Reclaiming a reg number?

Midnight_EG

Has anybody ever successfully reclaimed an old reg? I'm looking for a specific one, and the vehicle tied to the reg hasn't been sold/taxed/tested since the month it was originally sold which is over 25 years ago? Cheers!

Atlantic Dawn

Not sure it can be done. I know if you had a car and exported it to the out of the state and reimported it they would let you have the same reg assigned to the car again.

SmartinMartin

Are you talking about reassigning the original number to the car that first had it, or just assigning the number to a different vehicle? The latter can't be done in this country.

Midnight_EG

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Are you talking about reassigning the original number to the car that first had it, or just assigning the number to a different vehicle? The latter can't be done in this country.

Yes the latter, are you sure? I know if VRT has been reclaimed then the reg can be assigned to a different vehicle.

Larbre34

Can't be done.

Midnight_EG

Larbre34 wrote: »

Can't be done.

Mind telling me why or at least a link to something to back it up?

SmartinMartin

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Yes the latter, are you sure? I know if VRT has been reclaimed then the reg can be assigned to a different vehicle.

Where did you see that? The number dies with the car here.

Del2005

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Yes the latter, are you sure? I know if VRT has been reclaimed then the reg can be assigned to a different vehicle.

You can reserve a registration number but it costs about €1k and you can't change the age of the vehicle. So if you want a 25 year old registration number then you have to import a 25 year old car and you will be killed on the Nox tax, if you can even register a vehicle which doesn't have a Euro rated engine, along with paying a grand to reserve the number. It'd want to be some registration number to go to the trouble.

Midnight_EG

Del2005 wrote: »

You can reserve a registration number but it costs about €1k and you can't change the age of the vehicle. So if you want a 25 year old registration number then you have to import a 25 year old car and you will be killed on the Nox tax, if you can even register a vehicle which doesn't have a Euro rated engine, along with paying a grand to reserve the number. It'd want to be some registration number to go to the trouble.

I'm willing to pay the grand, that's no trouble at all... Its just the fact that the reg was assigned to something else but since then it hasn't seen the road at all so I'm wondering if it can be deregistered and put onto another car

colm_mcm

Del2005 wrote: »

You can reserve a registration number but it costs about €1k and you can't change the age of the vehicle. So if you want a 25 year old registration number then you have to import a 25 year old car and you will be killed on the Nox tax, if you can even register a vehicle which doesn't have a Euro rated engine, along with paying a grand to reserve the number. It'd want to be some registration number to go to the trouble.

You can’t do it on a non new car. I tried.

SmartinMartin

It's very straightforward here. You cannot reassign a registration number to a vehicle that has already been issued to another vehicle. There is no legal way around this. Reserving a number only applies to new cars, and you can only reserve a number that is not yet assigned.

colm_mcm

SmartinMartin wrote: »

It's very straightforward here. You cannot reassign a registration number to a vehicle that has already been issued to another vehicle. There is no legal way around this. Reserving a number only applies to new cars, and you can only reserve a number that is not yet assigned.

Also, you must wait for its sequential turn to come, ie if you want 12345, you need to wait til 12344 is registered.

Midnight_EG

Cheers Colm... ZV plate on a 91 it is so

Larbre34

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Mind telling me why or at least a link to something to back it up?

Haven't got a link.

My mechanic imports and refurbishes classics. A customer of his bought back his late father's XJC from the UK and wanted to do what you wanted to do. His efforts were futile.

colm_mcm

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Cheers Colm... ZV plate on a 91 it is so

I think ZV plates on barely legal classic status are a real head turner. Not a fan of 91D120090 or whatever

SmartinMartin

As an opposite view, IMHO only pre 87 cars should have ZV plates.

colm_mcm

I dunno. I’m all for the purity of an older car having the older style format, but most of the classic cars in the country are on ZV so it’s clear they’re imports. It’s the rare actual old Irish reg cars that I admire most. The ZV highlights that it’s over 30 (I know the normal reg would too)

I don’t see the harm in having them on any age classic, but really think there should be other letter/number options available other than ZV

Midnight_EG

Purely going ZV to avoid the horrible 91-D-120xxx which just doesn't look good at all

Neilw

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Purely going ZV to avoid the horrible 91-D-120xxx which just doesn't look good at all

A lot would say ZV shouldn’t be on anything post 87.

My original Irish 91 D 111xx is only one digit shorter than the number above, 120xxx isn’t the end of the world really imo.

Larbre34

Nobody really notices a ZV with silver on black, except car guys. Thats what you want, all attention on the motor.

Credit Checker Moose

Can you change a 30 year old Irish reg to ZV plates?

Larbre34

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

Can you change a 30 year old Irish reg to ZV plates?

No.

Wishbone Ash

SmartinMartin wrote: »

...or just assigning the number to a different vehicle? The latter can't be done in this country.

I think it has been done in very exceptional circumstances (but not for private individuals).

When the pope visited in 1979, the Co Kilkenny registration VIP 1 was sourced from another vehicle for his Ford Granada limousine.

I'm open to correction but I'm pretty sure in 1988 Dublin Bus managed to get 88 D 988 (even though it had already been issued) for use in their Dublin Millineum tour bus.

3DataModem

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Yes the latter, are you sure? I know if VRT has been reclaimed then the reg can be assigned to a different vehicle.

I know that when taking a car out of the country, getting it replated, and then re-importing it later, you do get the same Irish reg number. I've done it (but not reclaimed the VRT, so maybe that's different).

Duke O Smiley

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Purely going ZV to avoid the horrible 91-D-120xxx which just doesn't look good at all

Just an FYI, you can change a 91-D-120xxx to a ZV at any stage in the future, but you can’t change a ZV to a 91-D

Some people will tell you that a ZV on a post-87 car will devalue it, and to be fair a lot of people seem to be against the idea. If it’s something you think you won’t hang onto for a long time it might be worth going with the 91-D and leaving the ZV option open to a potential buyer

Duke O Smiley

Larbre34 wrote: »

No.

Yes you can

zg3409

If you import a car to a different county (by someone living in that county) then you might get less digits. The 120xxx was certain years in certain counties only, mainly Dublin

https://www.completecar.ie/askusanything/question/1020/What-is-the-new-system-for-imported-cars-registration-numbers

You can change to zv later if you don't like it, but the numbers are getting higher all the time
You can also put a year appropriate font and colours on the reg, like no euro symbol etc. Websites offer appropriate old font plates. The rules vary year to year. Some people use non legal show plates when parked at shows.

Isambard

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Cheers Colm... ZV plate on a 91 it is so

you can do that but I wish you wouldn't. 87 onwards cars should have year/ county in my opinion , but then the whole system is flawed and needs re-thinking.


my objection would be that a car given (say) ZV12000 could be parked next to another import given ZV33000 but the first could be a 1991 car and the second a 1950 car, which makes a mockery of a serial number.

Wishbone Ash

Isambard wrote: »

.....my objection would be that a car given (say) ZV12000 could be parked next to another import given ZV33000 but the first could be a 1991 car and the second a 1950 car, which makes a mockery of a serial number.

But that was no different from the pre 1987 import system whereby an imported used vehicle was assigned the next available number in the current series being issued for new vehicles - a 1955 vehicle imported in 1975 would be issued with same registration series as a new 1975 vehicle registered in the same county.

colm_mcm

Is it true that batches of ZV numbers are allocated to certain counties?

Del2005

Isambard wrote: »

you can do that but I wish you wouldn't. 87 onwards cars should have year/ county in my opinion , but then the whole system is flawed and needs re-thinking.


my objection would be that a car given (say) ZV12000 could be parked next to another import given ZV33000 but the first could be a 1991 car and the second a 1950 car, which makes a mockery of a serial number.

You complain about the year and county being on reg plates, we had these on pre 87 cars just a tiny bit harder to figure out, and now when classic cars get non age or county related plates and you still complain.

What other option is there if you can't have year/County and you can't have non year/County?

Isambard

Del2005 wrote: »

You complain about the year and county being on reg plates, we had these on pre 87 cars just a tiny bit harder to figure out, and now when classic cars get non age or county related plates and you still complain.

What other option is there if you can't have year/County and you can't have non year/County?

I'm not complaining, both my classics are on year and county plates.

The other option is have a number series that properly reflects the historic series which the ZV series was supposed to do , and did to an extent before it was bastardised

colm_mcm

When were ZV plates introduced?

Isambard

colm_mcm wrote: »

When were ZV plates introduced?

1987 iirc

Duke O Smiley

I thought it was a bit later than that, 91/92 no?

L1011

colm_mcm wrote: »

Is it true that batches of ZV numbers are allocated to certain counties?

Yes.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin//showthread.php?t=2056460411 but there may be new allocations since

Midnight_EG

So my 91 falls under the remit of a ZV plate

Wishbone Ash

colm_mcm wrote: »

When were ZV plates introduced?

Duke O Smiley wrote: »

I thought it was a bit later than that, 91/92 no?

Yes - applicable from 01/01/1992 under S.I. No. 357/1991 - Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1991.

(5) ( a ) The identification mark to be assigned to a vehicle to which this sub-article applies shall consist of the index mark ZV and a number assigned to the vehicle by the licensing authority.

( b ) This sub-article applies to a vehicle in relation to which:—

(i) an application for a first licence is being made or where first registration in the State took place on or after the 1st day of January, 1987, and

(ii) the applicant for a licence satisfies the licensing authority that the vehicle was constructed more than 30 years prior to the commencement of the period in respect of which the licence is sought, and

(iii) the applicant for a licence requests the assignment of an identification mark which incorporates the letters ZV as an index mark.

I think between 1987 and 1991, used imports were assigned the new year/county/number format and the above was agreed after lobbying from classic car enthusiasts.

macplaxton

L1011 wrote: »

but there may be new allocations since

There hasn't AFAIK, but there was a small jump in each of the numbers at the same time the county plates were turned into telephone numbers.