Personalised number plates and snobbery?

Barks · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:28

As Hammond once said, is it not just a trade based on snobbery and gullibility?

I can understand why you'd buy a simple plate to hide the age of your car. What I don't get is why people have plates which are more expensive than the actual car, quite often see cars like Mini Coopers/Polos with plates such as "AP2" "JT1" etc. Why the hell would you waste that sort of money on a plate?

I've also noticed that a lot of extremely expensive cars on the road do not have them. Do middle-class people buy private plates just so others will perceive them as being more wealthy? Unless you're earning a hell of a lot of money, you'd have to be absolutely crazy to spend £20k on a number plate... surely!?

Anyhow what are your views?

Lord-Jaffa · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:32

The 245quid ones on Dvla are fine imo, shorter plates look smarter, but spending anything more than that is a waste imo

Hatter The Mad · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:33

My mother bought her first BMW with money she inherited from my late grandfather. She bought a private plate with his initials to commemorate.

Saytan · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:33

these plates often pass down in the family.

londonbairn · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:34

scott212 said:
As Hammond once said, is it not just a trade based on snobbery and gullibility?

I can understand why you'd buy a simple plate to hide the age of your car. What I don't get is why people have plates which are more expensive than the actual car, quite often see cars like Mini Coopers/Polos with plates such as "AP2" "JT1" etc. Why the hell would you waste that sort of money on a plate?

I've also noticed that a lot of extremely expensive cars on the road do not have them. Do middle-class people buy private plates just so others will perceive them as being more wealthy? Unless you're earning a hell of a lot of money, you'd have to be absolutely crazy to spend £20k on a number plate... surely!?

Anyhow what are your views?

People I know with 2/3 character regs have had them for a very long time and did not pay anything near what they go for now, one of my friends has a 2 digit one on his Golf which was passed down his family

Barks · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:36

That is a really nice gesture. However the thing I have difficulty understanding is the price.

An obscure example but to the point... It's a bit like if we all wore different jackets, but you could pay £10,000 to have a holographic badge on it or something. People would still pay for it purely so others look at them and appreciate they've spent £10,000 on it.

Jez · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:36

I have a £250 from the DVLA on my s-class purely because the original reg made the car look very old, and the reg was long and ugly looking on the car. For the sake of £250 it makes the car look a lot better.

Thinking about getting a matching one (one digit different), but again its only £250 so not an outlay which can be criticized.

Barks · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:37

rafster said:
People I know with 2/3 character regs have had them for a very long time and did not pay anything near what they go for now, one of my friends has a 2 digit one on his Golf which was passed down his family

I appreciate that, but I know people at university who have plates in their own initials. One girl got a brand new Mini Cooper and a 3 digit plate. Spoilt brat.

Sure, there's nothing wrong with spending £250 or whatever to hide the age but I do know people (gf's parents for example) who spend far more than that.

[TW]Fox · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:37

scott212 said:
I appreciate that, but I know people at university who have plates in their own initials

Pathetic isn't it. It's for pretentious morons.

Sparky · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:38

Father inlaw has 1 RTS on a Astra! It was left to him in a will.

Barks · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:40

[TW]Fox;13259864 said:
Pathetic isn't it. It's for pretentious morons.

The same people strut around in Jack Wills lounge pants and Abercrombie hoodies with a fag hanging out their mouth thinking they own the place. It's a disgusting trend to be honest :rolleyes:

R.O.S.S.I · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:42

I'd quite like to have a private plate, but only the one that pretty much spells out my name.

DR05 TRN. D ROSTRON. Works quite well, its about £790 though

Also, why do people want to hide the age of their car, are they ashamed of it? Or is there some actual genuine reasoning behind it?

Barks · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:43

CDj-Rossi said:
I'd quite like to have a private plate, but only the one that pretty much spells out my name.

DR05 TRN. D ROSTRON. Works quite well, its about £790 though

Precisely mate, I mean is it really worth about £1000. You could buy a better car in the first place if you were going to spend that, or one with lower mileage/higher specs.

londonbairn · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:43

scott212 said:
I appreciate that, but I know people at university who have plates in their own initials. One girl got a brand new Mini Cooper and a 3 digit plate. Spoilt brat.

Sure, there's nothing wrong with spending £250 or whatever to hide the age but I do know people (gf's parents for example) who spend far more than that.

There's people I know who earn enough to buy nearly any car they want and drive Minis and what not (maybe it's fashionable) and there's guys I know who drive sheds but can afford way better (my dad for one), it doesn't always mean that if someone owns a certain type of car they have "predefined" social class/wage bracket etc.

*Chris · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:45

I'm gonna get a plate with my name on for about £300.

It's something you get to keep forever, and adds that personal touch to a probably impersonal car.

R.O.S.S.I · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:45

scott212 said:
Precisely mate, I mean is it really worth about £1000. You could buy a better car in the first place if you were going to spend that, or one with lower mileage/higher specs.

If I had **** loads of money, then I'd probably buy it. But i'd have to be earning wedge to contemplate buying it though.

[TW]Fox · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:47

CDj-Rossi said:
If I had **** loads of money, then I'd probably buy it. But i'd have to be earning wedge to contemplate buying it though.

The new style ones are crap though, they don't look like private plates. Having to illegally space it is instant fail so you'd be driving around in a 2005 car with DR05 TRN on it. It would look exactly like any other plate, so it has no asthetic value, it doesn't tidy the car up, it doesn't look good its just.. totally crap.

londonbairn · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:49

[TW]Fox;13259939 said:
The new style ones are crap though, they don't look like private plates. Having to illegally space it is instant fail so you'd be driving around in a 2005 car with DR05 TRN on it. It would look exactly like any other plate, so it has no asthetic value, it doesn't tidy the car up, it doesn't look good its just.. totally crap.

You are making the assumption that people buy a plate to create an impression, but many people buy personalised plates as it means something to them, just like the one mentioned above....

loltim · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:51

scott212 said:
The same people strut around in Jack Wills lounge pants and Abercrombie hoodies with a fag hanging out their mouth thinking they own the place. It's a disgusting trend to be honest

Fox is a student with a personalised plate, just in case you missed his sarcasm.

A girl at work wants a private plate on her Rav 4 because it's a W reg and makes it look old :confused:

londonbairn · 10 Jan 2009 at 18:54

The annoying things are people who manipulate the lettering, there is a guy around here in which he has changed the 6 to a G (using a dodgy font) for example, but it seems in London no one cares as most personalised regs I have seen here are done illegally (today I saw A6 ARY which was done like A GARY with font changes)