Can this reg be correct

07734

Hi

This might be a strange question, but I was on the way home this evening, and saw a car that had a reg plate 09d120xxx

Can this be right? There were hardly one hundred and twenty thousand registrations in 2009? My brother once had someone using his number plate on their car, he only found out when the Gardai let him know. But this is different, it's a number that makes no sense!

Thanks

crosstownk

Yep - it's an import.

Owen

It's the new number now for imports. There's a few threads on it. Do a search.

Paddy001

All imports are now getting numbers in the 120,000's, it was an idea from SIMI so we could tell the original irish ones from imports :rolleyes:

07734

Ah. Fair enough! Thanks, that was quick!!!

Matt Simis

07734 wrote: »

Ah. Fair enough! Thanks, that was quick!!!

Its asked like every 2wks! Just put any reg you want into Cartell.ie or MyWheels.ie and it would have confirmed if its legit or not.

Yakuza

I saw 90D120004 (an off-gold Sierra) in Airside (Dublin) a few weeks ago. It just looked odd. Hardly a week goes by here without a new thread about this dumbass reg system for imports, although I think it's only for 11D cars and before (as in the first 2012 car that is imported in 2013 will get the next reg in sequence, carrying over from 2012 - these numbers now coming from a new computer system that couldn't link in with the old one, so they pre-seeded its sequence with one large value for each county.

Nissan doctor

What'd dumb about it? We already have one of the simplest, clearest reg systems in the world and now you can instantly tell if a car is an import or not from the reg.

colm_mcm

Why would you need to know by the reg whether it was an import?

MarkK

colm_mcm wrote: »

Why would you need to know by the reg whether it was an import?

Why would you need to hide it?

dahamsta

For the love of god, someone reference the other threads and leave this to die. It's a retarded system, but it pales into insignificance in comparison to the discussions about it.

colm_mcm

But it's like saying if you have an import you need to put a marker on the car like it makes a difference. Surely the only person it matters to is the owner or someone buying it, it's on the vrc that it's imported, and anyone with half a brain could spot the mph folks for newer cars being different.

How about different reg numbers for damage repaired cars, or cars that have been stolen recovered, it's equally as ridiculous

BHP

Paddy001 wrote: »

All imports are now getting numbers in the 120,000's, it was an idea from SIMI so we could tell the original irish ones from imports :rolleyes:

Idea from SIMI; think not.

Chiparus

Nissan doctor wrote: »

What'd dumb about it? We already have one of the simplest, clearest reg systems in the world and now you can instantly tell if a car is an import or not from the reg.

why? so you can tell where the original owner of the car "claimed" to reside?

Nissan doctor

Chiparus wrote: »

why? so you can tell where the original owner of the car "claimed" to reside?

The fact that a car is an import has nothing to do with where the owner lived/said he lived.

The vast majority of Imported cars are owned by Irish people.

_Kaiser_

Ah come on lads.. we all know the reason behind this is for Irish dealers to be able to instantly knock-off some cash when you go to trade in your import.

Unless of course they're selling it to you - then it'll be about how the spec is higher, looked after better and so on. :rolleyes:

Pique

All cars sold in Ireland are imports, like, duuh :-)

CiniO

Nissan doctor wrote: »

What'd dumb about it? We already have one of the simplest, clearest reg systems in the world and now you can instantly tell if a car is an import or not from the reg.

What's so simple and clear in this system?
It allows to create 9 or even 10 character registration in the country where we have only 2 million (or slightly more) vehicles.
To make it simple you should use max 6 characters (f.e. 3 letters and 3 numbers).
Also except from instant info about first registration year (and sometimes approximate first registration month), you know nothing more really from reg no.

Alanstrainor

CiniO wrote: »

What's so simple and clear in this system?
It allows to create 9 or even 10 character registration in the country where we have only 2 million (or slightly more) vehicles.
To make it simple you should use max 6 characters (f.e. 3 letters and 3 numbers).
Also except from instant info about first registration year (and sometimes approximate first registration month), you know nothing more really from reg no.

What more do you want to know from a reg plate really though? Shortening the number of characters doesn't help anything. It can be done, but is there any reason...nope! The current system is very clear and gives you a lot of information in a clear and easy to read manner.

CiniO

Alanstrainor wrote: »

What more do you want to know from a reg plate really though?

If I could decide about registration plates, I would make sure they tell nothing.

Shortening the number of characters doesn't help anything. It can be done, but is there any reason...nope!

Less characters are easier to remember.
Surely for example AWD-259 should be easier to remember than 95-DL-94728

The current system is very clear and gives you a lot of information in a clear and easy to read manner.

It only really gives one informtion (year of first reg), and as I said it's even too much.
What other information does current system give you?

When you want to quickly read the numberplate on a car driving off (because that's what really number plates are for) I think the least the character, the easier to read it.

MarkK

CiniO wrote: »

Less characters are easier to remember.
Surely for example AWD-259 should be easier to remember than 95-DL-94728
.

No as 95-DL-94728
Tells me 1995 Donegal.

AWD-259 means nothing to me so I would not remember it.

CiniO

MarkK wrote: »

No as 95-DL-94728
Tells me 1995 Donegal.

And that leaves you with couple thousand variations assuming you remember only 95-DL as that's what most people do tend to remember.

AWD-259 means nothing to me so I would not remember it.

But you would be more likely to be able to read that from car driving off.
After reading that it's only few seconds to note it down or record you saying it on your phone.

IMHO it's always better to have the least characters as possible as this makes reg number easier to read quick. And that's what you need them for.

MarkK

CiniO wrote: »

And that leaves you with couple thousand variations assuming you remember only 95-DL as that's what most people do tend to remember.

Yep, which is better than nothing.

A sequence of random letters and numbers is not likely to be memorable.

CiniO

MarkK wrote: »

Yep, which is better than nothing.

A sequence of random letters and numbers is not likely to be memorable.

Definitely not memorable, but as I said - more important is to make it readable than memorable.


And even though it our example of 3 letters, 3 number, if you manage to remember just the 3 letters (f.e. AWD) - which should not be that difficult - then your variations are limited to 1000 only, while f.e. if you remember 01-D you will have over 100,000 variations AFAIK.

Yakuza

Just to clarify - I think our system is fine and logical compared to the one that was there pre-1987. The dumbassery I was referring to was the inability to set up the new system to carry on the number sequence from the old one, and they've left (in some cases) a gap of tens of thousands of reg numbers which doesn't sit right with me. It just smacks of some lazy-ass IT civil servants just doing the bare minimum to get this new system in place.

There are plenty of ways for mere mortals like myself to tell an import from an Irish car, and I'm sure Nissan Doctor could come up with several more

MarkK

CiniO wrote: »

And even though it our example of 3 letters, 3 number, if you manage to remember just the 3 letters (f.e. AWD) - which should not be that difficult - then your variations are limited to 1000 only, while f.e. if you remember 01-D you will have over 100,000 variations AFAIK.

The problem with your premise is that outside Dublin few counties reach 5 digits for reg numbers.

So I would agree that for Dublin, something like [year] D [digit][digit][letter][letter][letter] may be a good idea, but not necessary otherwise.

David09

Why is it necessary to even have the year on the plate? All this causes is snobbery and needless wastage. It's a bit like someone looking at my car and saying. Uh... Dave drives a 95. Huh, 17 years old, it must be heap of scrap...

In other words by having a year identifier, we are socially urged to buy new cars and thus create greater wastage at the bottom of the supply line all for reasons of vested commercial interests.

If there was no year identifier, people would be oblivious and snobbery wouldn't exist.

CiniO

David09 wrote: »

If there was no year identifier, people would be oblivious and snobbery wouldn't exist.

Even without first registration year printed on your plate, people would approximately know how old is your car. Certain models are produced only for few years - possibly few facelifts in the mean time, and then another model takes place.
So if you had f.e. Corsa B, people would know it's at least 12 years old, and possibly good bit older.

Guy:Incognito

David09 wrote: »

Why is it necessary to even have the year on the plate? All this causes is snobbery and needless wastage. It's a bit like someone looking at my car and saying. Uh... Dave drives a 95. Huh, 17 years old, it must be heap of scrap...

In other words by having a year identifier, we are socially urged to buy new cars and thus create greater wastage at the bottom of the supply line all for reasons of vested commercial interests.

If there was no year identifier, people would be oblivious and snobbery wouldn't exist.

Why do you care so much about what everyone else thinks? You say its other peoples snobbery yet its you that seems to have the problem that people know how old your car is

Seth Brundle

My car is a 2003 import with a big square plate on the back. The car was madebin Europe and shipped to Japanland before making its way here.
Do I care what the SIMI think of it? Do I f...?
However our narrow minded legislature do and that is why things changed. It has nothing to do with safety or anything except protecting the Irish "motor industry"!

David09

kbannon wrote: »

However our narrow minded legislature do and that is why things changed. It has nothing to do with safety or anything except protecting the Irish "motor industry"!

"Motor retail network". We don't manufacture or assemble cars in Ireland any more. "Motor Industry" is a misleading description.

Leonard Hofstadter

By making this change, revenue fixed a system that wasn't broken in the first place.

As others said, the mph clocks were enough of a giveaway that a car is an import:rolleyes:!

MarkK

captainspeed wrote: »

As others said, the mph clocks were enough of a giveaway that a car is an import:rolleyes:!

From Japan?

Seth Brundle

David09 wrote: »

"Motor retail network". We don't manufacture or assemble cars in Ireland any more. "Motor Industry" is a misleading description.

I know that, hence my use of quotation marks. However, they still use the term!

Owen

We do have companies here manufacturing parts for vehicles though.

Our man in Havana

Where else apart from the UK (where they are optional) has date identifiers in their plates?

Yakuza

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Where else apart from the UK (where they are optional) has date identifiers in their plates?

I know you can have personalised plates there, but I'd say the vast majority are driven on the "BF12ABC"-style plates issued to the car. Personalised plates are the option, not the date-indicating ones, in my opinion.

Spain uses a system (since 2000) of 3 letters and 4 digits, it just goes on and on. It uses 20 letters (A-Z less vowels and Q), so it started off at BBB0000...BBB9999, then BBC0000 etc.

Last time I was there, it had gone to HG****

It doesn't have explicit dates in it, but anyone living there would have a rough date of when the car was first registered.

They brought this system in as the previous one (which had a letter denoting the province it was registered in as well as 4 digits and 1/2 letters indicating age) had a lot of cars with "M" (Madrid) on them getting keyed in Bilbao and Barcelona

Pdfile

colm_mcm wrote: »

But it's like saying if you have an import you need to put a marker on the car like it makes a difference. Surely the only person it matters to is the owner or someone buying it, it's on the vrc that it's imported, and anyone with half a brain could spot the mph folks for newer cars being different.

How about different reg numbers for damage repaired cars, or cars that have been stolen recovered, it's equally as ridiculous

ahhh but see, most jap imports ( mostly older ) still have their grade sticker on them and most folks dont have a clue what they are... 'tis my little way of coppin em

L1011

Owen wrote: »

We do have companies here manufacturing parts for vehicles though.

Which SIMI doesn't care about, and which go in to as many "imports" as originally-imported cars.

dr.fuzzenstein

colm_mcm wrote: »

Why would you need to know by the reg whether it was an import?

Exactly. All you have to do is look at the options.
Front electric windows, aircon and that's about it? Irish.
All round electric windows, climate control, auto lights, auto wipers, built in rear sunshade, extra display in the dash, heated seats, nicer alloys, more storage compartments, etc... import. And not mentioning 200-400 extra cc in the engine.

Yakuza

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Exactly. All you have to do is look at the options.
Front electric windows, aircon and that's about it? Irish.

You forgot the faded Padre Pio sticker.:D

dr.fuzzenstein

Yakuza wrote: »

You forgot the faded Padre Pio sticker.:D

That actually came as standard on all late 80's, early 90's Corollas and Carinas, along with the St Anthony medal and a plastic vial of holy water in the glove box. Optional extra was the Solemn Novena sticker in the rear window.
Removal of Padre Pio or St Anthony would actually cause the car to stop working.
All those from a time when power steering and electric windows where only the rabid dreams of execs driving Mercs, Beemers and Porsches.

Owen

MYOB wrote: »

Which SIMI doesn't care about, and which go in to as many "imports" as originally-imported cars.

Nothing to do with the point I was making though, I'm tired of people saying 'Oh, there's no Motor Trade in Ireland, only a Motor Retail Trade', when we have the likes of Kostal in Mallow designing switchgear for high end cars, and iDrive screens and the like.

Dirkster

Owen wrote: »

Nothing to do with the point I was making though, I'm tired of people saying 'Oh, there's no Motor Trade in Ireland, only a Motor Retail Trade', when we have the likes of Kostal in Mallow designing switchgear for high end cars, and iDrive screens and the like.

No offence but the argument sounds terribly on the pedantic side. And you'd hardly call designing an LCD screen serious motor industry.

You pay a stupid tax through the nose to get an Irish plate and now they want to point out that fact even more by having a slightly unique numbering sequence? It's a joke shop.

I dont think there should be any identifier for year on a number plate. You pay for your car and then its nobody else's business but your own how old it is. All the Gardaí need to have is a unique identifier for the car itself. The only people in my view that want an age identifier on a car are snobs that view a car by its age as opposed to appreciating the car for what it is to look at. Why else would it matter??

If you want more detail on the car when buying it then I'm sure it'll be on the advertisement and in the log book but other than that its nobody's business but the owners.

PauloMN

David09 wrote: »

"Motor retail network". We don't manufacture or assemble cars in Ireland any more. "Motor Industry" is a misleading description.

SIMRN just doesn't have the same ring to it has SIMI though!