SL55 AMG, SL63 AMG, SL65 AMG (R230) 2002 - 2011 (2003 US for SL55 and 2004 for the SL65)

SL55/63/65/R230 AMG: UK Licence Plates for an SL55

Old Jan 13, 2003 | 07:51 AM
  #1  
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UK Licence Plates for an SL55

If you're in the UK and looking for a number plate for your SL55, the following are coming up in the next DVLA Auction:

55 BEN, 55 BAS, 55 GE, 55 T, 41 SL, 5 SLR

I tried to bid on 55 OO before I bought my car and dropped out when the bidding went over £10k.

http://www.dvla-som.co.uk/classic/index.php
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Old Jan 13, 2003 | 09:13 AM
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I have to hand it to the Brits... Especially the DVLA for capitalizing on license plates!!
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Old Jan 13, 2003 | 09:43 AM
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Originally posted by SL55AMG
I have to hand it to the Brits... Especially the DVLA for capitalizing on license plates!!
Well, that a very touchy point. The DVLA make millions selling the plates - then millions more chasing & pulling drivers (like me) whose private plate had one letter 1/2" out of place...

To be fair, the policeman equally considered it a scam, but that didn't stop his 50 minute lecture on how long it took to track private plate vehicles like mine when the cars are lost or stolen.

Frankly, I would have thought SLK320 on a bright red SLK would be a lot easier to remember and track than AS25TLS on a grey Ford. I think he lost patience when I told him his obviously high intellectual capacity made it impossible for me to disagree.
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Old Jan 13, 2003 | 09:46 AM
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Originally posted by Mustard
chasing & pulling drivers (like me) whose private plate had one letter 1/2" out of place...
How can a letter be out of place, when the DVLA are the ones who construct the plate?

Originally posted by Mustard
how long it took to track private plate vehicles like mine when the cars are lost or stolen.
why would it take any longer to track a vehicle that has a private plate? They have a computer database that tells them "Mr. XX has a 2002 SLK350, with plates bearing XX".
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Old Jan 13, 2003 | 10:25 AM
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The DVLA ("Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency") simply give you a piece of paper saying you can use the number, you get the plates made up elsewhere. They're actually a customer of mine and we dub them the "Department of Very Little Activity" since the work ethic there is weak, to say the least.

They warn you about mis-representing the plate by changing the spacing of the characters or using other techniques to fool the automatic number plate recognition being used in speed cameras and the new congestion charging in London where, in 5 weeks time, we will have to pay £5 a day to drive into the centre of London.

Some number plates sell for a fortune. I believe the record is for K1 NGS which sold for £200k; a few subtle changes could then spell the word KINGS. I'm told the number PEN 1S was never used...
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Old Jan 13, 2003 | 10:37 AM
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Ahh. I am better informed!! thank you!!
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Old Jan 13, 2003 | 10:52 AM
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I'm pretty sure PEN 1S was owned by the Motorcycle and Truck racer Steve Parrish. He had it on his Merc road car.
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Old Jan 13, 2003 | 11:11 AM
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Well then I was wrong. Takes a certain bravado to put that on your car I would say...
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Old Jan 13, 2003 | 11:20 AM
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Apparently the spacing issue has only been illegal since September 2001. Cars registered before then have some leway and are not subject to the £1,000 fine for illegal placement....or so I've been told.

Any of you London boys joining the congestion charge refuseniks?
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Old Jan 13, 2003 | 03:45 PM
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very interesting!
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Old Jan 13, 2003 | 06:51 PM
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Even though I have heard of the license number selling/auctioning practice in the US, I admit that I am puzzled as to why anyone would pay that kind of money for it.

Maybe some of you could enlighten us "non-Brits" with describing what the value proposition is

Here in the US, most personalized license plates, with the exception of a few clever ones, perfectly describe the morons sitting inside those cars.

Wolfman
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Old Jan 14, 2003 | 02:24 AM
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Standard UK licence plates allow you to tell how old the car is and recently, where it was registered. A personalised plate simply allows you to disguise the age of the car and use a combination of letters and numbers which will, with a bit of artistic licence, spell a name or initials

We cannot go nearly as far as you can in the US and choose your own licence number; I could not have a licence plate saying "blue SL" for example. Instead, my main three cars have a series of licence plates with my initials - my SL55 is, for example, V8 xxx.

Some of the rarer (fewer letters and numbers) can prove to be an investment because you can sell the numbers on and the return on a number bought 5 years ago will be rather better than the same investment in Lucent...
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Old Jan 14, 2003 | 11:35 AM
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Thanks BlueSL for explaining this, this was very helpful.

But is that worth $10,000 or more, even if you could consider this an investment?

I can see spending $100 on it, but no more

Wolfman
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Old Jan 14, 2003 | 11:46 AM
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Speaking of license plates... I spied a YELLOW Mustang with the plate:

O 2BE ME

:o
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Old Jan 14, 2003 | 12:53 PM
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Wolfman - mine cost $100's only so it's pretty much noise level - alot less than a new set of wheels; there are some who are prepared to pay much more but I'm just grateful I had the good sense (for once in my life) not to splurge on "55 OO"!

SL55 AMG - I think he must havbe a rather high opinion of himself, probably one of the morons Wolfman was talking about.
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Old Jan 14, 2003 | 01:03 PM
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Originally posted by blueSL
I think he must havbe a rather high opinion of himself
Yes... But I would not want 2 B HIM in a yellow mustang.. lol..
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Old Jan 14, 2003 | 02:02 PM
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Plates in the UK are called 'Vanity Plates' when personalised...and because they can be sold on they have arbitrage value...but as to what any plate is worth it's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

I usually get plates that match my cars rather then my initials as can be seen below.

BlueSL (and anyone else) I'm going to the auction on Sunday so if we're going to compete lets talk before!!

PaulD
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Old Jan 14, 2003 | 03:35 PM
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Wow, I shure learned alot reading this thread!
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 12:41 AM
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Ok guys, one question. Are you allowed to do things the regular motorists are not allowed to do? That is with the vanity plates.

In HK it sucks cuz we only get a max of 4 numbers and max of 2 letters in this format :
"XX 0000" or just numbers. No room for fun messages.

But i once saw a Yellow lamborghini diablo with a special number plate parked in a double yellow line area. I even saw a police officer ride by, checked out the car and left. Not even a ticket.
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 01:04 AM
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Originally posted by Fedex690
Wow, I shure learned alot reading this thread!
Me too!

.... I always thought arbitrage related to profits or losses on the sale of stocks or bills between different markets, taking advantage of inefficiencies in rates of exchange, etc...

Regards,
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 03:57 AM
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Paul, just to be clear, the numbers I mentioned are in an auction in March, but all the details are on the web-site.

You're correct that this is a pure market at work - something which has absolutely no intrinsic value and the market is set by what people are prepared to pay.

It's good to tie them to the car, at some point, the number SL55 AMG will be available, I also looked at ones like MBZ 55, but stayed with my initials in the end.

SL55AMG - I get you, yellow, now there's a colour for someone crying out for attention!

Last edited by blueSL; Jan 15, 2003 at 04:00 AM.
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 05:02 AM
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As previously mentioned plates in the UK are either fun or vanity/investment.

I have done pretty well buying and selling plates in the past usually making 100% profit.

I bought 100XXX with my dughters initiuals on it when she was born (6 years back). It has probably doubled in value since and the deal will be if we are still talking when she is 17 she can have it :o

T1M GT anyone!
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