[airdoc]

Hey Guys, I don't have a car yet, (looking to purchase my first one this summer) and I was thinking, do any of you have private plates on your cars? I want one, I'm not going to spend £1,000s on one (found one for less than £200) but i'm interested to see if anyone else has got one

[Pony Jack]

(Original post by airdoc)
Hey Guys, I don't have a car yet, (looking to purchase my first one this summer) and I was thinking, do any of you have private plates on your cars? I want one, I'm not going to spend £1,000s on one (found one for less than £200) but i'm interested to see if anyone else has got one

If you've got money to burn, then why not? Despite the variation of numbers and letters, most of the ones I see read 'I have more money than I know what to do with'. It must be some sort of optical illusion as I don't know how they all manage to say the same thing.

Is that 'less than £200' including VAT, the compulsory £80 transfer fee, and actually having the plates made? Check again.

[x-pixie-lottie-x]

i have them
21st birthday present because my family didnt know what to get me
i think its a brilliant idea for something like that.... wont ever get lost or broken and will hide the fact my car is 12 years old
x

[Pony Jack]

(Original post by x-pixie-lottie-x)
will hide the fact my car is 12 years old
x

By making it look even older?

And please tell me your plate has some sort of meaning and isn't just an expensive bunch of random characters...

[x-pixie-lottie-x]

(Original post by Pony Jack)
By making it look even older?

And please tell me your plate has some sort of meaning and isn't just an expensive bunch of random characters...

tisk!

random letter 21 (because i was turning 21) and LOT (for Lottie )
i actually saw a car a few months ago different letter then 21LOT the same! ! exciting!
x

[Pony Jack]

(Original post by x-pixie-lottie-x)
tisk!

random letter 21 (because i was turning 21) and LOT (for Lottie )
i actually saw a car a few months ago different letter then 21LOT the same! ! exciting!
x

So yes then.

As personal plates go, that's one of the more sensible types. It's the ones that need explaining to actually understand what they mean, or where they have used numbers too creatively as letters, like 7 for J or 12 for R, and so make it look like they've had to make do because the one they wanted wasn't available, that look stupid to me. Do it properly, or not at all.

[oo00oo]

(Original post by Pony Jack)
So yes then.

As personal plates go, that's one of the more sensible types. It's the ones that need explaining to actually understand what they mean, or where they have used numbers too creatively as letters, like 7 for J or 12 for R, and so make it look like they've had to make do because the one they wanted wasn't available, that look stupid to me. Do it properly, or not at all.

7 for J is pretty out there, but 12 for R is fine, I think.

Although all-in-all I don't see the point of private plates whatsoever. If you're so desperate to have a "message" on your car, you can paint it on in any font or colour you like, without having to compromise on which letters to use, all for no cost whatsoever.

It's supposed to convey status, but I don't care enough what other people think to want them to judge me as having a status of success, especially as they don't know me and probably won't even see anything of me except the back of my head. I don't know why other people do care so much. Also, if I was interested in status and had so much money to burn, I'd just get a new (expensive) car quite frequently and let the year on the plate speak for itself.

Especially pointless when you see it on something like a 1995 Citroen Saxo or a Corsa with a fat exhaust and a plastic body kit... attempting to convey status with a plate when you drive a heap of junk?

It's all a bit ludicrous, imo.

[x-pixie-lottie-x]

(Original post by Pony Jack)
So yes then.

As personal plates go, that's one of the more sensible types. It's the ones that need explaining to actually understand what they mean, or where they have used numbers too creatively as letters, like 7 for J or 12 for R, and so make it look like they've had to make do because the one they wanted wasn't available, that look stupid to me. Do it properly, or not at all.

i really hate the ones that have numbers as letters i always think they look really chavvy :|

though because i am uber cool... my old number plates the ones from before my personalised number were made for me and at the bottom where it says the garage name normally mine said "lotties car"...

x

(Original post by oo00oo)
It's supposed to convey status, but I don't care enough what other people think to want them to judge me as having a status of success, especially as they don't know me and probably won't even see anything of me except the back of my head. I don't know why other people do care so much. Also, if I was interested in status and had so much money to burn, I'd just get a new (expensive) car quite frequently and let the year on the plate speak for itself.

the price of a number plate would go nowhere towards a new car...
i have W reg corsa.... (i think the fact im still in letters makes it seem instantly ancient ) my number plates were about £300.. id love to see what beauty you could find for 300+ what you could get for my car
im thinking i might as well stick with my car... and be in denial about how old it is...

everyone i know who have personalised plates friends and family, were all bought them as gifts...which i think is brilliant they wont get broken or lost... if i hadnt been bought mine they probably would have gotten me more jewellery, i already have plenty of jewellery that im too scared of loosing to actually wear
x

[airdoc]

(Original post by Pony Jack)
If you've got money to burn, then why not? Despite the variation of numbers and letters, most of the ones I see read 'I have more money than I know what to do with'. It must be some sort of optical illusion as I don't know how they all manage to say the same thing.

Is that 'less than £200' including VAT, the compulsory £80 transfer fee, and actually having the plates made? Check again.

no, not including those things, actual plate is £225 I meant less than £300.. Doesnt matter now, but I'd be willing to pay 3-400 for one. Its not going to be a random bunch of pointless numbers and letters, its gonna be something unique to me.

[Pony Jack]

(Original post by x-pixie-lottie-x)
the price of a number plate would go nowhere towards a new car...

Either way you are quite mistaken. The cheapest plates I have found all inclusive are £270 or there abouts, only £40 short of what I paid for my car. However this is the cheap end of the scale. Plates can easily run into the thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of pounds, easily enough for a car.

[Pony Jack]

(Original post by airdoc)
its gonna be something unique to me.

Hate to point out the obvious, but it would by definition. I presume you mean meaningful

The most expensive one I could get which would be meaningful to me (my initials and a number, is over £76k before VAT, pushing £100k after

[airdoc]

(Original post by Pony Jack)
Hate to point out the obvious, but it would by definition. I presume you mean meaningful

The most expensive one I could get which would be meaningful to me (my initials and a number, is over £76k before VAT, pushing £100k after

Haha Im tired, I meant meaningful, and oh man, thats a bummer.. Keep looking!

[JC.]

Everyone has a "private plate".
No two number plates are the same!

[hannahhaworth]

I thought this thread was going to be a bitchfest about refusing to share plates with housemates

[rmhumphries]

(Original post by JC.)
Everyone has a "private plate".
No two number plates are the same!

To be pedantic, then the ones on the front and back of your car (should) say the same

But yeah, I get your point. I think it can be nice to mark something special, but would only consider it if I had plenty of money anyway, which I don't currently

[iPhone]

Those who hate them are jealous imo.

[x-pixie-lottie-x]

(Original post by Pony Jack)
Either way you are quite mistaken. The cheapest plates I have found all inclusive are £270 or there abouts, only £40 short of what I paid for my car. However this is the cheap end of the scale. Plates can easily run into the thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of pounds, easily enough for a car.

oh the uber expensive ones of course...
but cheap ones like mine (300 ish) isnt going to get someone anything much better than they have already... kind of not worth changing it... top end of the scale i could get for my car 600ish.... so we'll be generous round it up to £1000....
everything that comes up is in the same price bracket as mine... maybe a few years newer which just = money lost quicker... a year down the line that car will be worth same amount as mine... and i wont have pretty number plates to hide the age of it ... lol

if someone can afford the mega bucks ones they can probably afford a new car while there at it... so the fact the plates cost money means nothing to them...making the whole argument completely irrelevant
x

[JC.]

(Original post by iPhone)
Those who hate them are jealous imo.

I don't think that's a fair statement.
All my cars have the original number plates on them. Sure, an "MG ####" number plate on either of the MG's or a "BL ###" number plate on the morris would be a talking point, but I can think of many many things I'd rather spend money on than a number plate.
Even then, the whole point of it is to make the car distinguishable from all the other cars on the road from the point of view of the police etc...

For what it costs to change a number plate - circa £400 it'd be better spent on something that you will feel the benefit from - new set of tyres / rebush the suspension / new distributor / new carb - the list goes on!

-JC.

[AeroLB]

Don't see the point tbh. We have really nice cars and generally replace them every 2 years, never had a private number plate, complete waste of money.

However, I do think that it would make sense for perhaps an older person to get one so that they can remember the numbers - if they find it difficult - when they switch cars.

[hypercaine.]

Seems like most people who dont need them get them to mask the age of the car. My family run a business so their cars have private plates so I guess theres a point to having them. If I ever become wealthy I wouldnt mind private plates so long as the cars worth more then them, otherwise I think its a bit pointless.