RE: Police Hoodwink Chinese Public With Honda-Merc
Monday 11th July 2011
Conspicuous consumption may not be a dirty word in neo-capitalist China anymore, but there are limits. And recently the denizens of the People's Republic have been getting a bit miffed at the profligate spending of local government.
Police Hoodwink Chinese Public With Honda-Merc
Is it a Honda? Is it a Mercedes? No...it's a Hondacedes (all right - it's a Merc with Honda badges)
So, in an attempt to avoid the ire of the local citizenry, the police in the city of Fengchenggang in Guangxi Province sprinkled their Mercedes ML350 (worth 900,000 yuan or £87k) with Honda badging so as to make it look like a humble Honda CR-V (worth 200,000 yuan, or around £19k).
Inevitably, the ruse did not work, and China Car Times reports that the car - and police department - have been roundly (and rightly) abused on the net by car-savvy members of the public.
Bizarrely, it seems that the Fengchenggang police flatly denied that they'd made any changes to the car (though we admit that this is not quite the same thing as continuing to call it a Honda CR-V...).
Discussion
The scary thing about all these communist regimes is they deny truth that's right in front of them, even on something so petty and insignificant as this, makes you wonder what happens when more important things are at stake.....
Reminds me how lucky i am not to live in a country like this
Reminds me how lucky i am not to live in a country like this
peter450 said:
The scary thing about all these communist regimes is they deny truth that's right in front of them, even on something so petty and insignificant as this, makes you wonder what happens when more important things are at stake.....
Reminds me how lucky i am not to live in a country like this
??Reminds me how lucky i am not to live in a country like this
Nice one Roadwarrior. Must say I get equally annoyed at the increasing numbers of flashy BMW 5s, X5s and Audi A6 Avants North Yorkshire Police seem to feel the need to hoon (often dangerously IMO) about our country roads in.
What happened to big Vauxhalls or Fords, or even Volvos, which in the case of the later probably didn't cost much less, but did make people think they were spending public money wisely and not just spending (increasingly precious) public funds on a 'nice car'.
I am sure someone will argue a benefit based on depreciation but I have my doubts here. Is a 5 with a million miles and 4 holes in the roof worth significantly more than a similar mileage and drilled Insignia, Mondeo or Octavia? I doubt it. Does it give out the wrong signals? Definitely. Should NYPA stick the Blue Oval over the Blue and White Propeller? Better ask a spin doctor about that!!!
What happened to big Vauxhalls or Fords, or even Volvos, which in the case of the later probably didn't cost much less, but did make people think they were spending public money wisely and not just spending (increasingly precious) public funds on a 'nice car'.
I am sure someone will argue a benefit based on depreciation but I have my doubts here. Is a 5 with a million miles and 4 holes in the roof worth significantly more than a similar mileage and drilled Insignia, Mondeo or Octavia? I doubt it. Does it give out the wrong signals? Definitely. Should NYPA stick the Blue Oval over the Blue and White Propeller? Better ask a spin doctor about that!!!
Court Jester said:
Nice one Roadwarrior. Must say I get equally annoyed at the increasing numbers of flashy BMW 5s, X5s and Audi A6 Avants North Yorkshire Police seem to feel the need to hoon (often dangerously IMO) about our country roads in.
What happened to big Vauxhalls or Fords, or even Volvos, which in the case of the later probably didn't cost much less, but did make people think they were spending public money wisely and not just spending (increasingly precious) public funds on a 'nice car'.
I am sure someone will argue a benefit based on depreciation but I have my doubts here. Is a 5 with a million miles and 4 holes in the roof worth significantly more than a similar mileage and drilled Insignia, Mondeo or Octavia? I doubt it. Does it give out the wrong signals? Definitely. Should NYPA stick the Blue Oval over the Blue and White Propeller? Better ask a spin doctor about that!!!
I think you'd be pretty amazed at the cost the 'flashy' police cars are actually purchased at. What happened to big Vauxhalls or Fords, or even Volvos, which in the case of the later probably didn't cost much less, but did make people think they were spending public money wisely and not just spending (increasingly precious) public funds on a 'nice car'.
I am sure someone will argue a benefit based on depreciation but I have my doubts here. Is a 5 with a million miles and 4 holes in the roof worth significantly more than a similar mileage and drilled Insignia, Mondeo or Octavia? I doubt it. Does it give out the wrong signals? Definitely. Should NYPA stick the Blue Oval over the Blue and White Propeller? Better ask a spin doctor about that!!!
jbi said:
Scary thing is... it looks like any other SUV with the Honda badge on, nothing special at all.
That really could be a honda.
I often wonder how much people would fawn over a BMW or even a Ferrari if it had a Daewoo badge on it. That said, I think if Daewoo brought out an F458 killer, many PHers would buy it as we don't regard the MX5 in the same light the rest of the British public do.That really could be a honda.
DS240 said:
Court Jester said:
Nice one Roadwarrior. Must say I get equally annoyed at the increasing numbers of flashy BMW 5s, X5s and Audi A6 Avants North Yorkshire Police seem to feel the need to hoon (often dangerously IMO) about our country roads in.
What happened to big Vauxhalls or Fords, or even Volvos, which in the case of the later probably didn't cost much less, but did make people think they were spending public money wisely and not just spending (increasingly precious) public funds on a 'nice car'.
I am sure someone will argue a benefit based on depreciation but I have my doubts here. Is a 5 with a million miles and 4 holes in the roof worth significantly more than a similar mileage and drilled Insignia, Mondeo or Octavia? I doubt it. Does it give out the wrong signals? Definitely. Should NYPA stick the Blue Oval over the Blue and White Propeller? Better ask a spin doctor about that!!!
I think you'd be pretty amazed at the cost the 'flashy' police cars are actually purchased at. What happened to big Vauxhalls or Fords, or even Volvos, which in the case of the later probably didn't cost much less, but did make people think they were spending public money wisely and not just spending (increasingly precious) public funds on a 'nice car'.
I am sure someone will argue a benefit based on depreciation but I have my doubts here. Is a 5 with a million miles and 4 holes in the roof worth significantly more than a similar mileage and drilled Insignia, Mondeo or Octavia? I doubt it. Does it give out the wrong signals? Definitely. Should NYPA stick the Blue Oval over the Blue and White Propeller? Better ask a spin doctor about that!!!
Am sure we've had this cost of police vehicles debate before, and as I remember the argument for using BMWs/Audis etc comes down to the fact that (a) they are purchased at a significant discount, (b) they are generally (?!) reliable and wear high mileages well and (c) their re-sale values are better, on the whole, than a Mondeo/Vectra etc.
Not sure I buy the reliability bit, but can see that an ex-police 530d with 150k on it would be worth more than an ex-police Mondeo TDCI with 150k, even relative to initial cost.
As for Range Rovers/X5s though, hmm...
Not sure I buy the reliability bit, but can see that an ex-police 530d with 150k on it would be worth more than an ex-police Mondeo TDCI with 150k, even relative to initial cost.
As for Range Rovers/X5s though, hmm...
stemll said:
DS240 said:
Court Jester said:
Nice one Roadwarrior. Must say I get equally annoyed at the increasing numbers of flashy BMW 5s, X5s and Audi A6 Avants North Yorkshire Police seem to feel the need to hoon (often dangerously IMO) about our country roads in.
What happened to big Vauxhalls or Fords, or even Volvos, which in the case of the later probably didn't cost much less, but did make people think they were spending public money wisely and not just spending (increasingly precious) public funds on a 'nice car'.
I am sure someone will argue a benefit based on depreciation but I have my doubts here. Is a 5 with a million miles and 4 holes in the roof worth significantly more than a similar mileage and drilled Insignia, Mondeo or Octavia? I doubt it. Does it give out the wrong signals? Definitely. Should NYPA stick the Blue Oval over the Blue and White Propeller? Better ask a spin doctor about that!!!
I think you'd be pretty amazed at the cost the 'flashy' police cars are actually purchased at. What happened to big Vauxhalls or Fords, or even Volvos, which in the case of the later probably didn't cost much less, but did make people think they were spending public money wisely and not just spending (increasingly precious) public funds on a 'nice car'.
I am sure someone will argue a benefit based on depreciation but I have my doubts here. Is a 5 with a million miles and 4 holes in the roof worth significantly more than a similar mileage and drilled Insignia, Mondeo or Octavia? I doubt it. Does it give out the wrong signals? Definitely. Should NYPA stick the Blue Oval over the Blue and White Propeller? Better ask a spin doctor about that!!!
Cassius81 said:
Am sure we've had this cost of police vehicles debate before, and as I remember the argument for using BMWs/Audis etc comes down to the fact that (a) they are purchased at a significant discount, (b) they are generally (?!) reliable and wear high mileages well and (c) their re-sale values are better, on the whole, than a Mondeo/Vectra etc.
Not sure I buy the reliability bit, but can see that an ex-police 530d with 150k on it would be worth more than an ex-police Mondeo TDCI with 150k, even relative to initial cost.
As for Range Rovers/X5s though, hmm...
mmmmmm a. I think a discount would apply to any major manufacturer, b. Reliability ?? Milgae prob agree with c. resale value maybe.Not sure I buy the reliability bit, but can see that an ex-police 530d with 150k on it would be worth more than an ex-police Mondeo TDCI with 150k, even relative to initial cost.
As for Range Rovers/X5s though, hmm...
the one that gets my goat it the highway agency running up and down motorways in Landrover Disco's aaaarrrrgggg,
here, here! i'm ready to be amazed.
I heard that Humberside Police have now reverted to Focus Diesels as opposed to their infamous LPG Protons on the basis that whole life costs for the focus will be lower. Not sure what the whole life costs of their Lexus V8 might be.
Surely, this info is available 'in the public interest' via the freedom of information Act?
I heard that Humberside Police have now reverted to Focus Diesels as opposed to their infamous LPG Protons on the basis that whole life costs for the focus will be lower. Not sure what the whole life costs of their Lexus V8 might be.
Surely, this info is available 'in the public interest' via the freedom of information Act?
Papa Hotel said:
DS240 said:
I think you'd be pretty amazed at the cost the 'flashy' police cars are actually purchased at.
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