# Why do car ads often have their reg plates covered? Are regs changed in ads?



## Cuppa (1 Oct 2008)

Why do car ads often have their reg plates covered? Are regs changed in ads? 
I am looking at a car but the reg on the car dosn't corrispond to the make and model of the car? Did this car grow up to be an ugly duckling? 
Thanks


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## ClubMan (1 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



Cuppa said:


> Why do car ads often have their reg plates covered?


Privacy concerns?


> the reg on the car dosn't corrispond to the make and model of the car?


What do you mean? How can you link a particular reg to a particular make and model?


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## DeclanP (1 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



Cuppa said:


> Why do car ads often have their reg plates covered? Are regs changed in ads?
> I am looking at a car but the reg on the car dosn't corrispond to the make and model of the car? Did this car grow up to be an ugly duckling?
> Thanks



Have you been nibbling at the sherry bottle????


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## Pulse (1 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



ClubMan said:


> Privacy concerns?
> 
> What do you mean? How can you link a particular reg to a particular make and model?


 
Go to www.cartell.ie put in the reg and it tells you what car it should be


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## roro123 (1 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*

I've noticed that it usually happens for UK reg cars and they don't tell you in the add. Also on one occasion it was a scam, whereby once I made contact for a car that was a bargain, the response in pidgeon english told me that a shipping company in the UK had the car even though the add specified the car was in Dublin. Turns out if I sent half the price as a deposit the shipping company would deliver the car to me for 5 days to try it out before I had to send on the balance.
You can carry out a background check for a car using the reg by visiting Motorcheck.ie and paying 35 euro.


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## DeclanP (1 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*

But why are you so bothered about this. Presumably car ads would use registrations that do not exist in any case!!! Need more sherry?


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## ClubMan (1 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



DeclanP said:


> But why are you so bothered about this. Presumably car ads would use registrations that do not exist in any case!!! Need more sherry?


Are you talking about new car ads while the original poster seems to be talking about second hand car ads? Pass the decanter....?


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## rmelly (1 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



DeclanP said:


> But why are you so bothered about this. Presumably car ads would use registrations that do not exist in any case!!! Need more sherry?


 
Maybe because all the cars he has followed up on(suggesting he has an interest in purchasing them) are either scams or dealers trying to get buyers in the door, or other time wasters? If the sellers don't cover the reg it SHOULD be safe to assume the reg is the correct.

OP, are you getting the reg's from the photos or the ad contents?


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## csirl (2 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



> Privacy concerns?


 
I've never got this - car registrations plates are supposed to be visible to the public - thats why they exist. Who's privacy is being invaded in a car add?


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## Cuppa (2 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*

In response to some of the smart comments.  I want to buy a second hand car I go on the websites carzone autotrader I see a car with a visible No plate which looks as if it is fitted onto the car. I check the No plate in www.mycarcheck.com and the reg corrispods to a different car. I wonder why would a seller do this. I understand privacy but why would a reg plate corrispond to a differet car can I conclude it is a scam or stolen etc


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## Paulone (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*

Could be a genuine error - particularly if the seller is one of the many garages that import cars from Japan or the UK/NI and re-register them here? Maybe a youngster tasked with changing the plates put the wrong ones on the car you're looking at?

Sounds like you have only seen a picture of this car. If it is an import, they might have stuck the first available Irish plate on it to make Irish buyers feel more 'at home' with the car.

If you could get to see the car in real life and ask the seller then there might be a simple enough explanation. I agree its a bit weird but usually the simple explanation is the correct one.

You are correct to do those background checks. Should you wish to buy this car, just make sure that when you drive it away it has the correct plates on it and all the background checks come back ok.


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## rmelly (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



Paulone said:


> If you could get to see the car in real life and ask the seller then there might be a simple enough explanation. I agree its a bit weird but usually the simple explanation is the correct one.


 
In this instance, to me 'simple explanation' reads scam, not what you have outlined.


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## Celtwytch (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*

The only other possible explanation I can think of is that the seller doesn't have access to a digital camera, or doesn't know how to upload their own photos.  Instead, they find a picture of a similar car online, and use that instead.  Why not e-mail the seller and ask what the correct registration is?


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## rmelly (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



Celtwytch said:


> The only other possible explanation I can think of is that the seller doesn't have access to a digital camera, or doesn't know how to upload their own photos. Instead, they find a picture of a similar car online, and use that instead. Why not e-mail the seller and ask what the correct registration is?


 
I originally considered that, but that wouldn't account for the make & model being different - it would make no sense whatsoever for the seller of a VW Passat to put up a photo of another make & model, regardless of how computer/camera literate they were.


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## Caveat (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*

Re the privacy issue, If I had a photo of my car up for sale I would disguise the reg.  

Not sure exactly why TBH - maybe I've been conditioned to do so via these adverts(!) 

Given the choice, I'd just prefer not to have items displayed in such a way that they were easily identifiable.


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## Celtwytch (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



rmelly said:


> I originally considered that, but that wouldn't account for the make & model being different - it would make no sense whatsoever for the seller of a VW Passat to put up a photo of another make & model, regardless of how computer/camera literate they were.


 
Apologies - I didn't read the original post carefully enough, and failed to notice that the registration referred to a completely different make and model of car.


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## Cuppa (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*

The explaination given by the seller that it was a personalised reg plate and took it of an old car, he assured he would reregister the car with the orginal plates.


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## Murt10 (11 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



Paulone said:


> If it is an import, they might have stuck the first available Irish plate on it to make Irish buyers feel more 'at home' with the car.
> .




Con him into initially believing he is buying an Irish car more like. Once he had come out to view the car, he may fall in love with it, but he wouldn't have bothered coming if he knew in advance it was an import, and/or that he was buying from a dealer.


Personally, I wouldn't touch that car with a 40' pole

Murt


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## ButtermilkJa (11 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*



Cuppa said:


> The explaination given by the seller that it was a personalised reg plate and took it of an old car, he assured he would reregister the car with the orginal plates.


This doens't make sense at all. If anything it would make me more suspicious. Why does he feel the need to put a fake number plate on rather than just leave it blank with a note saying "Awaiting registration".

The _only_ explanation for putting a fake Irish number plate on is that he is trying to disguise the fact that the car was imported.


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## davrac (18 Oct 2008)

*Re: Reg Plates Different*

some sellers are concerned that scammers will copy thier add or car pictures and use it to try to put a Scam ad together.

I would not let this put you off.  if the seller is genuine thay should have no problem in telling you the reg over the phone, if they ask you why you can tell them you want to run a check on the car before you travel to them.

or you could ask the seller to email you some more pictures.

hope this helps
Davrac


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## NOAH (18 Oct 2008)

there are quite afew reasons why people will ask for the reg to be blanked, the most common is to stop nuisance calls ie people who know the reg ring you and pretend to be buyers, this is true, others like to disguise where the car was registered, eg roads are worse in some parts of the country to others so may influemce purchaser.

another reason is because of insurance and i wont expand on that.

n--


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