Fifth Gear Plates segment WTF

We pay nothing for a number plate on the car (except for the initial registration process when it is brand new), and that plate usually stays with the car through its life. However, like with anything, if you want a personalised number plate, then you pay a premium to whoever may own the rights to that number.

My daughter is called Gabby, and I bought D9 GAB for the BM for a few hundred pounds. If, however I wanted GAB 1, or for my wife VI CKY then that is going to cost a hell of a lot at auction or private sale, if it was available.

You say, you have to pay a fee EACH YEAR? Whereas once we own the plate, that's it. We would only pay an £80 transfer fee if we change it to a another car.

 

oh and Jason our Gas is nearer $7 gallon

 

Unlike the US you cannot have any format or style of number plate, for example you couldn't have whole words.

Our current number format (without going into too much detail) is XX999XXX where the 999 could be between 1 and 999 (i.e. one to three digits). For roughly the 18 (or so) years previous to that it was X999XXX, the 18 years before that it was XXX999X and before that it was either XXX999 or 999XXX.

However, a lot of letter combinations (including potentially offensive combinations) are excluded, and they've historically kept a lot of 'special' numbers back (so they could release and sell them later), for example 1-20, 100, 200, 111 and so on.

This means that you get a lot of people trying to "make" something of number plates just to be unusual or stand out from the crowd. Because we cannot have anything other than, on the face of it, a pretty random collection of numbers and letters, we'll go to lengths to get unusual number plates. Some people like this, some people think it's just a waste of money.

However, one thing you cannot deny is that historically they've always been very good investments. Take the number plate I own .... NEV111E (my name is Neville) ... I bought that 8 years ago for <insert silly sum> but it's market value is now 2x <insert silly sum>

Oh, and also the number plate is assigned to the vehicle for life (unless someone specifically changes it for a reason) and we do not have to pay to get it renewed every year.

 

As far as gas prices are concerned there is no choice or alternative.
I personally have no interest in personalised plates but if I could double my money in a few years I would happily buy W411NKER - and if you insisted I would stick it on the front of my car.

 

It's late and I've been up studying so maybe I've missed it, but what does a "53" and and "02" plate mean? On Top Gear they had a motoring survey but only owners with cars registered on those plates could enter? What's it mean?

 

They signify the date when the car was first registered. Used to be the first letter signified the year, now they change twice a year and two digits specify the year and they change on 1 September and 1 March. For cars March - September, the year code is the last two digits of the year and for September to March it's the last two digits + 50. So, right now, new cars are like XX 55 NNN.

The licencing authority retains special combinations for auction and they've just auctioned SL55 AMG. Went for &#163;18500. As the owner of one of these, I have to tell the hapless bidder, it's not worth it!

Someone who lives down the road from me has two cars: ONE 234 and 432 WON, which I think is neat. Also saw "91 ONE" on a turbo the other day which I liked.

 

Ok you gota laugh at his one, I bought AL04KBA. I am hoping to sell it one day to Osama Bin Laden or any other equally as wealthy muslim. (allah akba)

Anyone like to comment on it's value!!!

 

Thats got to be worth a bomb.

 

Friend of mine had his 3 initials and "1" ie xxx1 on a plate which he bought for &#163;6000 about 10 years ago. A guy with the same initials kept bugging him for ages, in the end he sold it for &#163;25000 cash! most profitable thing he has ever done.

I have a 98 355 (R plate) and people keep saying "you should get a private plate" I reply "why!?"

 

Andy

You reckon or u taking the PI55!!!!

I picked it up for a punt, with the thought that for the right person I may make a few bob.

 

Mind you he did then spend &#163;75K on stocking up on number plates, anybody interested in "Mr Silly" - mind you I am tempted by "65 TR"...(still an R after all tee hee)

 

Hi Nev - long time no see.

Just to be pedantic - between xxx999 and xxx999x it was for a brief period 9999xx - I know cos I learned to drive in 8376SF - a Morris 1100 (my mum's) and JES739 an Austin A35 van (my dad's)

 

It was my idea of a joke... I wouldn't base your retirement plans around the future value of that number plate but you could strike it lucky. Certainly worth a punt (I can't be bothered to make a wise crack about 1 Punt - the old Irish Currency)

 

Check this out, $14,000 for a plate is really nothing new for Hong Kong:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7004820

 

amen dude, it does stink!

 

Did SL55 AMG belong to Jeremy Clarkson?

 

It did/does, at least it was on his car 2 weeks ago

 

Yes you do -- except it's called the "road fund licence"/tax-disc and is put on the windscreen.
Here the same tax for the privilege of putting your car on public roads are called "tabs" and they're put on the license plate (it is not the license plate that is being renewed, but the tabs). Exact same tax, for exact same privilege -- just different locations for display. It's put on our license plates so that law-enforcement following behind you can view quickly on-the-road whether you're licensed or not; a very quick means of getting pulled over here is to have out-of-date tabs.

It absolutely astounds me that the tossers in Swansea are still bilking residents in this fashion. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that would prevent them from allowing the same system that we have here, over there -- pay a modest fee and as long as the plate isn't offensive or already taken, it's yours. Of course, a few avaricious people who've dumped some dough to stroke their own vanity might be a little put-out. I guess it's just a different viewpoint/culture -- over here, the license plates would be seen as a "public resource" and therefore already *owned by the people* and the government would be loathe to be seen charging (eg at auction) and gouging people (in this case by deliberately creating a monopolistic market and with high extrinsic/zero-intrinsic value) for something that they already own...

just my two cents/two p.

 

There was a guy from "Swansea" on TV the other day talking about a private plate auction. He kept pointing out that people bought plates for fun and as an "investment" ... investment!!! somebody should sue him for mis-representation. In a few years we (in the UK) will be getting electronic tagged "e-plates". If your e-plate gets stolen you get a new one issued, with new reg number, the end of the private number plate business methinks...(and civil liberities, the e-plates are rf tagged).

 

I have 994CRR and 3551CR both on retention (for non-Brits that is I still have the rights to the numbers but they aren't on cars - in limbo really). I bought 3551CR 25 years ago for not much at all and 994CRR about 18 years ago for about 1200 pounds. I don't want to sell them as I have had them on some fun cars.

 

I'd never heard about that, i've got 5209 PE on my Mondy, so maybe I should think about selling my plate now then