Personalised Plate Help

[fiisch]

I ordered a vRS TDi hatch yesterday and have been told to expect the car with a '14 plate. I seem to have developed a recent obsession with personalised plates, and was thinking of buying something cheap.

What are people's experiences on here? Is it a tragic waste of money?

Am thinking of a plate specific to the car e.g. P22 VRS - would it add to resale value of the car?

[Gizmo]

Sorry but a cheap plate will add nothing to the value of the car.

[Prykey]

I have 2 currently, used to have 4 at one time so you can guess I would say they aren't a waste of money IMHO. 

 

If you want advice buy from the DVLA site rather than one of those brokers, a couple of friends of mine found their ideal plate on a brokers site only to find out that the plate was being sourced from the DVLA and commission being added.

 

Be prepared for a wait though as I doubt if "14" plates are on sale yet unless you go for something that isn't "14" related!

 

Gizmo is right it won't add any value to the car, however it might be the deciding factor to make someone want yours rather than someone else's and/or you could transfer it onto your next VRS or put it on retention for future use! 

Edited 10 November, 2013 by Prykey

[TheWanderer]

I bought mine back in the early 90's for £399 & it's my initials.

I had it valued last year and it was valued at just under £ 2,500.

The drawbacks of having one is the sheer amount of time, money and hassle that it causes each time you want to transfer it over to another vehicle.

I've got my eye on two more. But I don't have the cash at the moment.

[paulobrien]

I have a non car specific plate with my initials.

I like it, it stops people dating my car (which is always pristine) and even though some people think it's pointless etc., I'm happy so who cares!

They're not expensive to buy or run (as long as you don't hang your car too often) so if you fancy one, get one.

Don't expect it to add any value to the car though if you get a vRS plate...

P

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[Gizmo]

I bought mine back in the early 90's for £399 & it's my initials.

I had it valued last year and it was valued at just under £ 2,500.

I've got my eye on two more. But I don't have the cash at the moment.

 

Depending on what your initials are and what the plate is it may be valued higher than you payed for it... if (and it’s a big if) you can sell it.

 

Just having VRS on the plate will add nothing and not even be the deciding factor to purchase the car over another one IMO as the new owner can buy any VRS plate very cheaply,

obviously if the whole plate spelt something or was an ageless plate (something like 123 VRS) then that changes matters. 

[Dr Zoidberg]

It's unlikely to add much value, but a bit of cheap fun.

I've got my eye on two 14 plates when they go on sale in December, depending on what they cost.

[CFB]

As above.

If you an, buy from DVLA and avoid brokers.

If you want a specific 14 plate, they are released before the change over date but not sure how much before. 3 months?

[Timoctav]

Have two personal plates, both bought from DVLA. Definitely the best place to go and you won't be ripped off.

Buy a 14 plate from a broker - which he will almost certainly won't own - and all he will do is buy from DVLA himself and put a 30 - 50% mark up on it.

Also agree with all the above, a 14 plate won't add one penny to the value of your car, it's all about adding a bit of individuality to your car. Of course, buy an older plate and it won't be out of date after 6 months,

Edited 10 November, 2013 by Timoctav

[fiisch]

I see NE14ABJ is coming up for sale for £400.... That will be worth a fortune surely?!

I was thinking about a plate in the old prefix style, as the whole point for me seems to be about disguising the cars age....

[Gizmo]

I see NE14ABJ is coming up for sale for £400.... That will be worth a fortune surely?!

 

Wow that’s inflation for you .... I thought it was about £20 for ABJ ? 

[VRS133]

Owning 2 plates, IMO, they are not a waste of money.

The big thing is to decide on what you want really.

Go through DVLA, the price they show is all you pay bar buying number plates for the first assignment. If you go through another company you can expect to potentially pay DVLA cost PLUS additional VAT?!? admin, fee, plate transfer fee, this can double the cost of the plate where the company buys it at dvl a cost and then just adds these for no good reason, its not like its a procurement fee they add.

When you purchase from DVLA, it comes with Transfer fee, VAT and all the admin fees included.

If you go for a prefix plate then you could if it is still available by one with the first letter of your name and a single number of your surname (EG: Paul Smith P5 VRS) this makes it personal to you and to the car. You can on there website show the plate on various types of cars to see what it looks like.

These can be had from £250 + cost of plates, these can be gotten from places like Halfords / car parts aftermarket shops or online for cheaper costs. Just bear in mind if you misplace the on the plate to spell something it could lead you to being pulled over and given a ticket and then having to go to an MOT test station getting the plates changed and a stamped ticket to take to the police station with documentation, all hassle you don't need, have heard of this being done to people who have wrong fonts, spacings.

Don't forget if you get one to inform your insurance company to the changes you have made of you will be driving round on the wrong plate.

Hope this helps.

[Timoctav]

I bought mine back in the early 90's for £399 & it's my initials.

I had it valued last year and it was valued at just under £ 2,500.

.

Caution! Number plate dealers may give you an inflated valuation just to get you on their books, same trick that some estate agents pull. Unless your number has a "1" on its own or spells a word it is unlikely to be worth that sort of figure.

[TheWanderer]

It's a BIG plate. 

[Timoctav]

It's a BIG plate.

MRB 1G was one of the numbers I tried to get.... And failed!! Did bid in a DVLA auction for DE51RED - but against General Motors I had no chance!!!

Many years ago before cherished plates became valuable I could have bought 011 and 012 for hardly any money at all..... Oh for the benefit of hindsight!!!!

Edited 10 November, 2013 by Timoctav

[The Plumber]

MRB 1G was one of the numbers I tried to get.... And failed!! Did bid in a DVLA auction for DE51RED - but against General Motors I had no chance!!!

Many years ago before cherished plates became valuable I could have bought 011 and 012 for hardly any money at all..... Oh for the benefit of hindsight!!!!

 

Yes my dad had a plate which was three reasonable letters followed by 1. Moved it onto about four different cars before deciding he could no longer be bothered and left it on a car he let go in the late 70's. Saw a similar plate for sale about 4 years back with an asking price which would by a mid spec Octy III :S

 

We also have a couple of cherished plates bought from the DVLA at the base price for a bit of fun. Moved one three times and the other once and it's not been to much hassle so far.

 

 

TP

[JuanCarr]

I had a brainwave of getting T01 VRS and then manipulating the 0 to look like a D (TDI VRS).

 

Had my bubble burst when I realised there was no 01 plate issued

[TheWanderer]

You only have to wait a few months and you can have T17 vRS. 

[CFB]

Just had a thought.

It would be worth remembering that If the car is written off by your insurance company, and you accept the settlement, they become the

legal owners of the vehicle and as such the legal owners of your personal plate.

Some will let you keep it but some will insist it stays on the car.

[JuanCarr]

Just had a thought.

It would be worth remembering that If the car is written off by your insurance company, and you accept the settlement, they become the

legal owners of the vehicle and as such the legal owners of your personal plate.

Some will let you keep it but some will insist it stays on the car.

 

Yes, I remember a case many years ago (can't remember the specifics now, one of the advantages of old age) where a celebrity lost a load of money because his car was fairly ordinary but his plate was very personalised and worth quite a bit more than the car.

 

He got rear-ended on the M4 near London and his motor was written off......and as you quite rightly say, the write-off payout didn't even come close to covering the cost of the plate, let alone the car + plate.

[fiisch]

P5 VRS would be very nice as it is my initials, but alas no joy!

I like K500 VRS, but I doubt this will have much resale appeal...

If your car is written off, you normally have option to retain salvage (at a cost) which would include the plate, if it was that valuable....

[Has]

I have a personal plate which I've had for 8 years now and transferred it twice (now on my Octy). Correct me if I'm wrong but you don't actually own the registration number, you own the right to display the number on a vehicle. If you don't want to display the reg on a vehicle but want to keep hold of it you have to pay the DVLA every year to do so, called putting the reg on Retention.

If you don't pay to keep the reg on Retention you will lose it and it's back on sale (I think).

I'm not an expert in this area, just my understanding.

[aixlad]

I have a personal plate which I've had for 8 years now and transferred it twice (now on my Octy). Correct me if I'm wrong but you don't actually own the registration number, you own the right to display the number on a vehicle. If you don't want to display the reg on a vehicle but want to keep hold of it you have to pay the DVLA every year to do so, called putting the reg on Retention.

If you don't pay to keep the reg on Retention you will lose it and it's back on sale (I think).

I'm not an expert in this area, just my understanding.

That's right, you only have the rights to display the plate, ownership remains with the DVLA who can withdraw it at any time. I have my initials on an original plate registered in 1926, transferred it twice now and had no problems, though it is quite expensive each time.

[lfc958]

Personalised plates are - Personal to you, whether they are ones that are gimmick word ones or ordinary ones bought direct from DVLA that are personal to you / family they are in effect - Reneted to you.

 

I cant see how a previous poster has hassle changing plates, unless they are doing it themselves where either DVLA or poster is not following process correctly.

I have not yet had any issues transferring my plate from PX to new car as i get the dealer to do it, having to pay them the reg fee, they might as well earn it.

[Dr Zoidberg]

For those of you after a 14 plate, the prices are now up on the DVLA site but you can't buy until 6th December.