Ostentatious displays of wealth

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Personalised number plates. Am I alone in feeling there's something amiss with the concept?

Does society really need to indulge people who have so much spare money to spend by providing a facility which amounts to little more than an "in your face" way of showing off to others just how rich they are?

Irksome. Unnecessary. Divisive.

If they really can't think of anything better to do with the money, can I suggest they donate it to a charity instead?
 
I always thought "personalised" plates were just an ostentatious display of poor taste.

Anyway, aren't all number plates personalised? Otherwise, what would be the point?

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PaleRider

New Member
Location
Derbyshire
Wrong

The plates never read properly anyway eg TW4T. I think it is also cheaper to change your name to your registration plate... then you would have a personalized name! How special :biggrin:
 
Location
Herts
Really little different to people to buy large houses, spend £5k on a bicycle, buy Rapha gear, dress up like a drugged pro cycle racer etc

... all because they can and it hurts nobody else - except maybe the aspirations of those who cannot.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
John Ponting said:
Really little different to people to buy large houses, spend £5k on a bicycle, buy Rapha gear, dress up like a drugged pro cycle racer etc

... all because they can and it hurts nobody else - except maybe the aspirations of those who cannot.

Ouch!!!
 
Location
Herts
btw I don't have a large house, expensive bike, expensive "sports" clothing OR personalised registration plate ... But I could.:biggrin:
 

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
Hardly the same John. Indulging your passion, is not comparable to a personal plate. I could afford one if I wished but think they display an insecurity in people and never really saw the point. My one's bigger than your one sort of thing. The really wealthy don't need to and probably don't have as many hang-ups.

I would like a bigger house though. Who wouldn't?
 
John Ponting said:
btw I don't have a large house, expensive bike, expensive "sports" clothing OR personalised registration plate ... But I could.:biggrin:

So could I, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that they're tasteless beyond belief.

Wouldn't want to stop anyone from displaying their tastelessness, mind you, as long as it makes them happy.

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Unkraut

Master of the Inane Comment
Location
Germany
I have a personalised number plate!

The reason is that when you take delivery of the car here, they have a choice of number plates for the local area (Kreis), and in my case my initials happened to coincide with some of the available numbers, so it amused the garage to give one of these numbers. So I do occasionally see other cars with my initials on, but rarely enough to make it look as though I chose the number specially.
 
I like the ones that are obviously supposed to be personalised but don't really cut it, like "J100 HNY", which is obviously supposed to spell "Johnny" but doesn't. I saw a car a few weeks back covered in Wolverhampton Wanderers stickers and flags and his plate read "W100 VES". I mean, that doesn't say "Wolves", it says "Wiooves".:biggrin:
 

ajevans

New Member
Location
Birmingham
Yep, personalised plates are pretty naff. Whatever it says it always reads T0553R.

As mentioned above the worse ones are the ones that try to say something and fail.
 
I was always under the impression that it was relatively cheap to get a personalised plate that roughly matches your name, but more expensive to get one that matches your car, especially if you've got a prestige car like a porsche, jaguar or something like that. So I automatically think 'cheap' when I see the name matching plates, not wealthy or ostentatious...
 

Tetedelacourse

New Member
Location
Rosyth
They're pointless to me but if that's what floats your boat then go for it, pretty harmless really. It's no different to customising a bike.
 
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