Private plates on cars for sale

[V8mate]

So often, you see cars advertised for sale with the text 'cherished plate not included' in the ad.

Why don't people sort it out before they advertise the car?

Does seeing that statement put you off even calling a seller to enquire about a car?

[jimmyd123]

My car is for sale, and has the plate still on it. I've had little interest, so doesn't look like it'll be going. Saved myself the time of putting the plate back on (if I wanted to).

Also, maybe they are in the process of removing the plate, but wanted to put the car up asap, so the pictures would include the plate even though it may well be off in a weeks time or so.

I don't know, doesn't ever bother me.

[Engineer1]

Possibly old pictures, or people not realising how long the DVLA can spin out changing a plate.

[agent006]

I see it as an advantage. Make contact, go and look at it, then while they're tarting about taking the plate off you've got a week or so to carry on looking at other stuff whilst having the original car in reserve, as it were.

[V8mate]

agent006 said:

I see it as an advantage. Make contact, go and look at it, then while they're tarting about taking the plate off you've got a week or so to carry on looking at other stuff whilst having the original car in reserve, as it were.

But they're unlikely to start their 'tarting about' until you've put a deposit on it, surely?

And if the car is some distance away (which is often the case with PH-type purchases) I'd rather only make one trip: look, decide, buy, drive home.

[Bernard80]

It wouldn't put me off as I would assume old pictures. If I went and saw it and it wasn't ready to be taken away there and then I would lose interest though.

[useyourdellusion]

Based on personal experience, I would definately leave well alone. The hassle I had when buying the Boxster!

Bloody vanity plates! Just an unnecessary complication.

[king arthur]

V8mate said:

So often, you see cars advertised for sale with the text 'cherished plate not included' in the ad.

Why don't people sort it out before they advertise the car?

Does seeing that statement put you off even calling a seller to enquire about a car?

I like the ones that state "includes private plate worth £xxx". If it's worth that, why didn't you take it off and sell it?

[911p]

Block it out in MS Paint like this?

[V8mate]

Bernard80 said:

It wouldn't put me off as I would assume old pictures. If I went and saw it and it wasn't ready to be taken away there and then I would lose interest though.

Wouldn't you be a bit miffed if you'd driven for four hours to see the car, in the hope of buying and driving away, and then that happened though?

[CampDavid]

I believe the sale can go through, then the plate removed afterwards? So I could say, come buy your car and then drive it around for a few weeks while they did the paperwork. When the plate is swapped then I just swap to the original reg.

Agree it's annoying though. For some reason people seem to be unable to complete the transaction of buying or selling cars in any sort of reasonable way most of the time. When selling a car you need to present it in it's ready to go state, clean, paperwork all together. Why bother with all the hassle

[Risotto]

Drives me mad. Every single time I've bought a car with one of these vanity plates on it, the sale has been delayed or otherwise complicated by the sellers insistence on waiting until the car is sold before fannying about transferring the damn thing.

[gizlaroc]

CampDavid said:

I believe the sale can go through, then the plate removed afterwards? So I could say, come buy your car and then drive it around for a few weeks while they did the paperwork. When the plate is swapped then I just swap to the original reg.

When you sell the car you also sell the plate, so the buyer could decide to keep it and there is nothing you could do.
So you have to be prepared to loose the plate if you do that.

Seriously, when you sell a car get it ready to go.