Querying DVLA Database

[b3lha]

Continuing on from our previous thread...
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/showthread.php?t=30483

I never did get any further responses to my queries with the DVLA and their agents. But I have found a way to get some information online.

If you go to this site:
http://www.vehiclelicence.gov.uk/EvlPortalApp/
Then click on "Vehicle Enquiry", it presents you with two boxes. You need to enter the registration number and the manufacturer. If you enter "B3LHA" and "SUBARU", you will see that my car is a red (actually maroon) 1991 model, first registered in 1998.

Of course this is not much use because we don't have a list of registration numbers. But we could guess some: Many UK SVXes have personalised registrations ending in SVX. I think in some cases they were registed that way by the dealers. Examples: A3SVX (Barry), A5SVX (Rob) and A6SVX (Graham).

So I typed in a few and this is what I came up with:
A1SVX Gray 1992 OK
A2SVX not found
A3SVX Silver 1992 OK
A4SVX not found
A5SVX Silver 1992 Unlicensed
A6SVX White 1993 SORN
A7SVX White 1994 OK
A8SVX Blue 1993 OK
A9SVX Silver 1997 OK
A10SVX Maroon 1997 OK
A11SVX White 1992 OK
A12SVX Maroon 1992 SORN
A13SVX Maroon 1993 SORN
A14SVX Red 1992 SORN
A15SVX Maroon 1992 Unlicensed
A16SVX Silver 1994 Unlicensed
A17SVX not found
A18SVX White 1992 OK
A19SVX not found
A20SVX Black 1992 SORN

After 20 queries, we have 16 Subaru's with SVX in the registration number and 3300cc engines (so they are definitely SVXes). Of those, 5 are SORN (declared off the road), 3 are unlicensed (presumably scrapped or exported) and the remaining 8 are currently taxed up to date.

A good start, but it's pretty tedious typing in all those registrations. What's needed is a way to automate the process - a program that will work though a list of registration numbers, querying each one and saving the results. I've started looking into how to do this, but websites are not my area of expertise. Any Javascript gurus out there want to have a look?

The personalised registration numbers will be:

A1SVX through A30SVX, then 33,40,44,50,55,60,66,70,77,80,88,90,99,100,111,200 ,222,300,
333,400,444,500,555,600,666,700,777,800,888,900,99 9
One the A's are exhaused it starts again at B1SVX and so on.

The last SVX sold in Britain was registered on an S plate, so the prefix letter will not go above S. (You cannot use a registration number newer than the car).

So that's 61 per prefix, 19 prefixes = 1159 queries. (To find 224 cars, many of which probably don't have personalised registrations )

So how about it? Anybody have the skills to automate this (or maybe we should just split the work and do 10 manual searches each or something like that)

[Andy]

Couldn't find any f'ing SVXs

[ItsPeteReally]

You could try this to find all the SVX's on 'personalised plates' which is better than nothing, but not guaranteed to find many.

I know the location of two other SVXs, J1SVX and the black one that was on e-bay recently, the one with the ENORMOUS rear spoiler and head gasket problems. They are both in Suffolk owned by the same person.

[Andy]

J1 SVX Maroon OK
J2 SVX Grey OK
J3 SVX Not Found
J4 SVX Not Found
J5 SVX Silver OK
J6 SVX Silver OK
J7 SVX Black OK
J8 SVX Black OK
J9 SVX Black OK
J10 SVX Grey OK
J11 SVX Not Found
J12 SVX Not Found
J13 SVX Not Found
J14 SVX Not Found
J15 SVX Not found
J22 SVX Silver Unlicenced
J33 SVX Purple OK
J44 SVX White OK
J55 SVX Not Found
J66 SVX Not Found
J77 SVX Not Found
J88 SVX Not Found
J99 SVX Not Found
J100 SVX White Unlicenced
J111 SVX White OK
J200 SVX Red OK
J222 SVX Not Found
J300 SVX Not Found
J333 SVX White OK
J400 SVX Not Found
J444 SVX Not Found
J500 SVX Not Found
J555 SVX Blue OK
J600 SVX Black OK
J666 SVX Not Found
J700 SVX Not Found
J777 SVX Not Found
J800 SVX Not Found
J888 SVX Not Found
J900 SVX Not Found
J999 SVX Not Found

Think I have done my share

[b3lha]

Cheers Andy. When are you going to get yourself an SVX? We're all missing you at the meets.

Pete,

You're absolutely correct. Neither of our SVXes would be found in this way. But there are a lot of SVXes with SVX plates. I did a few more searches last night. So far, this method has found 48 SVXes and the list is now up to 99 cars. Pretty good when you consider the information from experian (see previous thread) indicated there are only 224 SVXes currently on the road in the UK.

Latest List: http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/files/b3lha/33915.txt

[rolling_project]

Hi,

I can at least identify one on you "known" list. N979 PTX is mine and is a UK car.

Currently the gearbox has just been stripped and from the conversation I just had on the phone with the transmission company, there is pretty much no part of the box that hasn't destroyed itself!!! Great!

John

[b3lha]

Hi John,

I've now put your name against N979PTX on my master copy of the list. Sorry to hear about your gearbox troubles. We've been through it twice ourselves. Hope you can get it back on the road without too big a dent in your wallet.

Phil.

[svxistentialist]

My Black Betty used to be L2SVX, hence my interest.

I checked out a selection of the L series, and this is what I found:

L1 1993 Red SORN

L2 1993 Black Exported

L3 not found

L4: 1994 Red OK

L5 not found

L6 not found

L7 1994 White OK

L8 not found

L9 not found

L10 not found

L11 not found

L12 not found

L13 not found

L14 not found

L15 not found

L16 not found

L17 not found

L18 not found

L19 not found

L20 not found

L22 not found

L30 not found

L33 not found

L330 not found

L333 1994 Maroon OK

L44 not found

L444 not found

L55 not found

L555 1993 Black OK

L66 not found

L666 1994 Red SORN

L77 not found

L777 not found

L88 not found

L888 not found

L99 not found

L999 not found


So 37 numbers checked in total

2 cars found that are currently SORN, a Red '93 and a Red '94
4 cars found that are currently licensed, a Black '93, a Red '94, a White 94 and a Maroon '94.
1 car that is listed as exported, mine, Black Betty, a Black '93.

Oh, and I am totally incensed that you guys pay a whopping £170 for a full 12 months road tax. That's a very small percentage more than I have to pay for one MONTH overdue!!!

Lucky b'stards

Joe

[b3lha]

Originally Posted by svxistentialist

Oh, and I am totally incensed that you guys pay a whopping £170 for a full 12 months road tax. That's a very small percentage more than I have to pay for one MONTH overdue!!!

Lucky b'stards

Joe

Well it sure seems like a lot of money when you own three cars.

I think we've covered the most likely plates now. A worthwhile exercise I think because it shows that a high percentage of the sample are still on the road and we can see the most prevalent colors being Silver, White, Black and Claret in that order.

K8SVX looks interesting. A Subaru with an SVX plate and a 2 litre engine. Could be a mistake on the registration form, could be an Impreza / Legacy (but why buy an SVX private plate), could be an SVX with an impreza engine (1994cc is spot on). My guess is the latter, but we'll never know for sure unless they show up here.

[Maineman1963]

Well guys my black beauty doesnt have a personalised but is M472 APU , 95 UK std car. One more for the list Will have a root as well.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Maineman1963

Well guys my black beauty doesnt have a personalised but is M472 APU , 95 UK std car. One more for the list Will have a root as well.

Simpsons fan?

[Maineman1963]

tried some of the M cars , oops wrong forum also a BMW man lol

M1SVX Maroon
M3SVX black
m5SVX white
M6SVX silver SORN
Other M's up to 20 nothing found
111,222 thru to 999 nothing

[Maineman1963]

Andy nah not me guv ! What amkes you say that lol ? David

[Maineman1963]

Back again ! A quiick check on Autotrader has thrown up ( so to speak !):

J31 NFE black
H2 SVX silver
H12 SVX silver
M588 OBD
K7 GHL
N359 ... maroon , plate covered up spoilsport

[Andy]

To add to the list, Guernsey cars:

491 Claret 1992/3
1881 Red 1992/3
42425 Silver 1993

There were originally 7 registered here, but 4 were exported. The 3 remaining are all used daily.