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Activate notificationMisc » Help from our British members would make me very happy
Reminder of the previous message
Strange, obscure and cheap to buy = Volvo 480 
Indeed not uninteresting, but too expensive. The imagination makes you angry, that 20 years ago, when the DDR was collapsed, many of these Volvos and Citroens, even the Bertone-made versions, were sold for a fractional amount of this price. Sure, also back then some professional dealers had been keen on them, but several were indeed sold for quite low prices 
@130rapid: while the DDR broke into wreckage around 1990/1991, you also could get Tatras an Chaikas for ridicoulous prices there...
@130rapid: while the DDR broke into wreckage around 1990/1991, you also could get Tatras an Chaikas for ridicoulous prices there...
Oops, didn't notice the 12.500,- at first. That's a bit scandalous, yeah.
A Svenska Aeroplan AktieBolage then. The 9-3 phase 1 is very cheap these days...
A Svenska Aeroplan AktieBolage then. The 9-3 phase 1 is very cheap these days...
They usually have their police bits removed before sale (cf Here
That's right, you can buy ex-police cars but they take all the decals and livery stickers off them leaving just the white paintjob, so it's not exactly "Blues Brothers"
But I'm not sure you'd want to buy one as a practical car because it's probably had quite a hard life.
To coming now to the intention of the thread's title: a RHD car would be quite freaky here
Isn't it rather awkward driving a car with a steering wheel on the wrong side for the country you're in? It doesn't really make the car special on its own (it's not really noticeable until you get up close)
As my NATO-olive Omega has caused many funny irritations
Tell us more.
Well, a RHD-car would be something different, non-conformistic here. This makes it interesting for me. Plus the hard fact, that same-aged and -equipped used cars in Britain are indeed much cheaper in the UK than here.
So for these two reasons I will accept the disadvantage of a RHD-car, like passing a parking-gate.
Also overtaking on country-roads is a bit worse, but this doesn't bother me. Usually I don't drive longer disatances on country-roads and I dislike the overtaking-stress there. It's, except it's a lame tractor in front of you (but these will not stay for many kilometers), useless. You don't win any time with that. So I avoid it.
For sure one important thing for me, except the general comfort inside, is the question, if you have enough space for your legs in a RHD-car. The K 70 is a real bad example. The RHD-version is total shit, as the pedals are so mounted, that you don't have any space for your left foot. And in the middle you always have a big block, where the gearbox sits behind. Driving this specific car for just a few kilometers http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_181997-Volkswagen-K70-Typ-48-1973.html has annoyed me enough. No RHD-K 70 for me, thank you.
About used police-cars: AFAIK in Britain they do it as in Germany an other countries, too: the police-colour-sheme is not painted any more, it's taped. When the cars are for sale, they ripp it off, so that you have just a boring white or silvermetallic car with holes in the roof.
In Germany nowadays a plenty of cop-cars are leased and belong to the rental-company and not the police itself. Same with the Army. The Bundeswehr has no or not many NATO-olive-cars and vans any more in use. They have changed to leasing-cars, too. They are also white or silvermetallic, with Y-plates and "Bundeswehr"-stickers on the side.
Cars are often Opel Vectra Caravans or Skoda Octavia Combis, the Vans usually Mercedes Sprinter Double-Cabins.
About the funny stories with my Omega: when it was shinier years ago (I bought it in 2004) and the combat-unit-sticker was not that faded like today, it made fun to pass Bundeswehr-convois on the Autobahn
Sure, with a closer look, anyone can see, that it has civil plates, a trailer-coupling - and a Scotland-sticker on the back, but from far away, the soldiers were irritated at first. I folled the convois for a while, then I've passed them slowly. Nice to see the irritatged faces of the boys 
Annother little experience, which made me think, how other people are pondering about other's cars, happend last December. On the other side of our village a young lad slippered with his Mercedes C-Coupé slightly into the back of my wife's Astra G (annother Bundeswehr-car, but a civil one in blue). When I talked with a witness, who stood at this edge, I told him, where we live "the house in the Goethestraße, where the olive-green Bundeswehr-Omega parks in front", he answered "Oh, this car belongs to you? We've talked about it several times in the neighbourhood" :wow: I don't know any of the people there!
A real funny thing I've heard from direct neighbours. We moved into our house in early 2008, in the autumn there was alittle neighbourhood-party. We were the newbies there. I was asked, if I was a Bundeswehr-officer, and from what a rank (also here they haven't thought about the civil plates...). They assumed, I must be a higher one, because an Omega, which could be taken at home, was only for generals or so. This was indeed correct, the Bundeswehr allowed the Omega for Colonels upwards. Forbidden for lower stuff, except as chauffeur.
Irritated views, when I told them, that I've left the Army in the rank of a Private, not even First Class
The stranges neighbour's thought came then: "And we have discussed, where the second apartment they have" - "What a second apartment?" - "For the driver. If the General lives in that house, there must be a second apartment for the driver. A General doesn't drive himself" Really, they had this ideas!
But they never saw any military uniform. But I still have Bundeswehr-trousers and -shirt in use (in the early 90ies-style) - for making dirty work aqt the house or the cars
@G-Mann: a propos Omega. Two weeks ago my wife and me went to three local Opel-dealers, for test-seating in the models, we have thought about (as RHD Vauxhalls, sure). Zafira B was imeediately out of question, the seat-position is very unfomfortable.
Noone of them had a Vecta C (as Estate or Hatchback fairly interesting), but some Signums in the stock. Up to the back seats these models are identical, so usable for test-seating.
Much better than Zafira, as Astra for sure, too, but not as optimate as my Omega.
One salesman confirmed that and told me "We have some customers, who are owning Omega B's, too, and they didn't want to change them for newer cars, because the modern Opel-range doesn't offer that seat-comfort and inner space as the Omega does."
So for these two reasons I will accept the disadvantage of a RHD-car, like passing a parking-gate.
Also overtaking on country-roads is a bit worse, but this doesn't bother me. Usually I don't drive longer disatances on country-roads and I dislike the overtaking-stress there. It's, except it's a lame tractor in front of you (but these will not stay for many kilometers), useless. You don't win any time with that. So I avoid it.
For sure one important thing for me, except the general comfort inside, is the question, if you have enough space for your legs in a RHD-car. The K 70 is a real bad example. The RHD-version is total shit, as the pedals are so mounted, that you don't have any space for your left foot. And in the middle you always have a big block, where the gearbox sits behind. Driving this specific car for just a few kilometers http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_181997-Volkswagen-K70-Typ-48-1973.html has annoyed me enough. No RHD-K 70 for me, thank you.
About used police-cars: AFAIK in Britain they do it as in Germany an other countries, too: the police-colour-sheme is not painted any more, it's taped. When the cars are for sale, they ripp it off, so that you have just a boring white or silvermetallic car with holes in the roof.
In Germany nowadays a plenty of cop-cars are leased and belong to the rental-company and not the police itself. Same with the Army. The Bundeswehr has no or not many NATO-olive-cars and vans any more in use. They have changed to leasing-cars, too. They are also white or silvermetallic, with Y-plates and "Bundeswehr"-stickers on the side.
Cars are often Opel Vectra Caravans or Skoda Octavia Combis, the Vans usually Mercedes Sprinter Double-Cabins.
About the funny stories with my Omega: when it was shinier years ago (I bought it in 2004) and the combat-unit-sticker was not that faded like today, it made fun to pass Bundeswehr-convois on the Autobahn
Sure, with a closer look, anyone can see, that it has civil plates, a trailer-coupling - and a Scotland-sticker on the back, but from far away, the soldiers were irritated at first. I folled the convois for a while, then I've passed them slowly. Nice to see the irritatged faces of the boys Annother little experience, which made me think, how other people are pondering about other's cars, happend last December. On the other side of our village a young lad slippered with his Mercedes C-Coupé slightly into the back of my wife's Astra G (annother Bundeswehr-car, but a civil one in blue). When I talked with a witness, who stood at this edge, I told him, where we live "the house in the Goethestraße, where the olive-green Bundeswehr-Omega parks in front", he answered "Oh, this car belongs to you? We've talked about it several times in the neighbourhood" :wow: I don't know any of the people there!
A real funny thing I've heard from direct neighbours. We moved into our house in early 2008, in the autumn there was alittle neighbourhood-party. We were the newbies there. I was asked, if I was a Bundeswehr-officer, and from what a rank (also here they haven't thought about the civil plates...). They assumed, I must be a higher one, because an Omega, which could be taken at home, was only for generals or so. This was indeed correct, the Bundeswehr allowed the Omega for Colonels upwards. Forbidden for lower stuff, except as chauffeur.
Irritated views, when I told them, that I've left the Army in the rank of a Private, not even First Class
The stranges neighbour's thought came then: "And we have discussed, where the second apartment they have" - "What a second apartment?" - "For the driver. If the General lives in that house, there must be a second apartment for the driver. A General doesn't drive himself" Really, they had this ideas!
But they never saw any military uniform. But I still have Bundeswehr-trousers and -shirt in use (in the early 90ies-style) - for making dirty work aqt the house or the cars
@G-Mann: a propos Omega. Two weeks ago my wife and me went to three local Opel-dealers, for test-seating in the models, we have thought about (as RHD Vauxhalls, sure). Zafira B was imeediately out of question, the seat-position is very unfomfortable.
Noone of them had a Vecta C (as Estate or Hatchback fairly interesting), but some Signums in the stock. Up to the back seats these models are identical, so usable for test-seating.
Much better than Zafira, as Astra for sure, too, but not as optimate as my Omega.
One salesman confirmed that and told me "We have some customers, who are owning Omega B's, too, and they didn't want to change them for newer cars, because the modern Opel-range doesn't offer that seat-comfort and inner space as the Omega does."
P.S. Right now we have slowed down our RHD-search a bit. The Omega is still running without an appreciable loss of power, and my friend Carsten, a really good technical expert, has suggested to try annother turbo charger. A used one for sure, to get at eBay for around 80 €. At the Omega B Diesel it's good achievable, it sits on top of the engine, very easy to change. There are some other cars, where you have to dismantle half of the car to reach it.
If we will have luck with annother turbo charger, the question of a new car for me will be dragged into the future. But sooner or later it will come again for sure.
But a RHD-car, most probably a Vauxhall (due its rarity here), will stay as the first choice. Just this afternoon my wife has looked for the advertises of the local dealers in the free county-magazine - incredible and ridicoulous prices, far out of my thoughts.
Otherwise, without the option of the turbo charger-changing, right now I would be very busy with planning a GB-trip. Just for going there for a car, wouldn't be senseful. We would combinate it with some short vacations.
My wife not, but me would like to visit that event sometimes: http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/beaulieu-events/spring-autojumble
Yes, I know, that for me as a K 70-freak it's not too interesting and not worth a GB-visit just for that, but in combination with something else, it would be attractive.
A propos: does anyone around here knows, which event is more interesting, that one in the Spring, or that one in the Autumn?
Really funny would it be, if we could join them, too : http://www.thewurzels.com/gigs.htm
dsl really had given me strange ideas...
If we will have luck with annother turbo charger, the question of a new car for me will be dragged into the future. But sooner or later it will come again for sure.
But a RHD-car, most probably a Vauxhall (due its rarity here), will stay as the first choice. Just this afternoon my wife has looked for the advertises of the local dealers in the free county-magazine - incredible and ridicoulous prices, far out of my thoughts.
Otherwise, without the option of the turbo charger-changing, right now I would be very busy with planning a GB-trip. Just for going there for a car, wouldn't be senseful. We would combinate it with some short vacations.
My wife not, but me would like to visit that event sometimes: http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/beaulieu-events/spring-autojumble
Yes, I know, that for me as a K 70-freak it's not too interesting and not worth a GB-visit just for that, but in combination with something else, it would be attractive.
A propos: does anyone around here knows, which event is more interesting, that one in the Spring, or that one in the Autumn?
Really funny would it be, if we could join them, too : http://www.thewurzels.com/gigs.htm
dsl really had given me strange ideas...
It must be flattering to be mistaken for a high-ranking military officer
Not due my car, but due my working clothes, these old olive Bundeswehr-rags, I had annother funny experience some years ago.
Clothed with it, I was standing at the cash deck of a hardware store, when two young guys in Bundeswehr-uniform were entering the store. They saw me, and that there are no badges on the shoulder (so they assumed, I has to be an Army-rookie), and have just said, with a big smile on the faces "Twenty!" (their remaining days there). After a second of irritation I've shouted really loudly "MINUS THREE THOUSAND!!" - and everyone around was loughing, the guys, too.
Clothed with it, I was standing at the cash deck of a hardware store, when two young guys in Bundeswehr-uniform were entering the store. They saw me, and that there are no badges on the shoulder (so they assumed, I has to be an Army-rookie), and have just said, with a big smile on the faces "Twenty!" (their remaining days there). After a second of irritation I've shouted really loudly "MINUS THREE THOUSAND!!" - and everyone around was loughing, the guys, too.
Ah, thanks for the link. I'll contact my Belgian "confidential informant" about that. If the doesn't know it already...
O.k., not really confidental, he's rather active. http://www.volkswagen-k70.be/nl-index.htm
O.k., not really confidental, he's rather active. http://www.volkswagen-k70.be/nl-index.htm