Budget cars that fool people into thinking you have "wealth and taste"?

[Laseraligningfoofooflanges]

Id love to say a w126 500sel with those daft little wing mounted diplomatic flags.. But i doubt any would be within budget.

 

Last time i saw one was 4 years ago dodgy and very erm gold..at the roadside for £950

 

I do think x300 jag xj's look awfully smart when polished up. w140 benz for a bit of dictator chic? Haha

[Partridge]

When I bought my X300, people at work made all kinds of snide comments like "they're paying too much", "how can you afford that?" etc etc. I didn't have the heart to tell them that it cost £480.

[DodgyBastard]

 

When Mrs foad took the Mercedes to work nobody believed her when she said she had a Mercedes, to them a Mercedes was an expensive luxury car and not something a school bus driver could afford.

Another random guy commented on it when we parked in a supermarket car park, he said it was a proper Mercedes, not like the modern crap of today.

It was £375 off ebay...

[The_Equalizer]

I suppose what I now find disappointing is the price of 'classic cars'. Okay, a lot never did quite fall into shiter range, but there was - up until about five years ago - a whole range of cars that were mighty interesting, could be worked on with relative ease and weren't too expensive. I had a little spell of buy them, tinkering and then trying to sell them at a profit. Things like a 1971 MGB LHD roadster for £2600, a 1986 Mercedes 300SL for £6k, Jaguar XJ6 S1, 42K miles from new for £3K or a mint Bentley T1 for £7700. On the upside these have been replaced with 90s/00s motors at minimal cash. I guess the trouble with these newer cheap cars is you're starting to venture into the world of complicated electronics which don't just mean grabbing the manual, spanners and a cuppa to get fixed. Anyway, back to topic, I still think fat German saloons of the 90s/00s period offer maximum smart motoring for minimum £.

 

I must admit spending a little too long on the internet - well I am a web developer - looking at cars. This week's 'how much do I want this' motor is a Merc CLK 430 - factory painted Designo orange - on Gumtree for £1200.

 

So long as the lumpy engine isn't a blown head gasket (it appears to normally be coil packs and the like on these things) then what's to lose?

 

https://www.gumtree.com/p/mercedes-benz/2000-mercedes-benz-v8-clk-430-elegance-coupe-auto-279-bhp-amg-orange/1220591622

 

[Stanky]

You could make the money back selling the plate to someone who has just had the full 'Kahn' treatment on their RR Sport too. Billy Bonus.

[captain_70s]

 

Perhaps it was just the age of the thing, the "Triumph" nameplate or the lashings of chrome but people who weren't old enough to remember BL tat or just weren't "car people" always seemed to think this was worth quite a bit and that it must cost a fortune to run. There was also the time I was getting out of the car in a CoOp car park and a passing woman called me a "posh bastard", she clearly got the memo that the truly wealthy don't flaunt it as my tatty corduroy sport coat and £1000 car hardly shout "affluence".

 

The more valuable 1850 never got that sort of attention, too much of a rowdy snotter look about it I think.

[John F]

She must have been insane, or blind, or both.

[Richard]

.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The original challenge was to name cars that could “fool the general public into thinking you were a man/woman of wealth and taste?â€

 

The whole of the general public will never fit into the same category so I’ll split them into:

1) Those that have money

2) Those that try to fool others into thinking they have money but actually have a big credit line

3) Those that have no money

4) Shiters. 

 

For 1)  a large discrete car that is in reasonable condition but shows signs of use.

For 2)  badge is everything. Only a Benz, B** or Aldi less than 5 years old  will do. Possibly VW at a pinch.

For 3) a car that’s large and shiny. Any badge.

For 4) Should be a car at least 10 years old, well used and with a badge that category 2 above will p*ss all over. They will appreciate your taste and ignore anything to do with wealth. If the car is a Talbot, Lada or Yugo you will get maximum admiration.

 

 

 

 

Old Merc, BMW or whatever that is a bit grubby but which swears a very expensive number plate. That's something like 2RF and not XIL56765 or A4WKR.

 

They're just £199 Regtransfers cuntplates.

 

An old dear around these parts has/had an old E36 325i in metallic maroon, a rusting rear arch and as dig in the rear 1/4 but the plate is DG1. That's class. 30+ grand index on a 500 quid banger.

 

The same plate of a new Rolls Royce Silver Syphilis wouldn't really work. Look at Alan Sugar.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

See what I mean?

[The_Equalizer]

Old Merc, BMW or whatever that is a bit grubby but which swears a very expensive number plate. That's something like 2RF and not XIL56765 or A4WKR.

 

They're just £199 Regtransfers cuntplates.

 

An old dear around these parts has/had an old E36 325i in metallic maroon, a rusting rear arch and as dig in the rear 1/4 but the plate is DG1. That's class. 30+ grand index on a 500 quid banger.

 

The same plate of a new Rolls Royce Silver Syphilis wouldn't really work. Look at Alan Sugar.

 

There's even snob value in the way round the letters and number are arranged on a plate. The number preceding the letters normally means it's a DVLA auction purchase e.g. the 2 RF example. Now RF 2 would have been registered decades ago and hence deemed more valuable.

 

I’ve always liked the idea of having a number plate worth more than the car.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

There's even snob value in the way round the letters and number are arranged on a plate. The number preceding the letters normally means it's a DVLA auction purchase e.g. the 2 RF example. Now RF 2 would have been registered decades ago and hence deemed more valuable.

 

I’ve always liked the idea of having a number plate worth more than the car.

 

 

Never knew that!

 

I have UWX8 that came from a prehistoric Mini but the 'X' makes it not worthless, but not especially valuable.

 

It would look good on something like a Mark 2 Granada Estate or W123 280TE.

[The_Equalizer]

Never knew that!

 

I have UWX8 that came from a prehistoric Mini but the 'X' makes it not worthless, but not especially valuable.

 

It would look good on something like a Mark 2 Granada Estate or W123 280TE.

 

The DVLA auction site:

 

http://dvlaregistrations.direct.gov.uk/auction/

 

Is always a good way to waste a few precious moments. My favourite from the last auction (22nd-24th Feb) was OLD 800K; it didn't need silly spacing and was suitably eye catching. Its reserve was £250. It went out the door at £5600 plus the not inconsiderable extra changes.

 

Oh, and one oddity is that near everything that looks purely like a number e.g '400 O' from the last auction goes for silly money (in this case £30500).

[Asimo]

This poisonous DRIVE SMUG campaign seems based upon

 

 

fool(ing) people into thinking you have "wealth and taste"

 

[barefoot]

t the truly wealthy don't flaunt it as my tatty corduroy sport coat and £1000 car hardly shout "affluence".

 

 

 

I'd love a corduroy coat. 

I have moved into a blazer/slacks/cravat thing since buying the X-308

and I've actually bought a pair of red braces for when I next venture out in the 944.

[Bren]

Wealth and taste have no place on this forum.

[Guest Breadvan72]

I'd love a corduroy coat. 

I have moved into a blazer/slacks/cravat thing since buying the X-308

and I've actually bought a pair of red braces for when I next venture out in the 944.

 

I am glad to hear that I am not the only saddo who buys schmutter to complement my shitheaps.  I am not talking about Goodwood Revival let's dress up as Great Uncle Kiddyfiddler and drive an MGA cosplay; but some cool piece of 70s leather car coat tat bought from a charity shop can go well with some old shonkers. 

[barefoot]

Leather car coat...

 

Have you seen Oxfam Online?

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/vintage/mens%20vintage?intcmp=nav-vintage-cat-new-in-mens

[Guest Breadvan72]

I have a car coat from the 70s made of yer actual Connolly leather - used to be ace to wear when I had a Jensen.  Must dig it out and wear if ever get XJS fixed up.  Cost 40 quid in a vintage shop in Covent Garden circa 2010. 

 

Also some 70s corduroy and velvet jackets bought for buttons.  Velvet, because ponce.   Lately I have had some luck on eBay getting bespoke Savile Row suits for 60 quid, made for blokes the same shape as me, or easily altered to fit by a cheapo local tailor.  2000 to 3000 quid or easily more to get a bespoke suit on the Row these days. Fabbo hand made overcoat cost me 75 quid, made in 1970 for some dude and as good as new.  

[Guest Breadvan72]

double post deleted

[LessThanEqual]

I saw a first gen LS400 in dark grey today on a 4 letter reg, something along the lines of D*99, it looked immaculate but had a squeaky belt. Old guy driving it.

[barefoot]

I saw a first gen LS400 in dark grey today on a 4 letter reg, something along the lines of D*99, it looked immaculate but had a squeaky belt. Old guy driving it.

 

 

What was he wearing?

[HMC]

Wealth and Taste you say????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only joking!!!!!! I'm alllowed to as it's mine.

 

On the subject of private plates and cheap 00's mercs I recently put my old Birmingham 1961 reverse format issue plate on my daily....

[LessThanEqual]

What was he wearing?

Glasses, longish hair, and I think a shirt but don't quote me on that one. Deffo longish hard and glasses though.

[Brodders]

I've actually bought a pair of red braces for when I next venture out in the 944.

I have a pair of red braces for when I want to go for the sleazy 80s stockbroker look.

 

Unfortunately a 16 year old Rover 75 doesn't really have the same effect as a 30 year old Porsche, in Guards Red, when you want to go for that look.

 

Maybe I should just buy a red Montego or Mk2 Cavalier, that would be close enough.

[Partridge]

A Rover Sterling would work for the red braces look, or even a very, very early Lexus LS...Or if you just want to be sleazy in general, any old Jag!

[Guest Breadvan72]

E30 BMW or an Audi Coupe (esp if Quattro) also apt for red braces.  Classic Saab 900 Turbo requires black polo neck jumper.

[Parky]

And very thin framed glasses.

 

Here's a good one. Fuck knows what time on a Sunday morning the photographer had to set this one up at, I have never seen Bank so quiet

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

There's even snob value in the way round the letters and number are arranged on a plate. The number preceding the letters normally means it's a DVLA auction purchase e.g. the 2 RF example. Now RF 2 would have been registered decades ago and hence deemed more valuable.

 

I’ve always liked the idea of having a number plate worth more than the car.

 

The number preceding the letters means it is a later 'plate, but most of them are still pretty old and were issued decades before the DVLA started auctioning them.

[The_Equalizer]

The number preceding the letters means it is a later 'plate, but most of them are still pretty old and were issued decades before the DVLA started auctioning them.

 

Yes and no - it all depends on the letter combination. When first issued it was letter/number combinations. Once they'd run out of three letter three number combinations - e.g. ABC999 - they would then switch to the number prefix in 999ABC. The last two letters of both indicated the location within the UK - I guess most people know this. The reason for switching to a year denoting letter prefix e.g. A123ABC was they'd run out of number/letter combination for certain areas. So, yes you're totally correct in that some number/letter combos are decades old, but those letter/number combos will always be older and some of the former were never issued hence lots turn up at DVLA auctions. I trust I'm not teaching anyone to 'suck eggs'!

 

As an aside, my Dad bought '*** 1' for £20 when he was a student in the 1960s. He still has it on his somewhat rough round the edges Bentley T1. My parents also named me to fit in with a number plate on an old Rover P4 they had at the time so I have '***494' on my CLK 230 Cabrio. In both cases the plates are now worth more than the car they are on.