Reply With QuoteIf you change your name to Lewis, I could help you with LEW 692.
Otherwise, try Tayside Numbers. I have dealt with them for many years and have found them fair and helpful.
I can provide a link, but so can Google.
I'm in search of a fairly straight forward private plate to put on a car I will soon buy. My problem is, I've contacted several plate dealers who advertise registrations I would buy but it turns out they just haven't got them to sell. Has anybody used a company that they found reliable?
On the off chance a fellow TZer is a plate dealer, I'm looking for s plate containing my initials, SMF, with as few extra digits as poss.
Any help or pointers would be great.
Steve.
If you change your name to Lewis, I could help you with LEW 692.
Otherwise, try Tayside Numbers. I have dealt with them for many years and have found them fair and helpful.
I can provide a link, but so can Google.
How about just buying it directly from the DVLA? http://dvlaregistrations.direct.gov.uk/
Most of those dealers are just chancers who, as you've discovered, don't actually own the rights to the plate that they are flogging.
Tried ebay? I looked for mine for a good while but private ads on ebay are the best way to get a bargain
eBay is a good shout, bought my 1 plate direct from the owner for a fraction of the £13k dealers had it listed at. As mentioned, they rarely own the plates!
You can also request DVLA to put numbers up at auction, there is an email or link on their page.
Apparently it can take a good while before dvla actually list what you request - like 18months+, and they won't say when it will be listed you just have to keep watching
As above my plate was listed with one of the big sites but the vendor said he hadn't even asked them about it. Needless to say it cost about a third of their asking price.
Chaps
If you buy a cherished plate (sadly I have two) you will never own the number because it remains the property of the DVLA.
All you have done is bought the right to display it on your car.
Regards
Mick
Now that's interestingOriginally Posted by unclealec
I hope Twisted Sister fans haven't taken all the SMF plates. R.I.P. A.J. Pero by the way.
I bought 2 from DVLA and another from newreg.com who were very good and helpful.
I agree Mark. Both are highly recommended.
I have purchased a plate directly from the DVLA in the past. I also bought a plate shown on the DVLA web site actually cheaper via newreg. (It is normally the other way around when it comes to overall cost). Newreg completed the entire transaction for me (at extra cost) and the plates arrived nicely packaged too.
When I did this, it took about 6 to 9 months between me asking and it going up for auction - but they did keep me informed by email of when it would be going under the hammer.
Absolutely.
There were some scare stories a while ago about proposed EU-wide harmonisation of number plates. An excellent idea from a law enforcement perspective, but it would mean that all current UK personalised plates would no longer be valid.
Very true! And if you abuse that right by messing about with the font and letter spacing they can remove that right!
I toyed with idea of buying one a few years back and I actually bid on PW 58 when the DVLA auctioned it. What I found is that many numbers had been for sale for ages, which means the price was too high, and several dealers offered the same number at different prices!
What's a fair price to pay?....that's a difficult one. I`d base my offer on what similar plates have fetched in recent DVLA auctions, plus a few ££££ profit for the dealer. One reason I didn`t buy is because I couldn`t convince myself the plate would keep it's value; in times of recession these frivolities are the first thing people stop spending on. There's also another factor: will your initials be saleable in 10-15 years when you want to sell the plate? Given the changing fashions for naming kids, the popular first names of 30-40 years ago won`t be so popular, so the plate you pay a high price for now may not be quite as saleable. Like most stuff, prices are based on demand.
Given the uncertainty of future values, I decided I`d got better things to do with the £5K-£6K it would've cost me to get the type of number I wanted, and I saw no point in getting a cheap one as a compromise.
Whoever the OP deals with, don`t be scared to make a cheeky lowball offer. Most numbers are sold on commission and the owner might need the cash.
Paul
have used
The Private Plate Co in Wales IMO fair pricing and in my experience good service but remember it is just what our Colonial Cousins call it a vanity plate and an indulgence very few will make you money.
I used the DVLA as the price included transfer etc. Many dealers will just buy the number from the DVLA and charge a markup in any case.
I've had three from dvla now, all cheaper than the dealers who didn't have the plate, and best of all the price is total, not plus transfer or whatever
DVLA timed auction every time; we had 3 -
http://www.dvlaauction.co.uk/index.php/sale-calendar/
I also bought directly from the dvla. All very straight forward and no problems.
I too bought mine from the DVLA but I've kind of changed my mind about cherished/personalised plates and now think they're naff. My plate is on retention but doesn't cost me anything as it's on car that is SORNd. Personally I would spend my money on something else (sorry)!
No! No! Best investment you could make. Especially if you're called Lewis and live at No. 692.
mine was straight from dvla ...trying to get it on retention....nightmare at the minute...it is missing in action somewhere in the post
Boght mine from here, great to deal with Martin the director. Dropped log book off and other docs and they did everything quickly and efficiently. Their located near DVLA.
DVLA auction is the way forward. I've bought several that way. On a couple of occasions after their auctioneers had contacted me (unsolicited) to say that there was a number available which might interest me.
If you can buy direct from DVLA, their prices include VAT unlike the agencys so remember that when you compare prices.
The 'others' don't trust at all! having had dealings with two of the main players I can tell you from experience they lie repeatedly! My plate was advertised with probably the largest agency who always seem to inflate prices &doing a quick google on my number plate found it advertised as 'available' with another dealer that I'd never heard of so called them with an enquiry for it where they confirmed it was available and they were selling it directly for the client - naughty naughty! So being bored I said I'd purchace it knowing full well they could not supply it and then they started saying they'd have to check ect on its 'status' ?
Surprise surprise next thing I knew I had the agency mine was up for sale on the phone saying they had had an enquiry from a client who just wanted a 'MAC' number plate did not care about the digits anything would do and mine was advertised at £1230 would I take £500? this story held even less weight when they actually had 'MAC' plates already advertised on their site for £500!!!
Utter sharks the lot of them agency 'one' for advertising plates they just copy off others sites, and the 'agency' I was with for blatantly trying to rip me off!
I'd never deal with any of them again & sold it in the end to a great guy off eBay!
I've seen one I fancy in the next DVLA auction - How does the process with that work?
The DVLA website doesn't show any plates I fancy, I have missed the boat with the single number prefix plates. I bought my last plate from eBay but you have to be pretty lucky to find what you want on there. I find it both amusing and frustrating that a lot of the sites are advertising the reg I bought on eBay for over a grand when I gave the owner £300!
LEW5X?
Register > Bid > Pay
It really is that easy! Just read through their website, for once a govt dept gives good clear info.
Exactly this; even I managed to do it so must be easy
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