Buying an ex-embassy car.....good idea or madness?

[Milli94]

HI all,
Just been looking around and seen a few vehicles that were originally owned by Embassies in London. Is this considered to be a good thing as far as a good second hand buy is concerned or are they generally driven as if they'd been stolen?

[Dave Hedgehog]

hard to thrash a car in london

[Milli94]

Good point! Unless they were competing up and down the Mall on 'D' plates against other embassies ;-)

[Monkeylegend]

Depends on the embassy.

[Milli94]

Dubai

[Monkeylegend]

Probably not so bad, I would be wary of Columbian or Russian, you never know what you might find lurking under the back seat.

You could end up being pursued around London by the drug cartels or Russian mafia

[Milli94]

Good thinking.... a couple of changes of plates of plates and a wrap (to change the colour....not the other sort - they may be some left under the seat or in a cubby hole somewhere) to put them off the scent.

[bristolracer]

Be handy if it comes with the D plate

Park it where you like and ignore the fines.

It may have spent many hours idling, keeping the driver warm whilst waiting for the diplomats

[Monkeylegend]

Seriously though I would imagine they would be well looked after, properly serviced and probably top of the range vehicles if they were for diplomatic use, with the added bonus of bullet proof glass

A change of plate, as you say, to avoid the costly outstanding parking fines might be a good move though.

[PurpleTurtle]

Standard vehicle or 'high security'?

The latter are something else! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu6F4aYJDBY

Either way it has probably led a very cosseted life.

[Milli94]

Its very very high spec but no mention of high-security so I think they've just ticked all the boxes at purchase - unless the guy selling it doesn't really know what it is of course which wouldn't surprise me. Thanks all - I think I'll have trip over the weekend and see it.

[Monkeylegend]

What car is it out if interest?

[gweaver]

Monkeylegend said:

Probably not so bad, I would be wary of Columbian or Russian, you never know what you might find lurking under the back seat.

My father bought a Cortina 2000E auto that had belonged to the Russian embassy. It was a 1976 model year and had done 30k miles including (he was told) a couple of trips to Switzerland and back. We had that car from around 1979 to 1995, but didn't find anything interesting under the back seat. I think the enthusiast that bought it from us ran it until around 2011, but it's SORNed now.

It was a good car. Had HGF not long after purchase, but it was mostly reliable, and the Roman Bronze (metallic poo) paint may have helped it stand up to the tin worm.

[Monkeylegend]

Milli94 said:

Its very very high spec but no mention of high-security so I think they've just ticked all the boxes at purchase - unless the guy selling it doesn't really know what it is of course which wouldn't surprise me. Thanks all - I think I'll have trip over the weekend and see it.

Good luck with the viewing

[bobski1]

Where are you finding them please?

[Milli94]

I've been looking in places like this
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/list//Embassy/

[nav2014]

Get this instead
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1161894

[Milli94]

Beauty! I missed that one..... SHE would just love that.....