Styling Plate dilema...

[Melanabb]

...no, not the Xmas plate, thank you!

After the accident I have decided to appreciate my car more (it saved me from injury at least!) and to maybe get a personalised plate for it. It would be a word play on my nickname and won't mean anything to anyone (P14 LKO), and it won't cost much. My main problem is the image I might be projecting. Is it considered a bit sad having a personalised plate? Or maybe being a bit of a tool (seen many Audi Q7s with 'BIG KEN' type of plates...) All of my non-car-mad friends think its daft and a bit of 'middle age crisis' type of sad. Please take this query as a question only, I'm not trying to pass judgement on anyone owning a personalised plate. I honestly do not want to offend anyone. Any thoughts appreciated...

 

[Eklipze3k]

Bottom line really is whether or not you want it. There was a long thread discussing the merits and demerits of these in the Leisure Lounge a few months ago, opinion was divided pretty much right down the middle. Personal thought is that they are a bit pointless, and for the amount of money some of them cost there are better things you could do (either styling or tuning wise).

 

[jrkitching]

No strong views either way & if it makes you feel good & you can afford it then why not?

For me, the biggest issue would be having to pay the transfer fee - the government takes too much of my money already & this is really just another form of tax collecting .

Which makes me wonder about your statement:

and it won't cost much...

It might end up costing you more than you think.

Having got the plate, you'll likely want to keep it for the rest of your life, and each time you change cars, you pay another transfer fee .

Anyone care to challenge my prediction that the transfer fee will get more expensive in years to come?

 

[wigit]

Melanabb the 500 is the only car i've ever put a private plate on for me its a car that can carry them off without the stigma, there are some good value plates out there especially if you shop around (dvlc are the most expensive)

in reality sometimes having a new reg can be deemed a bit showy compared to a private reg, mrs w always calls 500s Pootle so P500TLE it was, still makes me smile and my clients do see the funny side

currently on the hunt for a reg for the new arrival in march time

 

[RobW]

Choosy carefully and they can be an investment

I have owned a few over the years and have N500 RED on a Cinq Abarth

dvla are a good source, also check out regtransfers and eBay

all of the plates i have bought were on eBay, one even came with a car!

 

[ahmett]

...no, not the Xmas plate, thank you!

After the accident I have decided to appreciate my car more (it saved me from injury at least!) and to maybe get a personalised plate for it. It would be a word play on my nickname and won't mean anything to anyone (P14 LKO), and it won't cost much. My main problem is the image I might be projecting. Is it considered a bit sad having a personalised plate? Or maybe being a bit of a tool (seen many Audi Q7s with 'BIG KEN' type of plates...) All of my non-car-mad friends think its daft and a bit of 'middle age crisis' type of sad. Please take this query as a question only, I'm not trying to pass judgement on anyone owning a personalised plate. I honestly do not want to offend anyone. Any thoughts appreciated...

If you ask me having a private numberplate, especially the numbers you are getting is completely pointless. Nothing to do with how much it costs even if it is 1 pound or 1000 pounds. In the end of the day its a number. (My father has a personalised numberplate and i dont really like it so much!).
Now if you were an ambassador of an embassy e.g. Argentina - ARG 1 maybe, but for a individual? I see no point.

 

[ahmett]

Anyone care to challenge my prediction that the transfer fee will get more expensive in years to come?

Of course, you must take into consideration the increases in RPI please (Retail Price Index)
A little bit of govt 'inflation' in the house! Tell you what when i was a student at Royal Holloway, University of London i was looking at the train ticket prices and i was like with the 12 pound return from Egham, Surrey to Central London i might as well buy a second hand car and drive it to London!!!!
I don't even want to know what the train ticket prices are right now! (12 pounds in 2008-2009)

 

[RobW]

some good OMG and WTF plates on dvla

 

[grimwau]

Hi Mel as you know I have a personal plate which I transfer from car to car and it has no meaning at all.

At the Xmas meet there were at least three others so I would say that they can be quite popular, certainly amongst our peers. I bought the one for our car as a Christmas present for Liz many moons ago as I couldn't think of anything original to get her. I had the plates made up, gift wrapped them and put them under the tree (next to the socks I always get, lol.)

I know who appreciated their present the most. :yum:

 

[Venters]

I have one on the Marea, would have one on the 126 too but don't have spare money for something like that right now.

The one I wanted for the van is quite ridiculously priced so just won't be happening.

 

[RobW]

prices are very low at the moment (recession?) have just be quoted a valuation on my N500 RED plate at less than half of what it was valued at 2 years ago

still quids in though and no plans to sell

 

[306maxi]

...no, not the Xmas plate, thank you!

After the accident I have decided to appreciate my car more (it saved me from injury at least!) and to maybe get a personalised plate for it. It would be a word play on my nickname and won't mean anything to anyone (P14 LKO), and it won't cost much. My main problem is the image I might be projecting. Is it considered a bit sad having a personalised plate? Or maybe being a bit of a tool (seen many Audi Q7s with 'BIG KEN' type of plates...) All of my non-car-mad friends think its daft and a bit of 'middle age crisis' type of sad. Please take this query as a question only, I'm not trying to pass judgement on anyone owning a personalised plate. I honestly do not want to offend anyone. Any thoughts appreciated...

Your choice sounds fine As long as it's not something which is some lame attempt at your name and it's obvious to everyone seeing the plate then it's all good.

I've seen the BIG type plates which tend to be driven by overweight knobs. There's a guy with B16DCK around here.

I had T16WRC on my 504 back in Australia If it were available in the UK I'd probably buy it

 

[Funky Spike]

All down to personal choice, I'd have one if I found one I liked at a price I liked. Make sure its all legally spaced and wot not otherwise, in my opinion, they just look chavvy.

Best plate I've seen was on a Abarth 500c, W411KER, the owners name well may be Walker but my first thought was something quite different.

Spike

 

[wigit]

I had T16WRC on my 504 back in Australia If it were available in the UK I'd probably buy it

thinking along similar lines for my new GTI, found a reg similar to my first one nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia

 

[SiliconS]

I've got one on my car but my wife's not interested in having one on her 500c. I don't care what other people think of my plate. I don't own it for anybody else; I own it for me. I've had it for about 12 years now. I prefer the way my chosen number looks on my car instead of a 'standard' number and it's part of the identity of whatever car I own.

If you fancy buying one then you shouldn't care what we think.

 

[chas379]

It's your choice and if it suits you price wise then go for it. I have had a personalised plate since 1999 and it has increased in value. My wife appreciated her plate when I bought it for her birthday.

Down to you and it does not really matter what anyone else thinks.

 

[sixer]

One of my guys at work bought a nice 10 yr old Audi, bargain car excellent spec, it came complete with a plate, B19 TSR, I had to explain to him what it could be interpreted as because everybody would say "nice plate" and then snigger. Bless him, he thought he had got a real classy add on to his new car for free

 

[FloJo]

I got one for my car - I prob wouldn't have bothered but I really didn't fancy having a 61 on the plate! I got the cheapest one and it's a plate with absolutely no name realted value to me, it's silly and fun like the car! I'm not going to broadcast it on here though, if anyone is desperate to know PM me I did feel a bit self concious with it for a while, but it doesn't bother me now. If you fancy one then why not!

 

[Melanabb]

Thank you all for honest replies. The plate was supposed to be Xmas present from my hubby who worked so hard and such long hours (bless) that he didn't have time to go shopping. As I still have conflicting feelings about personalised plates I decided not to go for it (for now) as its too much pressure to decide before Christmas. I'll reconsider closer to my birthday. Oh, and if you are wondering what I'm getting from hubby for Xmas - its a sewing machine! Oh my...

 

[RobW]

One of my guys at work bought a nice 10 yr old Audi, bargain car excellent spec, it came complete with a plate, B19 TSR, I had to explain to him what it could be interpreted as because everybody would say "nice plate" and then snigger. Bless him, he thought he had got a real classy add on to his new car for free

Some :tosser: might actually buy that!