Have you got a personalised number plate and do you wish you hadn’t?

Purplepixie

No. I just think they are so vulgar. Look at me syndrome!

Yes Pixie it it “look at me”.
In exactly the same way cosmetic surgery, pumped up lips boob jobs, tattoos, red hair, extreme dress, extreme behavior, jewelry, designer clothes, is a statement of individuality.

Many of the above I would term vulgar and they would cost a lot more than personal plates.

No. I just think they are so vulgar. Look at me syndrome!

TerriBull

My husband did have one, I made him suggested he get rid of it, I don't like anything that draws attention in a "look at me " way. To be fair, his partner bought it for him some time ago when he passed a significant birthday, the number plate comprised of that age and his initials. He did eventually sell it, I I'm glad to say. There seemed to be quite a faff involved in the transfer when he changed cars if I remember rightly. Wild horses wouldn't induce me to get one it's probably a personal prejudice but I find them a bit vulgar ostentatious, but each to their own.

How patronising.

No. I’d be embarrassed. More to the point, they make you far too visible. I drove a boyfriend’s car with a personal number plate many years ago. He’d know where I’d been every day as friends and acquaintances would report back.

RosiesMaw2

Sadly - or otherwise- now that Land Rover Discoveries or Range Rovers, Teslas and SUVs are ten a penny there is not much to impress the gullible by, if that is your inclination.
My gardener drives a Jeep, my handyman a Discovery and my cleaner a Subaru 4x4 - hardly status symbols, more trusty workhorses!

Indeed.

My husband's work vehicle is a Volvo XC90, a trusty workhorse - nobody gives it a second glance, not that anyone would, as you say Volvos are ten a penny in this poor rural area.

we had one for the car it was the two letter make of car and the year it was registered, sold it when we sold the car

Sadly - or otherwise- now that Land Rover Discoveries or Range Rovers, Teslas and SUVs are ten a penny there is not much to impress the gullible by, if that is your inclination.
My gardener drives a Jeep, my handyman a Discovery and my cleaner a Subaru 4x4 - hardly status symbols, more trusty workhorses!

I moved to Devon from East London a few years back and my car, which was bought in Essex, has a registration EX.. ... which is actually the postcode of a pretty village here in Devon where I now am! So sort of personalised!

Norah I live in a rural area.

We have met this assessment in car showrooms, show houses on new estates and at hotels over many decades. It doesn't happen often, but it always amuses. But, as I have said, not among family and friends.

I think that if you run one of the many mid market cars available, these are very neutral and do not attract attention. I run a car like that, it is over 10 years old, but otherwise nothing exceptional then nobody does pay attention to what you drive, but if you drive an expensive car, or a very old car - and both DH's car are about 20 years old, then it can be very different.

JackyB

Here in Germany the system is very different. All cars have to be registered in the town or district where you live which dictates the first letter (for large cities) or first two letters (for most towns) or first three letters (for tiny rural towns which still have their own councils and are classified as towns).

After that you have one or two letters (which can be your own initials) and two or three numbers (which can be your year of birth). Nearly everyone in our street alone has number plates following this system. It's not compulsory but it doesn't cost much extra and in our small country town it's quite doable and doesn't carry any stigma. In larger towns it's more expensive and more exclusive I think.

If anyone's interested I can explain a bit more.

So if the letters go by the size of the city or town in Germany, how come Hanover is H, yet Hamburg, being 3 times the size, is HH?

John Betjeman wrote in his poem ^The Executive
I am a young executive, no cuffs than mine are cleaner
I have a Slimline briefcase and drive the firm's Cortina

I wonder if you are not missing the point of Betjeman’s dig at the sort of person to whom it matters that he is driving the firms Cortina
As in Pass the fish knives Norman , Betjeman was an inveterate snob, fawning on Princess Margaret and with a trenchant sense of humour.
Volvos were sturdy workhorses in my day not “statement cars” , real Sloane Rangers at horse trials picnicked in the backs of Land Rovers or if in Chiantishire, Discoveries.
I think I can confidently say no hotel receptionist sales staff or anybody in a similar position judged us on the cars we drove - other than the type portrayed by Betjeman.

No, but the last two letters are the first and last initials of my name. Coincidentally.

RosiesMaw2

^There main advantage to us is that people cannot label us by the age of the car we drive^

I challenge anybody to even know the age of car I drive (or the reg) let alone judge or label me.
In fact I often have difficulty in remember either and I have no idea about those belonging to my friends.

Quite agree. I've no idea to cars of our AC, let alone other people.

No judging or label applied to cars here in the East, perhaps in the city?

Actually MOnica although I know you are totally correct but I look at old cars now and think that their owners are doing their best for the environment😂
If I had changed my car every 3 years I would have gone through 5 ( well nearly) it’s 14.

The problem is RosiesMaw is that it is surprising just how many people do. Not one's friends and family, but people you do business with, hotels you visit etc.

At one point we had a Volvo Estate. When I changed jobs, among my leaving presents was a copy of 'The Sloan Rangers Handbook'. It was a joke present, Our elderly and rather tatty Volvo was not going to be seen on any grouse moor unless being driven by one of the beaters, but the image stuck to the car.

John Betjeman wrote in his poem ^The Executive*
^ I am a young executive, no cuffs than mine are cleaner^
I have a Slimline briefcase and drive the firm's Cortina
In every roadside hostelry from here to Burgess Hill
The maitres d'hotel all know me well and let me sign the bill

Whether you like it or not some people will assess your car and place you in a certain social group. It amuses us and we enjoy thwarting them. Although I think we get classfied as eccentric old buffers.

RosiesMaw2

^There main advantage to us is that people cannot label us by the age of the car we drive^

I challenge anybody to even know the age of car I drive (or the reg) let alone judge or label me.
In fact I often have difficulty in remember either and I have no idea about those belonging to my friends.

Believe it or not, there are people who can take one look at a car and know the model and year right away. You may not know any, but I can assure you I do.

There main advantage to us is that people cannot label us by the age of the car we drive

I challenge anybody to even know the age of car I drive (or the reg) let alone judge or label me.
In fact I often have difficulty in remember either and I have no idea about those belonging to my friends.

When I started work in the 70s I met a boy who was very proud of his personalised plate. His name was Tom Ash and his number was 1 MTA which he explained stood for I'm Tom Ash! It was totally meaningless to anyone else of course.

My first car’s plate was MOO***C I wish I had kept that, I married a farmer🐄. I would have been happy to keep paying the £80 then.

Actally Oreo buying a personalised numberplate can be quite cheap. Plates can be bought for £100 and less.

There main advantage to us is that people cannot label us by the age of the car we drive. The marque we drive attracts conversation and happy waves from fellow owners, but otherwise passes unnoticed.

I don’t have one or crave one, but think it’s nobody else's business if people like them and spend their money on them.
What does surprise me is how many posters do have them.

I have one because it meant I didn’t have to learnt new plate details. I keep the old plates so that when I change cars I only have to pay the £80 retention fee

Here in Germany the system is very different. All cars have to be registered in the town or district where you live which dictates the first letter (for large cities) or first two letters (for most towns) or first three letters (for tiny rural towns which still have their own councils and are classified as towns).

After that you have one or two letters (which can be your own initials) and two or three numbers (which can be your year of birth). Nearly everyone in our street alone has number plates following this system. It's not compulsory but it doesn't cost much extra and in our small country town it's quite doable and doesn't carry any stigma. In larger towns it's more expensive and more exclusive I think.

If anyone's interested I can explain a bit more.

MissInterpreted

M0nica

They have the advantage that people cannot judge you on the basis of how old your car is.

Unless you happen to be able to judge the age of a car by looking at the model...

But most people can't.

We have always run old cars and we have had several amusing incidents when people judged us by our car and treated us accordingly, including sales staff on a housing estate, who directed us to the estate down the road where smaller less expensive houses were being sold. We told them that with 2 small children we were upsizing not downsizing.

I bought my husband one for a special birthday, just for fun. It was a number followed by his initials. When he died, I wanted to keep his car, which he loved, but it was far too big for my needs so I compromised and just kept his number plate on my Mini. I am so glad I did.