I've always wondered what people think about personalised plates.
Do you find them worth it? Have you seen any ridiculous ones?
Are they wanky? Are they douchey? Are they cool? A waste of money?
Please discuss.
Edit:
Do you think some number plates could increase the risk to your car being keyed or scratched?
I believe I have seen this car, unless it's a false memory.
someone in WA had CY8RTRK on a Honda Odyssey for a hwhile, they've since affixed them to a Tesla Model Y. Look forward to seeing it on their Cybertruck in 8 or so years (if it ever lands)
These are my fav too. such a waste of money
at least the days of having CIVIC or DATSUN or HYUNDAI right down teh side of their prized shit heap are over…
What car do you have?
Some of these can actually fetch quite alot of money - whether it is a specific car model or an engine (eg. RB26). heritage plates are on a whole different level
Depends on which styles you get and what abilities it can give you. It was totally worth it when you could get brown letters on a black plate. You could barely see the number plate despite standing close to it.
The issue I have with many of them - it means something to the owner, but nobody else on earth can work out what the letters are tryin to say
theres a blacked out bmw near my work that has 'dangerzone' (some letters missing dont remember which ones exactly)
everyday i drive pass i think LANAAAAA LANNAAAAA - DANGERZONEEEEE!
(or alternatively kenny loggins dangerzone plays in back of mind - HIGHWAYYYYY TO THE DANGER ZONEEEEE)
Prob DNGRZN unless they payed for extra letters
haha just checked for my own interest, yeah its what you said, but with an E at the end.
100k car, might as well pay extra right
I've always wondered what people think about personalised plates.
Always ?
Always and forever.
Literally every moment of every day.
Lives inside rent-free.
I remember seeing this combination on a new VY ute about 20 years ago.
My initial thought - "no one cares what year you graduated university gramps"
A few moments later - "Niiiiiice"
I'm guessing it's been recalled after VicRoads had a big crack down on possibly offensive plates several years back.
I remember seeing this combination
VicRoads had a big crack down on possibly offensive plates
They got offended that some born in 1969 went to University???
What is this world coming to….
Something's coming there, alright
Or the ute crashed shortly after you saw it ;)
Edit: did you take them up on their offer?
"Or the ute crashed shortly after you saw it ;"
Went 'A' over 'T'
'crack down'
I see what you did there.
Knew a block that owned a second hand car yard years ago. He drove a Roller. Number plate IAM469
This one in NSW does not come up as a valid rego yet taken.
It was many years ago.
I checked a rego I had in the 80s. That is also available.
I've seen "B8MAN" (or something like this) on a Toyota i think, black with the Batman logo on the plate.. my kids saw it and were like "who is BAITMAN"?
You Like Huey Lewis And The News?
It's purely subjective. People do it to add a personalised touch to their car.
If your wife wants to get one, let her. Happy wife, happy life.
Happy wife, happy life.
fallacy
Unhappy wife, unhappy life
Used to have one, not anymore.
They make your vehicle easier to spot and identify. You dont even have to be a wank to attract a nutter - simply drving at the limit is enough to have someone follow you home.
So now we have a commonplace car and banal plates. There's safety in anonymity.
Lol, I'd love to see your reaction when you discover the heritage plate market
They're super cringey IMHO. Same level as "my family" stickers. I bought a car that had some and immediately replaced them.
saw a tesla with "NOCO2"
May as well have said BSWGN
The search and mining/processing for lithium, and waste generated by defunct cars, will negate all gains by battery power (and then some)
Sure, but you do know oil is a finite resource that we're using up rapidly and is only going to keep becoming scarcer and more expensive? What are you going to do when we run out of oil smartass?
sure
Your personal attack aside. You do actually agree. And I think therefore you'd also agree it's not my problem to solve. Because capitalism controls everything including the planets survival, it's up to the collective strategy of a species who places things above survival.(of all life forms)
Smartass's aren't the problem. Dum asses are.(apathy/ignorance/greed)
Humans stopped thinking things through long ago. Here we are. Trying to triage the multiple layers of stupidity we have created.
You do actually agree. And I think therefore you'd also agree it's not my problem to solve. Because capitalism controls everything including the planets survival, it's up to the collective strategy of a species who places things above survival.(of all life forms)
Yes, agreed. You're the one contradicting yourself here.
You are saying:
1) Capitalism will control everything - i.e. electric vehicles will be produced, sold, and bought if the economics of it are such that it is beneficial for all parties. The fact that EVs are on the market now are an example of this precisely working.
Then you are also saying:
2) The search and mining/processing for lithium, and waste generated by defunct cars, will negate all gains by battery power (and then some)
However, to the people who are purchasing EVs, obviously the search, mining and processing for lithium are factored into the battery cost, and hence the EV cost, and the economics still work out that they are better (i.e. they do not negate the gains by battery power). If the economics did not work out better, then EVs would not be able to be profitably manufactured and sold.
Twisted yourself into a pretzel now?
@p1 ama: I said SFA about benefiting all parties. Capitalism doesn't come close to that in the real world.
Factor in environmental cost. Exploration,mining,transport,usage,expiration,end of life disposal(whatever format-dump or reuse)
My points are about UNSUSTAINABILTY, I don't care about the deal stacking up $$, because it matters not in the BIG picture. But to claim there's a nett benefit on an overpopulated planet ($$ or co2)
There's too many of us now. Period. What we drive going fwd is moot. But EVs are as far from carbon neutral in the same picture as coal. It's as delusional as saying we can continue to use fire to reduce bushfire risk as we clear forest. 2 double whammy mega carbon production regimes we perceive as smart
Pretzel Logic
Sure, but you do know oil is a finite resource that we're using up rapidly and is only going to keep becoming scarcer and more expensive? What are you going to do when we run out of oil smartass?
They also said that in the 90s.
If the governments of the world actually cared about clean energy and the "oil crisis" and "peak oil", instead of telling us they care and taxing shit more, they would have built ITER in 5 years instead of 20 and we'd probably have net positive fusion actually generating power right now. It often takes a decade+ for advancements in fusion to even be tested at small scale. We've known fusion is obviously possible but have basically sat on it for decades, and what work was funded was tied up in endless political knots. You can decide if that is a deliberate move due to corporate-government ties, or whether a lot of smart people are actually just inept.
Nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide. Nice.
Actually Nitric Oxide.
Hnnnng cyclic GMP.
If you live in a state where it's a one-off fee, then go for it.
WTF4
FKNSW
Vanity.
Honestly, complete waste of money, but if they put in some thought and it gives every driver behind them a little smirk, I don't mind spreading a bit of happiness.
I've got one of the really commonly-used and simple internet acronyms. I wasn't expecting this when I got it, but often when I'm stopped as the first car at the lights and there's people crossing, you can see people pointing it out to their friends and laughing. It's funny to see while in the car.
They're awesome.
When I got hit and runned on my bicycle I only got a quick glimpse at the perpetrator before they sped off.
Fortunately they had a personalized numberplate that was a simple word that was easy to remember.
I hope the proverbial book was thrown at them.
Unfortunately not, although she was very apologetic and paid for the damage to my bike without argument .
The police said as I wasn't badly injured it was a civil matter between us.
Pffft, hit and run is hit and run. Police fail there. Bad luck btw, sorry it happened to you.
I came off once when I was 17 on mt glorious in Brisbane and after untangling myself from the pedals a decent sized vehicle came past less than 30 seconds later. Was glad it was no closer!
Can't get the gift plate for my brother, Nick's V8, for some reason.
Can't understand what's wrong with 4NICK8.
Are they wanky? Are they douchey? Are they cool? A waste of money? Yes, yes, yes and yes.
Well it depends. It's ok to have a douchey plate in WA as it's a one off fee. Where here in NSW it's up to $499 a year. Can be as low as $121 if you have 3 letters and 3 numbers.
I've always resisted. I prefer the actual plate being custom with a random plate number.
They're also known as vanity plates for a reason!
And when driving with my daughter one day, we spotted a car with the numberplate 'PAED'.
We hoped it was a doctor and not the alternative…
People buy them because they are middle class status symbols in a society of conspicuous consumption. They scream, "Look at me, I'm bourgeoisie, look at how superior I am".
What about heritage plates, reckon they are owned by middle class?
IYKYK
Most people wouldn't bat a eye seeing one of the streets, but many would be worth more than the average families cars put together.
Or houses lol
Heritage/Numerics are where its at.
Had mine 8 years. Value is 8 times what i paid for it (conservatively.. maybe even 10x). Hope it keeps going lol.
So you want a plate that says
Comisr
they are middle class status symbols
no they aren't..
Do you find them worth it?
Yes
Have you seen any ridiculous ones?
Yes
Are they wanky?
Yes
Are they douchey?
Yes
Are they cool?
Yes
A waste of money?
Yes
Do you think some number plates could increase the risk to your car being keyed or scratched?
Yes
Are Personalised Number Plates Pointless or Worth It?
Totally up to the person, its like buying fluffy dice to hang from the mirror, totally pointless, but meh you do you. So if it makes you happy, so be it.
Are they wanky? Are they douchey? Are they cool? A waste of money? - Yes.
Do you think some number plates could increase the risk to your car being keyed or scratched? - Apparently yes, some people get jealous, pissed off.. Who knows the reason but they do seem to attract bad attention… Then again. Maybe these people have enemies and thier custom plates are known.
I don't have personalized plates but I do have the Japanese style plate on my Toyota Crown. Mostly because standard Victorian plates don't fit correctly.
I also have slimline plates on my Caprice but again not custom they just fit better.
completely personal choice, obviously they have absolutely zero value, but many things in life are that way, same with putting racing stripes on your car. I would certainly never pay a cent for personalised plates, but I also wouldn't raise an eyebrow for someone that does (unless they are already struggling financially).
and yes if you decide to be an Ahole, smug or showoff with the personalised plate I would think it would make you a target.
I personally don’t have custom number plates, but then and again, I drive a Toyota Camry.
Ultimately, the cost is irrelevant. People spend so much more money than they really need to on their cars. Does your Mercedes Benz GLA 250 really provide you with 2x the value that a Toyota RAV 4 does? Probably not.
It’s another case of people spending money to show that they have money to spend - similar to designer brands, expensive cars, plastic surgery…etc. I used to think that all of these people were compensating. Now I just don’t really care anymore.
Now I just don’t really care anymore.
You're not alone
Why not be clever and get
OZBCAR
Just the best plate for a Camry
1H8MYX
Seen quite a few years ago in WA.
I had to go through PPQ to get black and white plates but kept my rego number. It matches my car better and I hate the Queensland maroon plates so it was worth it to me. Couldn’t give a crap what anyone else thinks and doubt they give a crap either.
I have a couple of Mustangs and I prefer standard issue black and white. Cars (absolutely stock) stand out enough
Few things look more authentic to enthusiasts than a classic with original era registration plates
pointless
If its your thing do it, but they're a rip IMO.
But I am impressed with double or triple letter digit number plates, don't know why but looking at a number plate with 2 or 3 characters is interesting.
The only ‘personalised’ plate I would consider is a Non-standard size / colour plate so it fits the car better etc. e.g Jdm one to fit an imported car that doesn’t have room for the usual plates
Sure, worth it if you want them and don’t mind the cost. I’ve had personalised plates on my cars since i had my P’s many years ago.
Today, both of my cars have full personalised plates and they look great IMO.
There is a Tesla in my area with the custom plates of ONCOAL. I do have a bit of a chuckle.
most what i’ve seen are useless ones that really shows of the character… except for few where they were business names which seemed ok to me.
We owned 455OLE. Had to justify it years later saying something about it representing a chevy 455 engine i think. Got to keep them. Gave them away to a relative when we registered the car in NSW later.
If they make people happy then there is a point to it.
saw in Canberra ~10 years ago on a 1970s crapped out Torana with the cliched dragging exhaust:
"H8MYEX"
Had neighbours in USA and the wife was named SUSAN, she had personalised plates of her name.
With her husband they owned and small company that made nut/bolts and screws, etc. The husband had personalised plates of SCREWS.
So, when they parked their cars side by side in the driveway and you read the number plates it said……………………………..
Depending on the order they park, maybe the husband liked Susan Screwing.
Close, it read SUSAN SCREWS
Yeah, I got that. But maybe it is sometimes Susan Screws……….
I’ve got personalised plates. I like my car, and I like the way the plates look on the car, rather than the maroon plates you get in QLD.
Are they a waste of money? Arguably yes. People waste money in lots of ways tho. Do what makes you happy.
Maybe if you’re advertising a business on your car, personalised plates could be “worth it” from an investment perspective.
They made sense if the extra revenue raised by their sale is used to lower rego costs for regular plates. I doubt this is the case though.
My wifes got one total wast of time and money in my opinion though.
I saw SMUG on a Prius some years ago.
A lot of cost for something you can't see. So your really only doing it so someone else can see it..
nothing screams louder "TOSSER" or "TWAT" than a personalised licence plate. its the equivalent to people buying fake labeld items just for show.. when they acually dont have any real cred
Yep. IMHO they all read W4NKER
Not sure what other states are like but here in WA there's heaps of different styles of plates from full personalised acrylic ones to series where you don't get to choose the letters & numbers as you just get the next one off the list but they are different colour and or slimline. All are one of cost though. I've got slimline platinum plates which are the cheapest slimline option black with white lettering & numbers, I got those for a one off $160 fee as they look much better on my white car then large white with blue letters & numbers that is the WA standard plate. My neighbour has the most expensive high end acrylic plate on his Golf R that start at $1500, personally I think the plate series I have would look better on the Golf.
Waste of money IMHO. I don't look at a personalised plate and think it's cool, I just think about the $$ that person wasted.
I can't imagine too many people other than the owner of the car think that it's cool either.
Another consideration is the need to stick to the road rules a lot better than someone who doesn't have a personalised plate. It makes it far easier to dob you into the cops for your sh*tty driving than someone who doesn't have one, especially given that a good chunk of people who have a personalised plate have a distinctive vehicle that not many other people drive.
It's a way to redistribute money from the dumb and vain (or filthy rich) to others.
Either way I think it's great.
They're great for lots of reasons although lots of people with a State number plate don't seem to like people or vehicles being different.
They want everyone to conform to what's normal.
In Tas we just make one lifetime payment for the personalised plate and can transfer it from vehicle to vehicle, the rego costs the same.
So don't be boring, express yourself, humour works well, make the boring people smile.
Some plates are pretty good for collection because of their rarity and also for long team investment. According to Instagram handler @signatureplatesaus VIC plate Q was sold for $630,500.00 in 2022, even though official record was $350K. The plate was release in 2010 and was obtained in auction for $50,000.00. Seems like pretty good investment? IMHO
agree.. although I'm pretty sure I've seen TSLA on a CX5