Where would this car be from?
Where would this car be from?
Author
Discussion

Urban Sports

Original Poster:

11,321 posts

232 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
I saw a Mustang today, one of those new jobbies that sounds like a big boat when it ticks over wink

Anyway the registration number was very similar to 72722 (I've changed one of the numbers for the forum).

It was 5 numbers in exactly the same format as above, and it had UK style plates white on the front and orange rear, the correct size and font.

confused

ETA Could it be the channel islands?

Edited by Urban Sports on Saturday 19th March 17:50

Fleckers

2,880 posts

230 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
a picture would help

Urban Sports

Original Poster:

11,321 posts

232 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
I haven't got one I was behind it in traffic, it's exactly as described.

smile

tr7v8

7,620 posts

257 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
Channel Islands?

Burrito

1,705 posts

249 months

Engineer1

10,486 posts

238 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
A quick search make me think Guernsey, Jersey plates start J, Guernsey seem to be just numbers but most are black and silver.

722Adam

2,152 posts

242 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
Engineer1 said:
Guernsey seem to be just numbers but most are black and silver.
yes

W124Bob

1,863 posts

204 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
My local Ford dealer in Altrincham has several Fiestas on the forecourt with identical style plates all with Guernsey dealer stickers and a white H on a red background(hirecar id?)wonder if Ford is shifting a shed load of channel island vehicles ,anyone know?

berg1

224 posts

202 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
W124Bob said:
My local Ford dealer in Altrincham has several Fiestas on the forecourt with identical style plates all with Guernsey dealer stickers and a white H on a red background(hirecar id?)wonder if Ford is shifting a shed load of channel island vehicles ,anyone know?
I think they have been doing this for years, I seem to remember seeing car-transporters with guernsey plated fiestas at least 5 years ago.


Cyberprog

2,324 posts

212 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
Yeah, when my parents bought the fiesta I later learned to drive on, it was an import from guernsey.

MondeoMan1981

2,457 posts

212 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
I saw a Merc estate today, C320 cdi I think it was, 5 digit silver on black plates and a "GBG" sticker on the back.

Thought it was MoD/Diplomatic plates 'til I saw the back. Bloody nice car too biggrin

Bowler

915 posts

240 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
MondeoMan1981 said:
I saw a Merc estate today, C320 cdi I think it was, 5 digit silver on black plates and a "GBG" sticker on the back.

Thought it was MoD/Diplomatic plates 'til I saw the back. Bloody nice car too biggrin
Gibraltar?

MartinQ

797 posts

210 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
Bowler said:
Gibraltar?
Gibraltar is GBZ.

DHE

4,666 posts

219 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
Bowler said:
MondeoMan1981 said:
I saw a Merc estate today, C320 cdi I think it was, 5 digit silver on black plates and a "GBG" sticker on the back.

Thought it was MoD/Diplomatic plates 'til I saw the back. Bloody nice car too biggrin
Gibraltar?
GBG indicates it is a Guernsey reg.

CarlT

3,424 posts

276 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
W124Bob said:
My local Ford dealer in Altrincham has several Fiestas on the forecourt with identical style plates all with Guernsey dealer stickers and a white H on a red background(hirecar id?)wonder if Ford is shifting a shed load of channel island vehicles ,anyone know?
They are ex-hire cars...

entwisi

728 posts

220 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
Many many years ago I went to bca auctions with my dad. I was about 15 and I am in my 40 s now. There were a shedload of one model of car in that day. Iirc out was fiestas. All were on guernsey plates. We were told by a dealer we knew that it was a tax fiddle. Cars are exported and registered there then brought back here and sold through auctions and any loss chalked up against the tax bill. Anu easy way to clear surplus stock at a cost efficient way.

rubystone

11,254 posts

288 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
It's Guernsey. Max speed limit there is 50 from memory (Vazon Road) and thus few cars ever get out of 4th gear.

The hire car thing is a great wheeze. The car companies practically give the things away to the hire places. These count as sales to move them up the league tables. The hire company keeps the cars for a limited time, ships them back to the UK and can make a profit on them. Manufacturer is happy, hire company is happy. Consumer ends up with a car that may only have done 3,000 miles, but those miles will all have been in the first 4 gears; gears that will have been used a lot...

Urban Sports

Original Poster:

11,321 posts

232 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
rubystone said:
It's Guernsey. Max speed limit there is 50 from memory (Vazon Road) and thus few cars ever get out of 4th gear.

The hire car thing is a great wheeze. The car companies practically give the things away to the hire places. These count as sales to move them up the league tables. The hire company keeps the cars for a limited time, ships them back to the UK and can make a profit on them. Manufacturer is happy, hire company is happy. Consumer ends up with a car that may only have done 3,000 miles, but those miles will all have been in the first 4 gears; gears that will have been used a lot...
From my experience of dealing with hire companies, and I mean the big ones, they all want a buy back deal, which generally isn't so good for the retailers.


Urban Sports

Original Poster:

11,321 posts

232 months

Saturday 19th March 2011
quotequote all
It must have been Guernsey.

thumbup

addey

1,325 posts

196 months

Sunday 20th March 2011
quotequote all
rubystone said:
It's Guernsey. Max speed limit there is 50 from memory (Vazon Road) and thus few cars ever get out of 4th gear.

The hire car thing is a great wheeze. The car companies practically give the things away to the hire places. These count as sales to move them up the league tables. The hire company keeps the cars for a limited time, ships them back to the UK and can make a profit on them. Manufacturer is happy, hire company is happy. Consumer ends up with a car that may only have done 3,000 miles, but those miles will all have been in the first 4 gears; gears that will have been used a lot...
Speed limit is 35mph in Guernsey, with many roads at 25mph, so you'd be lucky to get out of 3rd gear....

Aside from the low-gear useage and stop-start driving, the cars are also exposed to damp, salty sea air which I guess will lead to increased corrosion.