Private plate… worth it?

[Simiewimie]

Once the change of ownership comes through I promised the seller he can have his private plate back and the car will have its original **56… plate reissued. Which got me thinking/looking.
Do you think there is any added value in getting a plate such as NN52… or EN52… to stick on it? A couple of half decent options for only £250 (inc fee). Can’t find any E86 plates.

The seller is going to pay the £80 transfer/retention fee for his plate, but I assume I will still have to pay a fee, and not just be able to piggyback the new private plate on with his transfer off, thus only costing me £170?

 

[Scubaregs]

You will still have to pay a fee as the original plate will go back on before you can change it.

As to worthwhile, only you can decide. I paid around £250 for this plate around 3 1/2 years ago on my then 718 Boxster, sold it after selling the car as really only suited to a Boxster. I'm looking for a decent short plate with my initials but anything I like is silly money.
Getting your initials means you can keep the plate if selling the car, getting a car related plate limits it.

 

[Mr Tidy]

My current Z4 came with a plate that means nothing to me (M6 KYT) but if nothing else it doesn't date the car!

I've sometimes wondered about buying one that does mean something to me, but wouldn't want to spend much on one.

I definitely wouldn't buy one specific to the car though. Although it might be handy to find the right M6 owner. :lol:

 

[skelters]

Private plates always give me the impression of the owner being a pretentious w***er.

:rofl:

 

[Simiewimie]

Private plates always give me the impression of the owner being a pretentious w****r.

:rofl:

Well, I suppose there is that angle to it.

 

[MikeyH]

Well when I bought mine all the previous owners had private plates so I had one. I felt a bit self conscious at first as if I was wearing my underpants on the outside of my trousers but soon felt that it made it my car. The hardest bit was trying to get Halfords to do a decent job making them :headbang:

 

[SonnyA85]

Dateless plates can be seen as an investment everything else is pretty much money down the drain unless it's really unique and already worth good money. Basically not the ones you see floating about for pennies.

I don't see any value in adding NN52 or EN52. Why would it?

Get a private plate that means something to you. It looks like you don't know much about plates so chances are it will be money down the drain and it seems like you are trying to add value by asking questions so the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

If you want to add value to the car buy m sport seats or something unique that is rare.

 

[Simiewimie]

Dateless plates can be seen as an investment everything else is pretty much money down the drain unless it's really unique and already worth good money. Basically not the ones you see floating about for pennies.

I don't see any value in adding NN52 or EN52. Why would it?

Get a private plate that means something to you. It looks like you don't know much about plates so chances are it will be money down the drain and it seems like you are trying to add value by asking questions so the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

If you want to add value to the car buy m sport seats or something unique that is rare.

I was just thinking from the perspective of the engine in mine being the N52.
I don’t think I’ll bother to be honest. I only had the thought due to the existing plate needing to come off.

 

[ori]

Only downside to private plate is that everyone in the area always knows it’s you when you park somewhere. Saying that, a blue z4 stands out anyway!

 

[SonnyA85]

Dateless plates can be seen as an investment everything else is pretty much money down the drain unless it's really unique and already worth good money. Basically not the ones you see floating about for pennies.

I don't see any value in adding NN52 or EN52. Why would it?

Get a private plate that means something to you. It looks like you don't know much about plates so chances are it will be money down the drain and it seems like you are trying to add value by asking questions so the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

If you want to add value to the car buy m sport seats or something unique that is rare.

I was just thinking from the perspective of the engine in mine being the N52.
I don’t think I’ll bother to be honest. I only had the thought due to the existing plate needing to come off.

Not even mechanics who work on BMW's all day long know the model number of what's in the car.

It's not something anyone would piece together. Clutching at straws with a plate like that.

 

[enuff_zed]

Private plates always give me the impression of the owner being a pretentious w****r.

:rofl:

Yup. Certainly am!
And as such, the opinions of you mere mortals means nothing to me. :rofl: :rofl:

 

[Phoenixboy]

Private plates always give me the impression of the owner being a pretentious w****r.

:rofl:

Or it could just be, the people on private plates have a bit of imagination, and the standard dull plate is for sheep, just following what everyone else does.

 

[pvr]

That is some sharp parking on the rear

 

[Scubaregs]

Private plates always give me the impression of the owner being a pretentious w****r.

:rofl:

Or it could just be, the people on private plates have a bit of imagination, and the standard dull plate is for sheep, just following what everyone else does.

That is actually a lot politer than what I originally started typing as a reply, before deciding to simply treat the comment with the contempt it deserved. :rofl:

I sold the plate from the Porsche within 10 minutes of putting it on the Boxa forum for not far off what I paid for it, so in the 2.5 years or so I had it all it really cost me was the retention fee. Oh what a waste of money it was, cost me nearly a quid a week.

 

[brillomaster]

for a normal car, i don't think i'll ever spend money on a private plate, not when that money could be better spent on petrol to drive the thing! That said, i bought a car which had a private plate already on, and i'm quite happy for it to be on there - as above, its a BXR plate on a porsche boxster, makes sense to me.

That said, if i am every lucky enough to own an audi R8, i'm very tempted by an R8 xxx plate, because there are plenty available for the lowest possible price of £250, and people would be looking enough already.

 

[Sidewaze Samm]

I think linking the reg to the N52 engine is tenuous in the extreme; I certainly didn't "get it" until it was explained. Plus, it would make the OP's car appear older than it is.
Personally (and we're all entitled to personal viewpoints), I think that there are a lot of people out there who vastly underestimate the age of cars like our zeds - so why not use a dateless plate?

Cherished plates that are standard format that happen to have the owners initials and mean nothing to anybody else are pretty much pointless, if they still have a date element (though I must admit to buying a previous format plate for my daughter's 21st which featured her initials and 21 but she loves it and it has already seen service on four cars she's had!)

What some people will pay is amazingly outrageous (in my opinion) so I'll stick to the cheaper Irish plates (but no GAZ or BAZ etc). For my current zed (a keeper) I paid well under £300 all-in for a 3+3 plate for three reasons: the first letters are CX, which at a glance makes it appear North Wales registered - I spend a fair bit of time there and I swear the locals (especially tractor drivers) are more courteous when they think you're local too; the third letter is Z and first number is 4 :idunno: ; and, with only 6 digits it just looks better 8)

But as I mentioned above, we're all entitled to opinions (but maybe some of us shouldn't be so blunt in sharing them...)

 

[Neens76]

I wouldn’t mind a cheap de-ageing plate but are we only recommending DVLA or other sites recommended?

 

[jamie_z4]

for a normal car, i don't think i'll ever spend money on a private plate, not when that money could be better spent on petrol to drive the thing! That said, i bought a car which had a private plate already on, and i'm quite happy for it to be on there - as above, its a BXR plate on a porsche boxster, makes sense to me.

That said, if i am every lucky enough to own an audi R8, i'm very tempted by an R8 xxx plate, because there are plenty available for the lowest possible price of £250, and people would be looking enough already.

Just to play up to the prentious w***er comment previously mentioned , here's my R8 with a £250 dvla plate on it

 

[tiglon]

It's worth it if it makes you happy, forget what other people think

 

[brillomaster]

for a normal car, i don't think i'll ever spend money on a private plate, not when that money could be better spent on petrol to drive the thing! That said, i bought a car which had a private plate already on, and i'm quite happy for it to be on there - as above, its a BXR plate on a porsche boxster, makes sense to me.

That said, if i am every lucky enough to own an audi R8, i'm very tempted by an R8 xxx plate, because there are plenty available for the lowest possible price of £250, and people would be looking enough already.

Just to play up to the prentious w****r comment previously mentioned , here's my R8 with a £250 dvla plate on it

YESSSS winning! :wub: :wub: :wub: