whats wrong with the q plate

[mark gibbens]

hi, im taking my kit for its iva test shortly,only ive being told because the donor car was an insurance write off,so i havent got a log book for it,i was told id get a q plate,i no every one turns there nose up at q,s but what is actually wrong with them, would it devalue the car,or would it be harder to sell,cheers for any advise

[Nike55]

What's wrong with a 'Q' plate..... Nothing.

Not sure where you stand legally in your own circumstances, but historically there were / are a few reasons why a car (not necessarily a kit car) would end up with a 'Q' plate. Leaving those reasons aside, other than financial and / or 'pose' value a 'Q' plate means nothing at all to people who appreciate a well designed/engineered/drivable car.

If, for example, a rare 1955 'Gullwing' Mercedes came up for sale on a 'Q' plate, I wouldn't care less (six numbers on the lotto notwithstanding).

The vehicle index number is only a tax / police 'tag' and like a lot of modern pretensions means absolutely nothing. If some people are insecure enough to feel they need to have to hide the fact they are driving last years model (or god forbid even the year before) with a non-age related plate, or they are egotistical enough to want to show who is boss in the company car park then that is their hang up.

No-one actually 'owns' their cars index number. The DVLA simply grant us the privilege of temporary 'rights' of the use of the index number whilst on the Queens highway.

(In respect of 'rights' - we have no 'rights'. We are not 'Citizens' (People's Charter? **** off - just political marketing) and we never have been, we are only loyal subjects. We are allowed the grace to demonstrate when permitted.

I could add to a number plate broker's wealth by purchasing a pertinent / 'cutesy' number plate, but why make some other parasite rich. I'd go with what I was given by the DVLA and send a few extra bucks to the Brooke (horse / donkey / camel) charity to help those who will never own a car (let alone a cherished number plate) and their hot, malnourished, overloaded quadrupeds.

[mashtun]

Nike55 implied what I think is the only real limitation - once a car has been assigned a Q it can't have another registration mark assigned to it i.e. you wouldn't be able to put a 'personal' reg on it at any time in the future. Whether or not that bothers you, only you can say. It would arguably reduce the value of the car since the same condition would apply to any purchaser - but there are so many variables it's probably hard to say what the effect of any one of them would be.

FWIW my Cabrio's on a Q plate and it doesn't bother me at all. Would I have taken a non-Q given the choice? Yes, more than likely. But I don't see the number plate from the driver's seat

[Mike]

Mark

The answer is it depends on your point of view.
You may not be concerned by a Q plate, and many more will hold your view. And as such, I guess you are not interested in having a personalised number plate. However, there are those who do not like the 'stigma' of a Q plate, and there will be those who want to be able to personalise their cars.

The result of this is, whilst you own the car the Q plate is not an issue. If/when you come to sell it, it may make it more difficult to sell, and may devalue in the eyes of some. You will effectively be reducing the potential pool of buyers. However, you only require one buyer.

Before accepting that you will be issued a Q plate, I suggest you contact your local DVLA office, and ask their advice. My understanding is if you have enough qualifying components from the original donor, you will be issued an age related plate.

What was the donor, and what parts have you used from it?
Mike

[mark gibbens]

hi mike,the kit ive built is an banham speedster, based on a rover 114 /metro,my main problem with the q if i sell ,i really dont want to be stuck with the car just because of the plate,this isnt really the speedster to have the chisel being the sought after kit,and im also doing the car up in a racing style ,so a lot of speedster enthusiasts would turn there nose up at that as well,just really seeing if the q would cause me probs ,cheers mark

[eaa53]

If you take the attitude that a Q is your destiny then no problem. The rally boys used to used them to avoid the emissions tests on the MoT for tuned engines, but that will go in the new MoT rules from Jan 2012 onwards.

The IVA test will make no difference to the registration, that comes later when you register it with the DVLA and the build quality inspection that will need to be done.

The Q reg is the catch-all-bucket that DVLA use when there is not legitimate place anywhere else they can put it.

For instance for my Suzuki bike all I needed was a letter from the Suzuki owners club verifying that the frame was the age I claimed (£25) job done. I have know a Cat B Nobel that was repaired and when the V5 was requested the DVLA sent the requester the V5C, result

In your case, and I would guess and for a number of builders its the evidence that will be difficult to get that will allow the DVLA to give you an age related if you want it, if you cannot get or find the evidence then they give you a Q to get you on the road.

In your case if the car was salvage or scrapped there would have been a CoD (Certificate of Destruction) from the authorised scrap year.

If you contact the appropriate specialist club or group (there is always one somewhere) they will be able to identify say, the engine number, and detail when it was originally used on the production line, a headed letter later and you have the age of your engine.

With a little effort and some pointers there is a chance you can avoid a Q, but you need to be diligent and committed to the investigation.

Personally I think a Q plate is unfortunate, it does not detract from the car or the build however, if I could avoid one by a little (or a lot ) of effort I would go a long way to achieve it myself.

Personal view you understand, you need to make your own mind up what you want.



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