2013 Reg Number

RandomAccess

CiniO wrote: »

I said on this forum many times before that IMHO the best system for Ireland would be ABC123
Three letters, three numbers
That gives 17 million combinations which is more that Ireland will ever need.
It's only 6 character long number so it's easy to read (and that's the main purpose of numberplates).

Indicating year of first registration on numberplate is just dumb IMO.
Having a county indicated, where it doesn't change with the owner doesn't make much sense either, as most cars change it's first owner after 3 maybe 4 years, and very often next owner is from different county.
I live in Mayo, but I assume MO regs are not the majority here...

So simple ABC123 system would be ideal.

Would that not get confusing with the NI plates being similar?
I suppose we could use a different colour?

CiniO

RandomAccess wrote: »

Would that not get confusing with the NI plates being similar?
I suppose we could use a different colour?

I never thought about it.
Maybe 123ABC then.
But still it could be confused with Spanish

Anyway - it doesn't really matter. No one is going to change it...

I know some people here like Irish registration system, as it's very clear and lucid. Year - Country - consequent number.
And it's nice indeed, but drawback is that it produces numberplates with big number of characters, and therefore they are hard to read or remember when someone is running away. And that's actually the main reason for numberplates being displayed on cars.

IMHO numberplates should be only for identification purposes, and shouldn't contain any additional info.

I like Spanish system - they've got 1234ABC. And it just goes randomly, so you can't tell how old is the car or where was it registered.

Jordan537

i personally hate the irish system. Having the year of the car is utter ****e!

for instance. If you have a porchse or ferrari or something and the number plate says 00-D-29329 it just makes it look crap because its a 00 car.

the first thing everyone looks at when they see a car is the plates over here to check the year. i hate it!

For Forks Sake

Jordan537 wrote: »

i personally hate the irish system. Having the year of the car is utter ****e!

for instance. If you have a porchse or ferrari or something and the number plate says 00-D-29329 it just makes it look crap because its a 00 car.

I think not, reg plate is last thing you'd be noticing..

Schorpio

So it would seem it's official. I know we've known about it for quite some time, but it was announced with the budget.

NFD100

Bet they haven't standardised fonts. We're the only country that allows whatever you want as long as the size is ok.

Silvera

CiniO wrote: »

I never thought about it.
Maybe 123ABC then.
But still it could be confused with Spanish

Anyway - it doesn't really matter. No one is going to change it...

I know some people here like Irish registration system, as it's very clear and lucid. Year - Country - consequent number.
And it's nice indeed, but drawback is that it produces numberplates with big number of characters, and therefore they are hard to read or remember when someone is running away. And that's actually the main reason for numberplates being displayed on cars.

IMHO numberplates should be only for identification purposes, and shouldn't contain any additional info.

I like Spanish system - they've got 1234ABC. And it just goes randomly, so you can't tell how old is the car or where was it registered.

What you are suggesting is basically the pre-1987 Irish registration system
e.g. a Co. Kildare car reg from the early 1980's = 'NZW 401' (ZW = Kildare).

Not that I disagree with you. The pre-87 system was a good one - it didnt show the 'year' on the plate
...and hence didnt make a car appear 'dated' so soon (in the average persons eyes).

Guy:Incognito

Jordan537 wrote: »

i personally hate the irish system. Having the year of the car is utter ****e!

for instance. If you have a porchse or ferrari or something and the number plate says 00-D-29329 it just makes it look crap because its a 00 car.

the first thing everyone looks at when they see a car is the plates over here to check the year. i hate it!

Maybe we could switch to a letter and numbers reg and use a clever system that doesn't show age. I know, what about the first half of next year the reg is AB13CDE and the 2nd half can be AB63CDE?

_Kaiser_

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Maybe we could switch to a letter and numbers reg and use a clever system that doesn't show age. I know, what about the first half of next year the reg is AB13CDE and the 2nd half can be AB63CDE?

Not directed at you Guy, but more the general theory as it's often floated round here...

Why not get over this stupid "keepy uppy" immature attitude in general and just keep a system that (amazingly for this country) actually works WELL for a change - clear, easy to read and well established.

Pandering to the "but it shows the year on the plate.." brigade is just as bad as the "but 13 might be unlucky!" childishness that now has us with this new farcical setup! :mad:

Guy:Incognito

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Not directed at you Guy, but more the general theory as it's often floated round here...

Why not get over this stupid "keepy uppy" immature attitude in general and just keep a system that (amazingly for this country) actually works WELL for a change - clear, easy to read and well established.

Pandering to the "but it shows the year on the plate.." brigade is just as bad as the "but 13 might be unlucky!" childishness that now has us with this new farcical setup! :mad:

I'm a well stated supporter of our current (87-12 ) system. It's simple and has all the necessary info. I wouldn't (have) change(d) it.

Iwannahurl

What additional, or significant, information does the County code add, by the way?

As an aside, one of the most farcical things about the registration system is that you can fail your NCT for not displaying the county name in Irish. Unless that Gaeilgeor fetish has been dropped without my noticing...

Gael23

Will this have any impact on depreciation at all?

dgt

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Maybe we could switch to a letter and numbers reg and use a clever system that doesn't show age?

I.E pre 87

seamus

ryanf1 wrote: »

Will this have any impact on depreciation at all?

Your car with it's 132 reg will have only depreciated 40% in January 2016, and 50% in July.

R.O.R

ryanf1 wrote: »

Will this have any impact on depreciation at all?

Probably, but only only a slight adjustment. Only time will tell really.

djimi

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Maybe we could switch to a letter and numbers reg and use a clever system that doesn't show age. I know, what about the first half of next year the reg is AB13CDE and the 2nd half can be AB63CDE?

Would that really make much difference? People will simply look at the registration date instead of the reg plate to determine the age of the car.

I think the fascination with the year/age of a car is too ingrained in the psyche of the Irish motorist at this stage. Changing the number plate system entirely isnt really going to help much. The change that they have made for 2013 is not going to improve matters at all, as I can honestly see the surge to buy new cars shift from January to July so that people can get the "newer" xx2 plate.

R.O.R

djimi wrote: »

Would that really make much difference? People will simply look at the registration date instead of the reg plate to determine the age of the car.

I think the fascination with the year/age of a car is too ingrained in the psyche of the Irish motorist at this stage. Changing the number plate system entirely isnt really going to help much. The change that they have made for 2013 is not going to improve matters at all, as I can honestly see the surge to buy new cars shift from January to July so that people can get the "newer" xx2 plate.

It's not going to be a huge surge, and it's not going to sell any more cars in the year, but hopefully what it will do is even sales out a bit more over the year than currently.

At the moment you have staff in the dealers running around like mad things for the 3/4 months of the year and sitting there scratching their b0llocks for the rest of the year. Makes it very difficult for dealerships to get staffing levels correct. With the change it should spread things out a bit more evenly.

djimi

R.O.R wrote: »

It's not going to be a huge surge, and it's not going to sell any more cars in the year, but hopefully what it will do is even sales out a bit more over the year than currently.

At the moment you have staff in the dealers running around like mad things for the 3/4 months of the year and sitting there scratching their b0llocks for the rest of the year. Makes it very difficult for dealerships to get staffing levels correct. With the change it should spread things out a bit more evenly.

Will it not just mean that instead of having 4 busy months at the start of the year and 8 quieter months, there will now be 2 lots of 2 busy and 4 quiet months? In other words, it may break things up a little but I cant really see it changing anything. I dont see too many people buying a new car from March when they know that they can get the newer plate in July, and likewise from September when the next year is only a few months away.

rochestown

Silvera wrote: »

This would effectively revert to the pre-1987 system, maybe based as follows: Co, Wicklow = 'WW-1, WW-2, WW-3'....etc etc etc.. being issued - perhaps giving drivers their own specific registration for life ...as is the case in Switzerland!

Good idea and they could charge for the privilege to have your own personalised plate... another revenue generating idea... i like it...

R.O.R

djimi wrote: »

Will it not just mean that instead of having 4 busy months at the start of the year and 8 quieter months, there will now be 2 lots of 2 busy and 4 quiet months? In other words, it may break things up a little but I cant really see it changing anything. I dont see too many people buying a new car from March when they know that they can get the newer plate in July, and likewise from September when the next year is only a few months away.

Next year, I think we'll still see the "busy" period of Jan - April, more of a lul for May & June than in the past couple of years, a slight increase in July & August (compared to the past couple of years) and lower from September onwards than we are used to.

I think over the coming years, as people get more used to the system, I do think we'll see a more even spread of registrations throughout the year. According to UK colleagues their lull is about 2 weeks before the reg changes in March and September, but the rest of the year is more or less constants.

While we still have a year identifier on plates, I don't think we'll ever get to an even spread and the year will always be "front loaded", if it does help to spread sales throughout the year, it can only be a good thing.

djimi

I think its a bit optimistic to expect people in this country to buy a new car in April or even March when in 2-3 months they will be able to get a newer plate which will not doubt be perceived to be more valuable. Maybe over time peoples attitudes might change, but I for the next few years I just dont see it.

The UK have a somewhat different mindset to reg plates compared to the Irish reg plate snobbery, dont they?

To be honest Im only making observations from the outside as I dont work in the motor industry, so I may well be wrong and this new system might make a difference. I just dont see it doing much other than spreading the issue over two 6 month period rather than one 12 month period, and just giving the sales a bit of a kick in the middle of the year while shortening the early year rush on sales.

R.O.R

djimi wrote: »

I just dont see it doing much other than spreading the issue over two 6 month period rather than one 12 month period, and just giving the sales a bit of a kick in the middle of the year while shortening the early year rush on sales.

Even spreading it over 2x6 month periods rather than 1x12 month period is better than it is now.

I do fear that it may be too late for some dealers though. Hearing some very scary stories about how little some folk have on order for 2013.

Bigus

If this was to work the irish gov should exactly copy the uk example , it would be best way to encourage car sales at the end of the year.

So jan 13 to July. 131 D 1234 as proposed
And change to 141 D 1234 in July 13 not a silly 132 plate which means nothing and is of no additional attraction compared to 131.

yes still 2013 but have the benefit of a 14 plate near the end of the year 13

and leave it (141)run til Dec 13 and then in jan 14 go 142 and in

July 14 it'd switch to 151 D 1234 and so on .......
just like the uk car where an 09 car can be either 09 or 10

Backfire

Bigus wrote: »

If this was to work the irish gov should exactly copy the uk example , it would be best way to encourage car sales at the end of the year.

So jan 13 to July. 131 D 1234 as proposed
And change to 141 D 1234 in July 13 not a silly 132 plate which means nothing and is of no additional attraction compared to 131.

yes still 2013 but have the benefit of a 14 plate near the end of the year 13

and leave it (141)run til Dec 13 and then in jan 14 go 142 and in

July 14 it'd switch to 151 D 1234 and so on .......
just like the uk car where an 09 car can be either 09 or 10

Why does the number plate matter so much to people?
Besides the obvious indication of its age.

I'd rather a 08' bmw car with low mileage, all the extras and new service and nct, than a 131 basic version of a car model with no extras, for the same price. (neither which I can afford :rolleyes:)

A number plate is just a number plate to me, I drive a 1996 vehicle, doesn't bother me in the slightest that it has '96' on it.

The actual year and number plate is the last thing I check when purchasing a second hand car.

Bigus

Backfire wrote: »

Why does the number plate matter so much to people?
Besides the obvious indication of its age.

I'd rather a 08' bmw car with low mileage, all the extras and new service and nct, than a 131 basic version of a car model with no extras, for the same price. (neither which I can afford :rolleyes:)

A number plate is just a number plate to me, I drive a 1996 vehicle, doesn't bother me in the slightest that it has '96' on it.

The actual year and number plate is the last thing I check when purchasing a second hand car.

It matters to people buying new cars and not just snobbery, would you register a new car in December or wait til January ? Honestly

Backfire

Bigus wrote: »

It matters to people buying new cars and not just snobbery, would you register a new car in December or wait til January ? Honestly

Personally I wouldn't purchase a new car period.

But to answer your question, I would register it in december.
Why?....because when I buy something, like a car, I don't instantly wonder about its re-sale value.
Why is it strange to purchase a car with the intention of driving it for at least a decade?
Also, the re-sale value of a vehicle SHOULD be dependent on its mechanical properties, condition, features (use-able features!) and not the number plate.

Unfortunately, the number plate has a major bearing on its so-called 'market value', which is not logical.

Bigus

Backfire wrote: »

Unfortunately, the number plate has a major bearing on its so-called 'market value', which is not logical.

QED

How is this not logical ??????????????

Also somebody , has to buy new cars in order for you to purchase one secondhand down the line , other wise you would be forced to buy a new one or walk.

One of the reasons people buy new cars is the fact that they are worth a certain value after 2 or 3 years, by this logic new car buyers are very sensitive to their plates as it determines what you will pay for the car eventually ...perfectly logical to me.

To use your example
2008 320 d BMW 50km silver extras d reg say 10000
2009 320 d BMW 50 km silver same extras say 11500
And to prove a point a 2010 same could be worth 16000

Whats illogical ?

Backfire

Bigus wrote: »

QED

How is this not logical ??????????????

Also somebody , has to buy new cars in order for you to purchase one secondhand down the line , other wise you would be forced to buy a new one or walk.

One of the reasons people buy new cars is the fact that they are worth a certain value after 2 or 3 years, by this logic new car buyers are very sensitive to their plates as it determines what you will pay for the car eventually ...perfectly logical to me.

To use your example
2008 320 d BMW 50km silver extras d reg say 10000
2009 320 d BMW 50 km silver same extras say 11500
And to prove a point a 2010 same could be worth 16000

Whats illogical ?

I apologise for my poor wording of the point I was trying to make.

I wanted to state (putting it bluntly) that the number reg should not have the LARGE bearing on the price as it does here in Ireland.

For instance, according to you, a 2008 bmw 320d, is 10K, a 2009 is 11,500.
In my opinion, the price between the two (IF ALL THE OTHER ASPECTS ARE IDENTICAL), should only be about €500 to €1K max.

In your example, there is 1500 difference....

But in reality, there is often several thousands.

This is the illogical aspect of it to me in my opinion.

There is a huge list of factors to consider and thus determine, the true value of a vehicle. The number plate should be the last on the list.

Bigus

Backfire wrote: »

I apologise for my poor wording of the point I was trying to make.

I wanted to state (putting it bluntly) that the number reg should not have the LARGE bearing on the price as it does here in Ireland.

For instance, according to you, a 2008 bmw 320d, is 10K, a 2009 is 11,500.

There is a huge list of factors to consider and thus determine, the true value of a vehicle. The number plate should be the last on the list.

Thanks for the apologies, it's frustrating I know.

Your point about the uk is completely valid and highlights the whole logic of trying to adjust the plate sequencing here so that year date becomes a bit less influential on values and hence January rush and early year demand.

However unless the Irish government issues 14 plates in late 2013 a 132 plate will make shag all difference to 131 both in value and therefore demand , as I exampled above.

But you hit the nail on the head about how plates here mean a larger discrepancy to the uk regarding a particular year.

Private plates also fill the gap In the uk for people who are anal about years but this option doesn't apply here exaggerating the anomalies in values.

Backfire

Bigus wrote: »

Thanks for the apologies, it's frustrating I know.

Your point about the uk is completely valid and highlights the whole logic of trying to adjust the plate sequencing here so that year date becomes a bit less influential on values and hence January rush and early year demand.

However unless the Irish government issues 14 plates in late 2013 a 132 plate will make shag all difference to 131 both in value and therefore demand , as I exampled above.

But you hit the nail on the head about how plates here mean a larger discrepancy to the uk regarding a particular year.

Private plates also fill the gap In the uk for people who are anal about years but this option doesn't apply here exaggerating the anomalies in values.

Thanks for your understanding and calm reply (I did sound like I 'knew it all' and exerting anger for no reason...maybe its because I am poor )

But on topic...
When you say issue 14 plates late in the year, do you mean for use BEFORE January 1st?
Also you state that cars with '132' plates will have little difference in value to the '131' plates, that may be so...but this is Ireland. I would not be surprised if you do see significant differences, mainly implemented deliberately by dealers (nationwide).

The vanity associated with number plates has profound impacts on car sales and deals, do not expect that to disappear overnight due to the implementation of this new number plate system.