To think i'll be judged with a private numberplate?

[FurierTransform]

I bought a used car recently, & the seller had a private plate on it which he didn't want to keep so it stayed on the car.
I don't really care about it & it doesn't appear to mean anything - it's just a standard 6 digit age-hiding plate.

Do you think I will get judged for having a car with a private plate? Seen as snobby? Do you judge?

YABU = yes

It will cost me about £80 or so to remove it & revert to the standard one I think.

They're a tax on ego, if they remotely spell anything. A more money than sense 'look at me' thing. They have literally no other purpose than to get people to notice the owner. Which is pretty pathetic IMO.

Thousands, sometimes tens of thousands pounds, spent on nothing but a bit of plastic with letters on, just for egotistical reasons. No purpose, no craftsmanship, just a plastic rectangle. It's almost immoral.

But if yours doesn't spell anything and looks like a random bunch of letters and numbers, even someone as judgy as me wouldn't notice or care, OP.

@mummyh2016

Only on MN have I known people think they're tacky

Well if you have one, people aren't going to say so, are they? I know a couple of people with them. They have no idea of my views on personalised plates. It doesn't come up, and if it did, I'd bat the subject away asap.

Thousands, sometimes tens of thousands pounds, spent on nothing but a bit of plastic with letters on, just for egotistical reasons. No purpose, no craftsmanship, just a plastic rectangle. It's almost immoral.

Or a good investment. Good friend of mine has a 6 figure plate, cost around £18k originally. He’d never sell it but nice to know that he could.

I bought my car with an unusual format private plate, it doesn’t spell anything. I stand out for many reasons, I can’t say I’m that bothered what people think.

In-laws have private plates with an HMS suffix followed two digits. They’ve had them for years, at one time, on the most beaten up second hand Volvo estate. They’ve been offered thousands but always refuse.

I value my anonymity too much to even consider having one.

In the (largish) town where I live I've a few acquaintances - usually mums and dads of my DC's friends - who have them, cue "I saw X's mum today" etc on a fairly regular basis.

I don't want people clocking me at Home Bargains for the second time in a week, or stopping for a driving cheeseburger after a supermarket shop .

I read one of these number plate threads on another forum after coming back from a night out and ended up perusing the DVLA website.

On drunken whim, I ended up buying not one, but two.

I don't feel strongly either way but I used to have an easy to recognise plate and as a pp said people always knew where I was. Also another person had a plate with her rather common (in terms of being popular) name on it and changed her car three times but I didn't notice. So it's a gentle no from me.

I think they’re tacky. I’d see how much it’s worth and hopefully cover the £80 change fee

@Iamnotminterested

I value my anonymity too much to even consider having one.

In the (largish) town where I live I've a few acquaintances - usually mums and dads of my DC's friends - who have them, cue "I saw X's mum today" etc on a fairly regular basis.

I don't want people clocking me at Home Bargains for the second time in a week, or stopping for a driving cheeseburger after a supermarket shop .

I’ve a photographic memory for plates. So I’d recognise your car whatever the numberplate said.

I don't buy new cars. I 'bottom feed' on high end Mercedes. My personal plate enabled me to change my car 3 times in 15 years. Until I retired, my clients used to congratulate me on the value I had wrung out of my Merc. I was always conscious that it was them that were funding the car in the first place!

I wouldn’t have a private plate, but I couldn’t care less what other people choose to do with their cars or their money, and I couldn’t care less what some random might think about that choice.

I used to work for DVLA and if you are not interested in keeping the private number to sell or transfer later then they will put the age-related back on for free (or assign a new one if necessary). The £80 is to retain the number. I would imagine a letter to DVLA enclosing the V5C is sufficient for them to do this, but may be worth checking first.

Love my private plate. Cost me a pittance a good few years back and could now fetch a few thousand easy. Judge away, I’m totally happy with my ROI should I ever need the emergency funda.

I find them incredibly naff but if it doesn't spell out anything I probably wouldn't notice/care/change it. As someone has said check it won't affect your insurance premium before making any decision!

Interesting what ppl are saying re investment - I really wouldn't be happy having a few grands worth of 'plate' outside on my car ready to be nicked..

Y4NBU

@oblada

Interesting what ppl are saying re investment - I really wouldn't be happy having a few grands worth of 'plate' outside on my car ready to be nicked..

It can’t be nicked that way. They need to own the title on it.

What if some little bugger just takes the plate anyway, for themselves? And I'm sure there is a black market just like anything surely. I don't know I just wouldn't like it. Just like I wouldn't like owning a fancy car as again more likely to be stolen.

Who cares?
If you want it keep it.
If you don't, change it back.
Nothing to do with anyone else.

Interesting what ppl are saying re investment - I really wouldn't be happy having a few grands worth of 'plate' outside on my car ready to be nicked.

You never own the number. All you are doing is buying the right to use it.

The physical plate attached to the car is virtually worthless.

@Etulosba

Interesting what ppl are saying re investment - I really wouldn't be happy having a few grands worth of 'plate' outside on my car ready to be nicked.

You never own the number. All you are doing is buying the right to use it.

The physical plate attached to the car is virtually worthless.

Oh ok good to know :)

DH and I have personal plates on each of our cars, and he has one on his motorbike! Judge away 🤷‍♂️.

Not snobby, or lower class. I just find them a bit ridiculous and childish.

What if some little bugger just takes the plate anyway, for themselves? And I'm sure there is a black market just like anything surely. I don't know I just wouldn't like it. Just like I wouldn't like owning a fancy car as again more likely to be stolen.

That’s not how it works, not sure how you would even think that it would. The plate is just a piece of plastic. I can get any plate I want made up, doesn’t mean I “own” the registration or it’s registered to me with the DVLA.

I honestly wouldn't notice unless it spelled something