Cars for sale online with the reg plate hidden
Discussion
On the look out for a 911 so have been browsing a lot of ads online (Autotrader/ebay etc.) Some of the cars for sale online have the reg number hidden. A lot of these sellers won't even reveal the numberplate after a phone call and want me to come to view the car to see the numberplate.
Can someone more savvy with this stuff than me tell me why sellers do this? Is this a sign of something dodgy - SHOULD I be covering up my plates when selling my car? I'd rather not travel a few hours only to find out a car has dodgy history/finance etc etc.
Thanks!
Can someone more savvy with this stuff than me tell me why sellers do this? Is this a sign of something dodgy - SHOULD I be covering up my plates when selling my car? I'd rather not travel a few hours only to find out a car has dodgy history/finance etc etc.
Thanks!
Some people cover it up in ads for fear of cloners copying and using their reg.
But not revealing it when you phone up is a bit of a red flag - you’ll be wanting to do a HPI check or equivalent before travelling. A seller can’t hide it forever.
They could of course also just be trying to cover up a dodgy MOT history, which is all available online now,
But not revealing it when you phone up is a bit of a red flag - you’ll be wanting to do a HPI check or equivalent before travelling. A seller can’t hide it forever.
They could of course also just be trying to cover up a dodgy MOT history, which is all available online now,
Muzzer79 said:
Some people cover it up in ads for fear of cloners copying and using their reg.
But not revealing it when you phone up is a bit of a red flag - you’ll be wanting to do a HPI check or equivalent before travelling. A seller can’t hide it forever.
They could of course also just be trying to cover up a dodgy MOT history, which is all available online now,
1 of 10 or 1 of 100 though will be genuine calls the rest timewasters, why give all of them your reg number? If you come and see the car (and make an effort) then you will see it for yourself.But not revealing it when you phone up is a bit of a red flag - you’ll be wanting to do a HPI check or equivalent before travelling. A seller can’t hide it forever.
They could of course also just be trying to cover up a dodgy MOT history, which is all available online now,
TX.
Mine was cloned on AT many moons ago, I have always hidden the plate as a result. I only knew as I had a Dart Charge letter for a time I was 200 miles away. The car was identical but the plate spacing was off - DIY job I'm guessing!
It's the fastest place to find the same make, model, colour and private sellers will likely have it still insured and taxed. Perfect for moving a stolen car etc.
That said, if someone phoned or emailed, I always give them the reg - a scammer would just choose the next car. People are just being awkward if they won't share it at that point.
It's the fastest place to find the same make, model, colour and private sellers will likely have it still insured and taxed. Perfect for moving a stolen car etc.
That said, if someone phoned or emailed, I always give them the reg - a scammer would just choose the next car. People are just being awkward if they won't share it at that point.
Terminator X said:
Muzzer79 said:
Some people cover it up in ads for fear of cloners copying and using their reg.
But not revealing it when you phone up is a bit of a red flag - you’ll be wanting to do a HPI check or equivalent before travelling. A seller can’t hide it forever.
They could of course also just be trying to cover up a dodgy MOT history, which is all available online now,
1 of 10 or 1 of 100 though will be genuine calls the rest timewasters, why give all of them your reg number? If you come and see the car (and make an effort) then you will see it for yourself.But not revealing it when you phone up is a bit of a red flag - you’ll be wanting to do a HPI check or equivalent before travelling. A seller can’t hide it forever.
They could of course also just be trying to cover up a dodgy MOT history, which is all available online now,
TX.
But if someone phones you up, just give it to them. As you yourself say, there’s 70 other cars of the same type on AT, why would someone specifically call you up for yours?
Not giving it smacks a little of having something to hide and it’s reasonable for a buyer to expect to run a car check before they travel to see the car, rather than on arrival.
Whilst I can see the rationale behind anti cloning, on the flipside it does annoy me when the reg plate is hidden, especially on older stuff that's not a theft magnet
Given that I often buy pickups and older, separate chassis 4x4s, being able to do an MOT history check is an invaluable tool for weeding out the ones that are more rotten than the average Terry-Thomas character.
Given that I often buy pickups and older, separate chassis 4x4s, being able to do an MOT history check is an invaluable tool for weeding out the ones that are more rotten than the average Terry-Thomas character.
Muzzer79 said:
I get hiding it on the pictures.
But if someone phones you up, just give it to them. As you yourself say, there’s 70 other cars of the same type on AT, why would someone specifically call you up for yours?
Not giving it smacks a little of having something to hide and it’s reasonable for a buyer to expect to run a car check before they travel to see the car, rather than on arrival.
Agree, especially if the car's not localBut if someone phones you up, just give it to them. As you yourself say, there’s 70 other cars of the same type on AT, why would someone specifically call you up for yours?
Not giving it smacks a little of having something to hide and it’s reasonable for a buyer to expect to run a car check before they travel to see the car, rather than on arrival.
Agree with that last paragraph.
What do owners do when they have to drive the car though - they can’t cover it up when they pop to the sjops or go on a 300-mile round trip to relatives etc. I’d say the chances of having a plate cloned are pretty small - not saying it doesn’t happen though. If anyone rang up about a car I was selling I’d give them the no. To not do seems suspicious!
What do owners do when they have to drive the car though - they can’t cover it up when they pop to the sjops or go on a 300-mile round trip to relatives etc. I’d say the chances of having a plate cloned are pretty small - not saying it doesn’t happen though. If anyone rang up about a car I was selling I’d give them the no. To not do seems suspicious!
Many years ago I sold a performance car via AT. I didn’t show the number plate because you can potentially find out the address and it was highly nickable at the time.
One day the police turned up to ask about the car. It was in the garage. Apparently, because I had given the reg out to a very interested party on the phone so they could undertake a HPI, they had cloned it and used it in several robberies hundred;s miles away. The gang was known to the police who obviously stole a car like mine too.
The person I spoke to on the phone wanted to meet ‘halfway’ to complete the sale. The police said if I had met them then they would have taken the car and there would be nothing I could have done to prevent it.
I’ve never disclosed the number plate since until a buyer has demonstrated they are serious, usually via a viewing.
Selling nickable or cars that are highly desirable to thieves on AT isn’t a great idea. Better to PX if you can.
One day the police turned up to ask about the car. It was in the garage. Apparently, because I had given the reg out to a very interested party on the phone so they could undertake a HPI, they had cloned it and used it in several robberies hundred;s miles away. The gang was known to the police who obviously stole a car like mine too.
The person I spoke to on the phone wanted to meet ‘halfway’ to complete the sale. The police said if I had met them then they would have taken the car and there would be nothing I could have done to prevent it.
I’ve never disclosed the number plate since until a buyer has demonstrated they are serious, usually via a viewing.
Selling nickable or cars that are highly desirable to thieves on AT isn’t a great idea. Better to PX if you can.
Edited by Phil. on Tuesday 20th February 16:28
I bought a car recently which was advertised on AT, with the plate visible.
I later got a PCN for driving in a Bus Lane in Hounslow.
The images appeared to show a number plate matching mine.
After pointing out the lack of resemblance between the white BMW 1-series pictured and the grey Citroen e-C4 I own, the council kindly discontinued their action.
I think it's reasonable to conceal the plate in images online, however I think sellers should be prepared to provide the plate if someone calls up. The risks of what someone could achieve with your registration number aren't that great to outweigh the legitimate interest of a potential buyer of a car you're publicly offering for sale IMO.
Muzzer79 said:
Some people cover it up in ads for fear of cloners copying and using their reg.
But not revealing it when you phone up is a bit of a red flag - you’ll be wanting to do a HPI check or equivalent before travelling. A seller can’t hide it forever.
I had an Audi A6 cloned from an Autotrader ad nine months back - so it does happen. Managed to track the clone car down and found it was on another set of plates. Guessed that’d be cloned plates from another A6 advertised on Autotrader and it was, so criminals definitely ‘shop’ for plates on Autotrader…But not revealing it when you phone up is a bit of a red flag - you’ll be wanting to do a HPI check or equivalent before travelling. A seller can’t hide it forever.
Covering up plates in an ad, therefore, seems perfectly reasonable to me, though I’d probably type out the registration in the ad for genuine buyers, as I wouldn’t imagine criminals would bother read through ad text. A seller refusing to give you the registration after a phone call, however, is completely unacceptable to me.
ChemicalChaos said:
Whilst I can see the rationale behind anti cloning, on the flipside it does annoy me when the reg plate is hidden, especially on older stuff that's not a theft magnet
My car that was cloned was a 17-year-old Audi A6 that eventually sold for £5,900. Wouldn’t have classed a not-very-valuable, debadged silver A6 as a thief magnet…uk66fastback said:
How did you manage to track the clone car down?
Don’t want to hijack this thread, but essentially I walked around half of Paddington between the locations of the parking tickets I’d received, until I found it. Full story here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff