No, not an old watch chain* but the seven cast off motors loaded on a Mercedes dual trailer car transporter spotted on a residential street today.
These ranged from a Mk II Astra to a very tired looking late nineties C180.
What was unusual was the country of nationality of the transporter rig: LT. Lithuania.
I guess this cast off old iron is probably now on its way over the pond, but tired old Merc aside, appeared a right old ecclectic mix for to be interested in.
*For those too young ;-)
lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/a/anyoldiron.shtml
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Second hand cars are very cheap in UK. I would imagine there's quite a good trade in exporting them if one could be so inclined. I saw lots of ex-UK cars in Kosovo when I was there.
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I actually met a guy from Estonia (in Belgium - both of being the worst for a local brew !) who regularly trawled the UK for second hand motors. NIce bloke.
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It wasn't a million years ago that Ladas were being bought by Russians in the UK then being resold back in the USSR. Apparently you could get up to £500 for the right car so long as it would actually drive there.
If you think about it this trade makes perfect sense. In the UK we're awash with tatty trade ins and bangers that risk costing what they're worth, even to try to MOT them, let alone to actually do the work.
They're obviously off to somewhere where there are few newer cars at reasonable prices. It's all down to market forces. It wasn't that long ago that Growler was saying that the Phillipines could do with these cast offs.
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This, I can understand - and know of - as I can a clapped out old Merc C180 that probably still has some kudos somewhere on the planet, but a rusty old Mk II Astra, right hand drive to boot? There must be a market, sure, but I was still surprised at the choice of motors involved.
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might be on the transporter to fill the space before he leaves GB maybe they use astra"s as chicken sheds?as it is a good use after all?
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As an aside and acknowledging Aprilia's comment that we may adding 2 and 2 and getting 5, i was in Russia several times between 1991-1993, and foreign cars, ANY foreign car was much desirable than the domestic stuff. Even saw a LHD Chevette, which must have been a rare beast. Most of the cars came from Finland (i was in Leningrad / St Petersburg).
I remember an article in the mid 1990's that stated that so many second hand cars from Japan had found their way into Vladivostok (Jewel of the east, don't you know?) that the mayor was considering swapping the roads to drive on the left!
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I've seen Lituanian transporters now several times going west on the M4 around Swindon, sometimes empty, sometimes partly loaded. Last one had a rig in 'Walon' livery.
Always wondered what they were doing over here....
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You might be jumping to the conclusion that this truck was heading back to Lithuania. A friend of mine is a lorry driver and he's told me that there are now quite a lot of EU - East European drivers working in the UK with their own trucks. The trucks are registered in their country of origin and they are allowed to work over here, shipping stuff about in the UK for UK companies.
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Every week this summer I am told (I've only seen them a couple of times) a small convoy of car transporters from Poland arrives at a huge scrapyard near me in SW France and leaves for home loaded with repairable wrecks, obviously mainly the usual French suspects.
These guys must be genuine Poles - one of them tipped my bar-owning friend with a zloty...
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My old Daewoo Nubira was shipped to the Lebanon after it had HGF. Engine was in the tailgate, every panel was dinged (not by me) and it was, as far as I could see, worthless. Got ?800 for it. Result.
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I have set up a deal with a nice bloke in Nigeria. He has offered me a fat cheque, if I buy a load of old rubbish.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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TVM
Nigeria is a potential scam fest, do take care.
See: www.scambuster419.co.uk/
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Just read the subject and thought it was an advert for Ford!
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Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
That's hilarious.
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i am a johny foreigner i can give you TVM my man more than dubious fella in far away country give. Send me your email address soonest, we do good business yes?
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