To ask people with personalised number plates.......why?

[itsgoodtobehome]

Genuinely interested. I see more and more personalised number plates (Sha70n) on my way home which inspired this thread. Why do you do it? Do you want people to know your name? Do you wear your name on the back of your jacket or on the front of your t-shirt?

I am really intrigued as to why people would flaunt their name, initials, nickname, whatever.....on their car.

MN enlighten me please!!

Mine is my dad's initials and he died a long time ago so I like it as a link to him. Quite frankly it's nobody's business!

You say that the "On Pill" one I saw wasn't possible, that might be the case I guess, but I was with my Dad and it was he who pointed it out. I am guessing as to the layout but that is what it said. Just to be clear, I wasn't making it up for the sake of the thread!
It's possible - if you're old enough to remember the various styles of number plate that have appeared over the last forty years!

ONP 11L

(old, old L-reg, 1972-3)

I kept one that was on a car I bought years ago. It's been worth more than most of the cars it has been on and I wouldn't hesitate to sell it if I needed too.

I can't be bothered checking but it used to be that you couldn't have a private number plate that made your car appear newer than it is. Not sure if this is still the case

I utterly love mine

Makes me smile every time I see it. I bought it as a gift to me when I got a promotion I’d been working at for years.

They aren’t expensive relative to the cost of a new car.

And I definitely appreciate the fact that I don’t struggle to remember my reg number. Makes life a lot easier.

There's a man around here who drives a very large Jag with the reg YES 1, or some number. I love that reg! He looks like he was big in banking in the 80s.

It's possible - if you're old enough to remember the various styles of number plate that have appeared over the last forty years!

Of course it’s possible, just not in the format the PP stated. It was, as you say ONP 11L or something else that’d been properly pissed about with.

It is no different from spending money on getting anything other than the most basic car that you need

Of course it’s different! Spend more on a car and you get something more powerful/safe/with better features etc.

Here we call them vanity plates. I have no opinion on them either way. I saw one on the highway once, I can't remember the exact configuration, but it when you read it, it said, "Vanity Plate." Which I thought was funny. I also saw one at the grocery that said something like, "Y Me Lord." Which made me kind of sad for the person, that they feel so put upon that they need to advertise it on their license plate.

I have one, it's my surname or rather my maiden that I changed back to after an abusive marriage.

I came into some money around the same time and for me it was a spur of the moment purchase but very much ipart of the process of shedding my past and reclaiming who I am.

It felt liberating and I know what it symbolised to me. That's all that matters really.

I have one. It hides the age of the car and creates the impression that I have money to spare for vanity items. Ok it doesn’t look like a brand new car but as long as I keep it in good condition it looks newer than it is, and it isn’t apparent to everyone that i can’t afford a new car.

I have one, with my initials. It's just a bit of fun.

@Downtheroadfirstonleft

No offence whatsoever intended, but I could just hear Uncle Bryn's voice when I read that!

I think people are trying to conceal the age of their car. It’s an odd thing.

I have one on an ancient van that spells 'kiter' as I kitesurf as a hobby, I just like it

I don't get it either. Each to their own but such a load of money for nothing really. I think they're a bit cringe.

Because one day my daughter will die and seeing her name on my car every day will make my heart smile, as it does now.

Stop being so judgemental. Really, MNetters don't do themselves any favours AT ALL.

My car is brand new, the plate actually makes it look older. Not everyone gives a shit about how new their car is.

I have nothing against anyone buying them but I'm bemused too. Why pay loads of money for Jan 345? Why do you want everyone to know you're called Jan? Or do you just like seeing your own name? Having said that of all the things people spend money on at least this has minimal environmental impact so a good thing?

I suppose they bring income into the public purse.

Best personalised plate I've seen: IDFK

DH, DS and I all have one. DH and I had them on our 10th Anniversary and DS for his 21st (he already had a car).

The plates spell things related to our hobbies and tend to not attract much attention apart from by others who share them. Mine in particular is quite subtle but is noticed by those who ‘get it’.

I like them. I have a nice car and it deserves a nice number plate! Doesn't age the car and is an investment. Paid £500 for mine, it's now worth about £3k. My dad has one he paid £300 for now worth £25k +.

My DH has one which is now worth a lot more than what he paid for it.
I find them a bit cringe, I hate driving around our small suburb knowing that people know it’s me in the car and what I’m up to that day. Why would you want people to know what you’re up to? I much prefer being anonymous in my own car.

I had one from when you were first able to choose your number plate. After a few years the novelty wore off.
I don't like the ones where people illegally group their numbers and letters to make sort of names. Naff.