Old Reg

deckie27

Hi I'm buying an old car
Is there any checks i can do on the reg to make sure the car matches the car registered to the number plate?
The reg is 7*** ZI ----1973 ?

Cheers
Dec

Esel

Motor Tax Office should be able to confirm this for you, as long as you're not looking for owner's details etc. Reg sounds about right for year anyway. What's the likliehood of it being wrong?

mustang68

there is a website for irish regs, cartell.ie you might be able to run it through there.

(As an aside why do people feel the need to blank out registration numbers/plates? Its done on TV so that stalkers won't be following famous people. This question is to no one in particular, just a thought)

Blue850

mustang68 wrote:

(As an aside why do people feel the need to blank out registration numbers/plates? Its done on TV so that stalkers won't be following famous people. This question is to no one in particular, just a thought)

The seller has been happy enough to show the entire reg of the car for the past month on the buy and sell website:D

PaulK_CCI

mustang68 wrote:

(As an aside why do people feel the need to blank out registration numbers/plates? Its done on TV so that stalkers won't be following famous people. This question is to no one in particular, just a thought)

This is a practise that is quite common on the Continent and in the UK to avoid "Car/Registration cloning". This is where somebody goes looking for the same type of car being offered somewhere for sale, preferably in the same colour, and nicks the regnumber, get plates made up, and sticks it onto his or her own car. Any parking fine, speeding ticket, tax dodging or other criminal activity is suddenly very swiftly avoided as the ticket is sent to the actual owner of the reg. Because the model and colour is similar, it won;t raise suspicion when a policeman runs a check on the reg. This is easy to do in Ireland, because you can go into any motorfactors and get a set of plates made up! Here in the Netherlands, that is much more difficult as you cannot have plates made up for you, unless you hand over the registration documents!!!
Another reason for blanking out the number, is so that noone can actually use the reg details for an electronic car checkup. In some countries you can run the reg number in the central database, to find out when it was last registered in someone's name (but never the personal details of the owner), if it has a valid MOT, etc etc... Some people find it annoying that anyone can just get to this information and rather blank out the number.

mustang68

PaulK_CCI wrote:

This is a practise that is quite common on the Continent and in the UK to avoid "Car/Registration cloning".

So this is really a mute point in ireland with classic cars as I doubt many people would be trying to clone our classics.

PaulK_CCI wrote:

Another reason for blanking out the number, is so that noone can actually use the reg details for an electronic car checkup. In some countries you can run the reg number in the central database, to find out when it was last registered in someone's name (but never the personal details of the owner), if it has a valid MOT, etc etc... Some people find it annoying that anyone can just get to this information and rather blank out the number.

I suppose that this is valid, however I still can't understand: When I go out in the Mustang I drive by hundreds of people with my reg in full view, not all of the people nice, I also have my insurance policy number and my tax amount printed on the car.

I think its just that we're happy to trust people on the street, but are terrified of "weirdos" on the internet.

2cv

PaulK_CCI wrote:

This is easy to do in Ireland, because you can go into any motorfactors and get a set of plates made up!

I don't think it's that easy to do in Ireland... True, you can get your plates made up no problem, but what about the tax disc? If you want to apply for a tax disc you need the original tax book for the car. The only option is driving around without tax, but you'll get cought sooner rather than later.

deckie27

Blue850 wrote:

The seller has been happy enough to show the entire reg of the car for the past month on the buy and sell website:D

Do you know the car?
What colour is it?

Dec

Dades

mustang68 wrote:

I think its just that we're happy to trust people on the street, but are terrified of "weirdos" on the internet.

Maybe its because people are overprotective of their 'anonymity' on the internet. If you post your car and reg number in theory you could be tracked down.

But yeah - if you drive a shiny classic privacy seems kinda moot.

Wishbone Ash

PaulK_CCI wrote:

to avoid "Car/Registration cloning". This is where somebody goes looking for the same type of car being offered somewhere for sale, preferably in the same colour, and nicks the regnumber, get plates made up, and sticks it onto his or her own car.

Could they not just go into any car park and find a similar model and use it's reg?

mustang68

The Atheist wrote:

......seems kinda moot.

Sorry I left my grammar head at home today, moot point: http://www.greatrix.com/archives/000777.php

PaulK_CCI

I aggree, in that's there's not much point to do this in Ireland purely for 'dodging' tax and insurance! But I guess it's more benifical for people who are actively involved in stealing cars and disposing of them, even if it involves classics.

Suppose the thief or gang who stole the Tr4 recently.... He might have gotten away with things, if he had used the reg number of another green TR4that he could easily have tracked down somewhere on the internet, he then could have used the registration number of that car, to simply hide the fact that his car was in fact stolen. It would have even been possible to get onto a ferry without customs or police nabbing him with a stolen registration number.

2cv

Hi Paul,
I agree, but even if he manages to get the car out of the country without being noticed, he would still have to change the identity of the car because more than likely he won't have the tax book for it...

green-blood

easy

http://www.cartell.ie/

PaulK_CCI

2cv wrote:

Hi Paul,
I agree, but even if he manages to get the car out of the country without being noticed, he would still have to change the identity of the car because more than likely he won't have the tax book for it...

I'd say for a well oiled criminal, and if the car is valuable enough, that is just a small hurdle to overcome... you'd be amazed how easy it is for criminals to alter the identy of a car. Also please note, that people abroad could assume your car's identy, and pretend the car is Irish registered in France or Holland... Cops would generally not touch a foreign car for road tax or insurance. For that, they don't have to physically walk through parking lots and stuff to find a similar car, they can do this via the internet, looking through for sale adds...

Also I see a trend here on the continent that a lot of cars disappear to Eastern countries, new owners over there aren't too bothered about where the car came from and whether it comes with or without paperwork.

But it appears we are hi-jacking Deckie27's original thread, apologies

deckie27

Thanks Lads
Cartell has put my mind to rest


Its a beetle that has had a lot of mods and it was looking like a late 60's model with a 73 plate on it
But All seems good now

(PS Cartel Need to sort out the google keywords, I was on there site a few months ago but when I needed it google couldn't find it for me)

G Luxel

I recently purchased petrol and found an identical car to my own with identical plates bar one digit, which was a 6 and mine was 8.
both are saloons, both are the same colour and spec....
e.g 03 D 5689 + 03 D 5889

deckie27

I see so you drive a
Make FORD Model OTHER
LOL

Blue850

I remember reading about a pair of identical Alfas that were sold on the same day by the same dealer that were both fitted with the same reg no. in error, it was only found out by chance weeks later when the two cars happened to be parked side by side.

mustang68

deckie27 wrote:

I see so you drive a
Make FORD Model OTHER
LOL

Is that me?! Could be half the people here!!

I was in a mechanics once with the mustang and there was a custard coloured mgb there too, my reg is ZV 7452 and it was ZV 7453 :cool:

deckie27

G Luxel wrote:

I recently purchased petrol and found an identical car to my own with identical plates bar one digit, which was a 6 and mine was 8.
both are saloons, both are the same colour and spec....
e.g 03 D 5689 + 03 D 5889

Hi Mustang I was acctually talking about Luxel as above.