New - The things that really annoy you

[Keef]

Being the dull person I am

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

We have two plates a year. 14 puts it in the first six months of 2014. 64 would be the second six months.

 

[The Bear]

Being the dull person I am View attachment 7415

Interesting.

Her plate was SE so it must have been first registered in Glasgow.

She lives in Liverpool apparently (but had no accent) and was visiting friends down here. She's driving back today so was lucky her car is still driveable.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Being the dull person I am View attachment 7415

I’m even duller - I’d already memorised most of them! Number plates seem to trigger some sort of OCD and always found them interesting as a kid.

These new style (new as in 2001 onwards) are pretty rubbish though, the 2 letter local office code only shows where it was first registered and even that can be many miles from where the first registered owner lives/lived and generally has no relevance to subsequent owners, and the second 6 month segment of the twice a year number identifier looks crap too.

Daft how much of an effect on the appearance of a car the plate has but it does. Why the private plate business is as big as it is I guess.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Big thing is one more letter on a standard plate so they reduced the font size. Did they change the reading test distance? Nope.

 

[BillyDee]

It's so weird that the driving test is as modern as the hazard perception test, yet the eye is test is just read that plate over there...

 

[PuntsWolf]

It was 7 numbers/letters before and is now 7 numbers/letter again?

Y123 ABC previously and now BC12 DEF?

 

[leedswolf]

We have two plates a year. 14 puts it in the first six months of 2014. 64 would be the second six months.

No, if only it was so logical.
14 puts it between March and August 2014.
63 puts it between Sept 13 and Feb 14.
64 from Sep 14 to Feb 15.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Funnily enough had some private plates made up on Thursday and never even considered the font size.

Always assumed when new/replacement plates are made the font size and character shape has to meet the current standards and can’t be made as per the original spec.

 

[EpsomWolf]

It was 7 numbers/letters before and is now 7 numbers/letter again?

Y123 ABC previously and now BC12 DEF?

The previous plates (Letter representing the year(s)) had the potential to be from 5 to 7 numbers/letters. The current ones can only be 7.

Not sure if there’s any relevance in that but must admit I didn’t think there was a change in font size at the time.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Never understood why anyone would want private plates.

 

[leedswolf]

Never understood why anyone would want private plates.

Jonzy has 4 sets, apparently.

 

[PuntsWolf]

The previous plates (Letter representing the year(s)) had the potential to be from 5 to 7 numbers/letters. The current ones can only be 7.

Not sure if there’s any relevance in that but must admit I didn’t think there was a change in font size at the time.

Quick google tells me thst the only thing that changed was the character width from 57mm to 50mm but all other dimensions remained the same (height, stroke width, spacing), and the font style changed slightly to make it clearer to read and for ANPR

 

[EpsomWolf]

Never understood why anyone would want private plates.

I get that, but I think most of it is vanity even though it’s sometimes awkward to admit. Even putting a cheap private plate on to disguise the age of a car has the same underpinnings.

Cars are status symbols whether we like it or not and the plate notches it up another level too. Fair play to those genuinely not bothered but the scale of the private plate market suggests a lot of people are.

When the DVLA started knocking out private plates online a few years back the market went crazy. Too many crappy ones out there now imo but each to their own.

 

[BillyDee]

There's tons of cherished transfers out there, even just matching the last three letters with the owners initials.

 

[leedswolf]

There's tons of cherished transfers out there, even just matching the last three letters with the owners initials.

WW 51 WBA being THE one...

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I get that, but I think most of it is vanity even though it’s sometimes awkward to admit. Even putting a cheap private plate on to disguise the age of a car has the same underpinnings.

Cars are status symbols whether we like it or not and the plate notches it up another level too. Fair play to those genuinely not bothered but the scale of the private plate market suggests a lot of people are.

When the DVLA started knocking out private plates online a few years back the market went crazy. Too many crappy ones out there now imo but each to their own.

It all just seems a bit pointless in my eyes.

Say you want to disguise the age of the car as you suggest, I'd guess most people who would care enough about that could probably identify the age of the car within a couple of years even in spite of the plate.

You go for something like initials, as a few of my family members have, then it just looks no different to a standard plate generally so seems rather pointless, can't say I've ever struggled to remember which car is mine without my initials plastered over it.

Think what throws me most though, as I'd consider vanity the main driver as you say, is that they make essentially zero impact on the aesthetic of the car. The ugliest thing about reg plates is the big white/yellow statutory box you have to have slapped on your car. No tweaking of letters and numbers does anything to better that issue, unless you go for an illegal plate like a berk, so why not spend that money on something that does actually make a difference?

 

[sycophantia]

Never understood why anyone would want private plates.

Ego, or what used to be called 'showing off' mostly I think.

 

[sycophantia]

I'm loving this numberplate thread BTW.
Think area code letters changed a few years ago didn't they? (A few years ago could mean up to 25). For example FD used mean registered in Dudley. Now according to Keefs table it's Nottingham.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Over here I think most plates are 6 figures. Usually three letters and three numbers but you can have more or less, and pretty much anything you want as long as no other vehicle in the state has the same. Registration charge for a less than regular plate is more expensive though.(Bul 306 appears to be available in QLD)