To not see the point in personalised reg plates?

[Flexilexy]

As I sat in traffic this morning trying to work out if someone's reg was their initials or if it was meant to spell a word out, I wondered why they even bothered.

If you have a personalised registration plate, why?

This is one of those things I've just never understood why anyone would spend money on it. I'd have to have a LOT of disposable income before this is something I'd part with cash for.

Google says "The cost of a personalized number plate can range from a few hundred pounds to hundreds of thousands of pounds."

I'll be honest, and show my judgemental side. Most (not all) of the people I know with personalised reg plates are skint, or just scraping by month to month. So it really baffles me that this is something they'd chose to do with their money.

But also, even if I could afford it, what's the appeal? I'm genuinely interested to know what makes you want one?

And yes, I'm fully aware it doesn't have any impact on my life at all, but one is allowed to ponder. This entire site is full of people complaining about things that aren't relevant to them, it's just a discussion.

YABU - Personalised reg plates are wonderful and not just an expensive bit of plastic that collects dead bugs
YANBU - They're totally fucking pointless

I love mine. And it was £399 not thousands of pounds. My family all have one to do with their wedding anniversary which is special to me.

You are neither reasonable or unreasonable.
It personal choice. I bet you've things I would see pointless.
I'm not skint or loaded, mine was a few hundred and just something I always wanted.
It's my initials and I love mine 10 years later.

Don't knock it till you've tried it 😜

When I see one I generally think what a chav unless it's a proper personalised plate like AMS 1 or whatever Alan Sugar had. It's the ones you can't really work out what it's meant to say that look chav.
My friend to quote 'loves' hers as does a work colleague.

I have one. It's my birthday and my initials and cost me £250.

And whether anyone else has an opinion about it doesn't remotely affect me. I like it and that's all that matters isn't it?

If people want to label me as a chav/too much of this/not enough of that, it really doesn't matter to me.

I haven't RTFT so this may have already been said, but some of them are worth thinking about as an investment, or at least as a low risk home for some spare funds. No upkeep costs, registered to you so they can't be lost or stolen, and maybe a bit of fun as well.

Obviously it's not the place to put your retirement fund through!

We have them. I think each to their own. I wouldn’t spend lots of money on a handbag or designer clothes but I don’t judge those who do.

When people are having physical or extreme reactions to the choices of others which do not impact on their lives at all, I do smile as it seems ridiculous.

We are all different and like and prioritise different things.

This is a good point. We didn’t buy ours for that reason but one we bought years and years ago and is now worth about four times as much. A nice inheritance for our child unless we decide to cash it in before!

Tacky aren't they, especially the ones where a screw is repositioned to look like a letter 😂

I saw this one the other day, thought it was great. Lighting not too good but the business is air conditioner units

But any idea what is going on here? Spacing looks wrong but it doesn’t seem to be obviously personalised either

They are useful as an knob detector...

Each to their own, but personally I don't like them.

I can see no point whatsoever other than to show off. They are pretentious!

Nothing but attention seeking when on cars.

I only see a real "use" for them on, say, lorries or coaches. For lorries, a "personalised" plate can re-inforce the brand. On coaches, they're usually used to hide the real age of the coach as many coach firms are using "very" old coaches and use random "personalised" plates to hide that - usually nothing to do with the coach firm name/brand, but something generic like ABX 7125 or UTE 835. They tend to keep the real plate for the newer coaches than swap them around as the oldest get scrapped and a newer one is getting old and needs it's "age" hidden.

Princess Anne was given ANN1 by Nottingham City Council but had to give it up due to security reasons - now worth £200,000😊

And councils complain about lack of money when they waste money like that!!

@HotCrossBunplease

J3 YXD

I have one because when I met DH, he already had one (18th gift from parents) and he bought mine as a wedding gift. I actually like how no one knows my car is now 10 years old, admittedly when it was new I would have preferred the real number plate to 'show off' my new car (always bought cars 5+ years old prior to that one) 😂

Yes I know what it said. I’m asking why it is laid out like that?

@HotCrossBunplease

Yes I know what it said. I’m asking why it is laid out like that?

Well if you know they have changed the spacing, surely the answer is becsue it suits them?

Sorry, I’m not being clear. I thought it was illegal to alter the spacing?

It's, but they have and when I said how they have by showing the true format you said you knew that. What are you actually asking?

It's to warn everyone else on the road that you are a W4NKR

I’ve occasionally found them amusing. A 50-something neighbour of ours once had a boyfriend whose car had a plate reading HOT 69X. Apparently he owned a sex shop!

And on the road we once saw two boy racer types in flash cars zoom past in quick succession - the first number plate read FU 1, the 2nd, FU 2. 😂

Otherwise I rather agree with the ‘vanity plates’ attitude. A friend of ours had one with his initials - GHJ - but TBH it was ages before I twigged.

I’m asking why it is worth them breaking the law when it doesn’t even appear to be a word.

and also I suppose why they haven’t been stopped by the police and told it’s not allowed.