
Sure; if you want to spend upward of £500 on a piece of plastic and contribute to the government coffers (currently 6 billion pounds spent on private plates and counting), then go ahead, but realise that the only person that a private plate is important to is yourself.
IMO, the plates you see mostly nowadays are naff to the point of being cringeworthy. As a car enthusiast, I'm pretty sure that your wide arch Audi estate in metallic blue with huge alloys and quad tailpipes is an RS6 without seeing your RS06 KEV registration. I can see that you drive a Renault Zoe; it says so on the back. Don't need a ZOE number plate to see that.
Nobody else on the road cares what your name is, so your AL13EXX plate is a waste of time. No, I don't believe that your C200 with halogen headlights and 16 inch alloys is a C63 in disguise because your number plate says BJ01 AMG or your basic spec 520d is an M5 because you have a M5 number pate.
A1VDY said:
Om said:
I am sure this has been covered before:
'Private' plate = Council.
Naff or Cool is for someone else to decide, but either way - council.
The missus has SHZ 3532 (Sharon/Shazzer, I have on my Cayman V40 AG (AG, my initials). Also have a number of other council plates, none which are worth much, the two aforementioned were only £400 and £350,some of which would likely get you very irate due to sp 'a. c_i*n/g screws ect but really don't care. 'Private' plate = Council.
Naff or Cool is for someone else to decide, but either way - council.
We must be in the minority though as we live in a £750k property within a private deer park..
- Edited due to council effect spelling*
My first flat in London cost £775,000, bought when I was 27. Not sure what that flex means at all.
Air Buffet said:
Pretty sure you mean V4 OAG, a 13 year old Porsche Cayman which is probably worth around £10K.
My first flat in London cost £775,000, bought when I was 27. Not sure what that flex means at all.
My first flat in London cost £775,000, bought when I was 27. Not sure what that flex means at all.
Rather cut off my own cock with my 10 year old Stanley blade than live in London !
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