Private Plate Advice!

OLI_EP3 · March 22, 2004

Well I wanted some opinions and some advice on a private plate transfer. DVLA weren't too helpful, I was wondering if any of you have any experience in a transfer of a registration marque.

Here's the scenario:

Selling car with a private plate on and I want to keep the marque. TO put it on retention DVLA say I need to fill out a form and give details of TAX MOT etc and either send it to the DVLA or take it to a DVLA centre. After that they form will then be processed and they say I will need to wait 4 WEEKS!! before I get a new V5 document through i.e. I can't sell it until then!!

I have a buyer, I don't think he will wait 4 weeks, what are my options?

a) sell it with the marque (means nothing to the car) and ask him to put it on retention?(I think he will be the registered keeper to the marque tho ??)

B) put it on retention and sell the car (give the car to him and explain to him that once I get the details through I'll change the new owner section and post everything to him.

c) transfer to another car?

With the likes of partexing a car with a private plate, how come they can transfer the plate pretty quickly?? I'm sure it took like a week to sort out. Any ideas??

I hope someone can help advise as I want to get looking for my 'new' car asap

Thanks in advance

Oliver

Fmrl · March 22, 2004

Well I wanted some opinions and some advice on a private plate transfer. DVLA weren't too helpful, I was wondering if any of you have any experience in a transfer of a registration marque.
Here's the scenario:

Selling car with a private plate on and I want to keep the marque. TO put it on retention DVLA say I need to fill out a form and give details of TAX MOT etc and either send it to the DVLA or take it to a DVLA centre. After that they form will then be processed and they say I will need to wait 4 WEEKS!! before I get a new V5 document through i.e. I can't sell it until then!!

I have a buyer, I don't think he will wait 4 weeks, what are my options?

a) sell it with the marque (means nothing to the car) and ask him to put it on retention?(I think he will be the registered keeper to the marque tho ??)

B) put it on retention and sell the car (give the car to him and explain to him that once I get the details through I'll change the new owner section and post everything to him.

c) transfer to another car?

With the likes of partexing a car with a private plate, how come they can transfer the plate pretty quickly?? I'm sure it took like a week to sort out. Any ideas??

I hope someone can help advise as I want to get looking for my 'new' car asap

Thanks in advance

Oliver

The retention certificate normally only takes a couple of weeks to come through usually. Maybe you will be lucky and the buyer will trust you enough to wait (I've previously sold a car while I was waiting for the V5 to come back).

mudzs · March 22, 2004

Go to your DVLA office and they can do it for you on the spot however it will take a couple of weeks for the documents to come through,thew only other option is to ask who ever you sell the car to to keep it on the car and transfer it when you buy your new one ,make sure this is written on your reciept for the car ,you also save money this way as i think transfering the plate onto another car is cheaper than putting it on retention.

OLI_EP3 · March 22, 2004

FMRL> So you sold the car and handed over the keys and the vehicle, while waiting for the V5 documents and hence new reigstration marque to come through? (This would be ideal, however I'm not sure a total stranger would do this?)

MUDZS> I think this is probably the only route that is acceptable from his point of view and as you point out also cheaper. However if he agrees to transfer to my vehicle, (when I get it) will he be the registered keeper, even though it will be on my car?

Fmrl · March 22, 2004

FMRL> So you sold the car and handed over the keys and the vehicle, while waiting for the V5 documents and hence new reigstration marque to come through? (This would be ideal, however I'm not sure a total stranger would do this?)

Yes, this seemed to be the easiest way to do it (and I have a very trustworthy face!).

If I sold the car with the private plate still attached then I would have needed to get him to fill in a retention form for me and then assign the reg back to me (as the plates are in effect his once I've sold him the car).

The only other option was to transfer the reg to another car... but I don't have another car!

Transferring reg's from one car to another is quite straightforward and can be done "while you wait" at your local DVLA - this is what most dealers will do for you if you ask them nicely. Retentions are a bit more complicated and time consuming (and expensive!).

Retention costs 105 quid (80 for the actual retention and then 25 to cover the cost of transferring it onto the next vehicle). Plus you'll need to have some new plates made up (unless you can talk the buyer into paying for them too).

OLI_EP3 · March 22, 2004

Yes, this seemed to be the easiest way to do it (and I have a very trustworthy face!).
If I sold the car with the private plate still attached then I would have needed to get him to fill in a retention form for me and then assign the reg back to me (as the plates are in effect his once I've sold him the car).

The only other option was to transfer the reg to another car... but I don't have another car!

Transferring reg's from one car to another is quite straightforward and can be done "while you wait" at your local DVLA - this is what most dealers will do for you if you ask them nicely. Retentions are a bit more complicated and time consuming (and expensive!).

Retention costs 105 quid (80 for the actual retention and then 25 to cover the cost of transferring it onto the next vehicle). Plus you'll need to have some new plates made up (unless you can talk the buyer into paying for them too)

I think the retention thing is a pain. I might ask the guy to keep hold of the registration marque and then once I get my car to ask him to tranfer the marque over to my car (getting him to sign something and explain to him etc)

Either that or:

I can transfer the car to my missus car. If thats the case, you say they can do it while you wait, so maybe thats the other option for me. I basically need to do the quickest way. How long is the while you wait thing?

Fmrl · March 22, 2004

I think the retention thing is a pain. I might ask the guy to keep hold of the registration marque and then once I get my car to ask him to tranfer the marque over to my car (getting him to sign something and explain to him etc)
Either that or:

I can transfer the car to my missus car. If thats the case, you say they can do it while you wait, so maybe thats the other option for me. I basically need to do the quickest way. How long is the while you wait thing?

Do you trust the buyer? He could just say "it'll cost you a few hundred to buy that plate off me" once he's taken your car! (and in this case I *think* you'll have to do it as a retention and re-assign rather than just a straight transfer).

"while you wait" depends on which dvla office you go to, what time of the day you go, how many staff they have on the counter, what mood they are all in, etc. The last time I was there (to take a private plate off my MR2) it took me about 2 hours to get everything sorted (with about 1 hour and 58 minutes of queueing!) but that was over an "extended" lunch hour, if you get there early morning you might beat the queues.

Of course, you'll need to inform your insurance company if you transfer your plates - not really a big deal but I thought I should mention it. Also, the DVLA have clamped down on companies that make plates up so it's getting harder to find places that will do "special" ones.