Personalised number plates

[Cleanbedsheets]

Why do people spend so much money on these?

AIBU to think that the only possible reason for having a PNP is to be a bit braggy?

My DP wants to get me one for my upcoming birthday, I have said it is a waste of money and to not bother. DP doesn't understand.

Your thoughts?

I have one, the number plate on my first ever car had my year of birth and initials, ao I bought the plate when I scrapped the car. I think it cost about £80-90. It also meant I could use my car for work, you could only visit clients in your own car if it was less than three years old, mine was bought when the model had only just come out, so it could be legitimately new for about seven years.

People will always spend money on things other people think is worthless, my cousin spends essentially £40 on a pot of face paint, I think thats a waste so I wouldn’t buy it, she thinks it isn’t so to her its a worthy reason to buy it.

You’ll generally find they drive an old car, and want to cover up the fact but putting a personalised plate on. This is especially true with more expensive makes like BMW, lamdrover, Mercedes. They buy cheap older models and badge it up with a plate to disguise it. It’s purely 100% a mar status thing

You might find one activity more valuable than the other but do you actually think it makes you a better person?!

You’re right, better is the wrong word.
I guess I mean interesting, reflective. I wouldn’t judge someone who loves shopping and acquiring things inc. number plates it’s just that there’s less to engage with and be satisfied by.

You only ever have to remember one reg number. A bit like living at the same address for 20+ years, you only have to remember one postcode or one phone number.
Maybe we should all have “personalised” reg, one that is allocated to us when we start driving and used on every car that we are the named keeper.
They are, after all, just another method of ID. Why does it matter what combination of numbers and letters we use?
When you buy a new car you are given a choice from a list the dealer has on hold so you can choose a plate that is easier to remember.
In a world that is saturated with usernames and passwords why not make the one on your car easy to remember.

@StickyStickyStickSticks , was it a personalised one or the original?

@Angrymum22 , the car industry benefits from the demand for new registration cars.
Also the plate unless replaced by a cherished one indicates the age of the car.

This. People changed their cars much less before it was so easy to tell the year. Of course the majority of new cars now are leased anyway.

This has made me laugh remembering my husband getting his personalised plate. It was originally his Dad’s. His Dad was abusive towards him, his mother & brothers. His mother eventually divorced him, then passed away, his brothers had nothing to do with him from their teenage years. My husband did, but it was still a twisted relationship. His Dad was diagnosed terminally ill, telling his son was the first time in his life (mid 40s) he told him he loved him. He also said he wanted him to have his registration. My husband’s initial reaction was to laugh, but his Dad was deadly serious. My husband said it wasn’t a family heirloom but agreed. With the following inheritance he went self employed & it’s now on his van so it worked out quite well. The surname is only 3 letters & that makes up the reg so it’s better than some that take a lot of working out. It’s not something either of us would have spent money on ourselves though.

Of course the majority of new cars now are leased anyway.

More like 20-30%

My family bought me one for a special birthday and when it went on my car I felt really happy. Its only my initials and the year my car was made, but it makes my car look nice and surely this is the point?

Same reason I chose white, a VW and the model of car I have I guess, I liked it.

I have been scanning my room to see what examples of things I have, not for show, it's everything. I think the best example would be my air pods max. £550 and no one has ever seen them because I don't wear headphones outside.

The assumption I'm trying to show off by having a chosen registration on my car rather than a randomly assigned one is really weird. I juts like it. I also like my washing machine, I just Bosch over Beko - not showy, just preference.

If you're talking purely leasing...but if you throw in hp...it's very high. A tiny minority of new cars will have been brought outright by the owner. Cars are no longer a barometer of wealth...they're a sign you have access to credit

No that's totally different. You might chose one brand over another because you think it's performs differently. The set of numbers and letters on your number plate is immaterial to the performance. It is irrelevant

Look nice? Really? One set of black letters and numbers on a yellow or white background as opposed to another set of black letters and numbers on a a yellow or white background has an effect on its attractiveness.....righto

@Comedycook

No that's totally different. You might chose one brand over another because you think it's performs differently. The set of numbers and letters on your number plate is immaterial to the performance. It is irrelevant

Oh, it's you again, come along to tell me how I think, again. It's boring, incorrect and the only irrelevant thing between these posts.

Like I said yesterday, I have no interest in a discussion with someone so hard of thinking.

So rude once again because someone has a different view to you.

Well yeah, a large percentage of cars are purchased on PCP or HP but that’s nothing to do with leasing.

Yes but I think a lot of people just lump them all together

@Comedycook

So rude once again because someone has a different view to you.

You have been telling me, repeatedly, why I make choices. You the one who has the issue with people having different views. I have said many times I don't care what others do and we are all different. You have responded over and over again to tell me why I do things. Why I choose something. You can't get past the end of your own nose.

I may be rude by saying I don't want to interact with you any further but that's nothing compared to you constantly repeating and telling people how they think and why they choose things.

I may be a tad sensitive because being autistic I have spent most of my life being pushed down and misunderstood and I have very little tolerance for that now.

If I tell someone why I made a purchase, the very least they could do is respect that I know myself.

I haven't been telling you how you make choices. I've been talking in very general terms about the psychology of consumer culture. You are choosing to take my comments as a personal critique.

I dont think its "braggy", as you could say that about most things. I think its a strange way to look at things, a person spending money on something they like i would just think its nice they get to have what they like, be it a handbag, shoes, car, watch, house, ring, necklace or anything really.

@Comedycook

I've been talking in very general terms about the psychology of consumer culture. You are choosing to take my comments as a personal critique.

I replied to someone else about my choice of car make and model. Colour and registration.

You picked it up and quoted it saying that cars are chosen for performance blah blah blah.

If you are talking generally; perhaps stop quoting my comments and saying I'm wrong?

The bigger issue is that when 'talking generally about the psychology of consumer culture' you have no flexibility. Not a single person is an outlier. We are all the same.

I am not the same and if you don't respect that then yes I am absolutely going to take that personally.

A better example would be paying extra for metallic paint, or any colour paint that is not included in a vehicle base price.

Some might regard it as a pointless waste of money because colour is also immaterial to the performance. The standard colour will perform in exactly the same way.

And yet people can be/do both.

I love my nice handbags, but I can buy one after having spent the morning at a museum. It's not an 'either or' thing.

Believing someone is 'better' or whatever word you now think is appropriate because they enjoy museums more than buying handbags is incredibly narrow minded, judgemental and daft.