Is there a benefit in delaying registration?

[Lovemyev]

If I was waiting for a MG4 and it was on "Hold" until November, then I would be telling them NOT to register the car and hang onto it until the first of Jan 2023 to be totally honest !.
If you drive one away in November the car will registered as 2022.
Four / six weeks latter it will be a 2023 registered car on the V5.
Dealer ( not the public ) value cars on their first date of registration and NOT by the number on the plate !.
So, three years down the road you decide to change the car, the sales person will look at the registration plate, then say:- "What year was the car first registered then".
This is when that 4 weeks wait was worth the extra wait !.
Our first ZS EV arrived at the dealer two weeks before Xmas in 2019.
I instructed them NOT to register the car until the new year, if they did, I would walk away.
We collected the car on the 6th Jan 2020.
A two week wait was worth getting the car registered the following year.
This paid off when I sold it two years latter.

 

[skynett]

Hmm decisions decisions ... I haven't actually thought about it this much, although I can live without a car as we have another one having just sold mine 2 days ago.

 

[siteguru]

23 plate doesn't start until March 1st

A 72 plate registered in 2023 will return no greater value than one registered in 2022 (after a couple of years).

 

[Lovemyev]

23 plate doesn't start until March 1st

A 72 plate registered in 2023 will return no greater value than one registered in 2022 (after a couple of years).

Of course I know this, but as I said before only the public tend to purchase cars set against the two numbers on the number plate and NOT the date of registration.
As in the example of my previous Gen1 ZS EV.
So, if there was two identical ZS EV’s standing side by side on the forecourt, both displaying a 69 reg plate, but one is registered in 2019 and the second car is registered in 2020.
Which one would you be likely to go for ?.
My guess would say that the 2020 model will be around £500 more expensive, because it’s on the other side of the new year.
Sales people will tell you it makes very little difference in the future price valuation.
But then again, they would !.
But my motor trade experience tells me something completely different .

 

[siteguru]

Of course I know this, but as I said before only the public tend to purchase cars set against the two numbers on the number plate and NOT the date of registration.
As in the example of my previous Gen1 ZS EV.
So, if there was two identical ZS EV’s standing side by side on the forecourt, both displaying a 69 reg plate, but one is registered in 2019 and the second car is registered in 2020.
Which one would you be likely to go for ?.
My guess would say that the 2020 model will be around £500 more expensive, because it’s on the other side of the new year.
Sales people will tell you it makes very little difference in the future price valuation.
But then again, they would !.
But my motor trade experience tells me something completely different .

The year of registration difference (for the same reg plate) is only a small part of the overall consideration ... mileage, number of owners and general condition will have a much bigger impact on the appeal of any 2 vehicles side by side.

(Based upon my years as a consumer)

 

[Harry 17]

The year of registration difference (for the same reg plate) is only a small part of the overall consideration ... mileage, number of owners and general condition will have a much bigger impact on the appeal of any 2 vehicles side by side.

(Based upon my years as a consumer)

But in this case, you are the seller, not the consumer (upon selling the vehicle).

I think you‘re missing @Lovemyev ’s point.

 

[siteguru]

I'm not missing the point ... you both are. If you're selling, someone else is the consumer. Whilst the year of registration will have some impact, in the overall scheme of things it is quite minor, and becomes more minor the older the car is.

Phased another way - what the consumer thinks is important is far more relevant than what a seller thinks is important.

 

[tsedge]

I can’t imagine waiting 4-6 weeks to get a new car just to get it registered under a new calendar year.

 

[jon0881]

your dealer might not be happy for you to leave it there that long when he has other customers waiting in a queue

 

[Gomev]

...
Our first ZS EV arrived at the dealer two weeks before Xmas in 2019.
I instructed them NOT to register the car until the new year, if they did, I would walk away.
We collected the car on the 6th Jan 2020.
A two week wait was worth getting the car registered the following year.
This paid off when I sold it two years latter.

I don't think the dealer would be in the least bit concerned if you walked away at the moment.

 

[Lovemyev]

I don't think the dealer would be in the least bit concerned if you walked away at the moment.

That was back in 2019 and as we know, times have changed a LOT since then of course !.
The problem I see today, with asking them to retain the car until 2023 is if they would want to declare THAT sale for the year 2022 or if it suits, they may on the other hand, want to delay registration of the car and move that sale into reporting for 2023’s figures ???.
Don’t ask - don’t get is my moto !.

 

[manictomb]

The dealer would not agree if it was for them to get something out of it and for one it is not a factor when selling as miles conditions appearance of the car how it drives if been frashed like the loan vehs when yours go into for a service and I bet there is know one here who could say they didn't do that to the loan veh I would rather get my new car and not wait say 2 weeks as still be say a 22 plate

 

[siteguru]

Well 72 plate now but I agree with what you say - and that's the exact point I was making ... the year of registration for a, say, 72 plate makes very little difference down the line - especially the further down the line you get. Condition, miles, service history, number of owners etc. are all far more important to future buyers.