Ex Garda cars

S Line

Too much time on my hands to be thinking about silly things!!

Old Garda Mondeos. Now that the fleet is being replaced by silver Avensis’s (Avensi ?) The old Mondeos will go for auction, how much they will make is another matter, they always look pretty trashed to me !! My question is what they do about the holes cut into the 4 corners of the bumpers when they strip off the livery and Garda equipment.

I haven’t seen one on the road yet. What do they do ? - second hand bumpers, duct-tape, does the company that cut out the holes try and glue back in the bit they cut out ??

Also the reason I guess that some of the new cars are silver is so that when they are being moved on that they might make more money and won’t be judged as obvious white ex Garda cars. Surely the market will cop it in however many years time that a silver Avensis with holes in the bumpers is an ex Garda car and price it accordingly ??

Daved_XB

A lot of them might end up as hackney cabs so the new owners won't care about the holes

Ronnie Beck

I think their silver because its a stock colour, cheaper and along with less stickers and smaller lights it blends in with the general traffic better.

Wouldn't fancy one myself. The smell of bacon doesn't go away.

Atlantic Dawn

You would really need to be getting them for less than €1000 each, all will be over 200k miles and likely driven like they were stolen on a daily basis.

Owryan

Remember to check for camcorders left running tossed in the back too

smash

You'll pick them up for less than €500 when they go through the auctions.

MidlandsM

Ronnie Beck wrote: »

The smell of bacon doesn't go away.

such a dumbass comment, and not pertinent to a motoring forum.:rolleyes:

Alanstrainor

Ronnie Beck wrote: »

I think their silver because its a stock colour, cheaper and along with less stickers and smaller lights it blends in with the general traffic better.

Wouldn't fancy one myself. The smell of bacon doesn't go away.

Do not post in this thread again.

Chimaera

I've been told by a Garda friend that the silver is used on traffic cars because it's apparently more visible on motorways. Don't quite know how that works, but hey.

kwalshe

What about this fella? If you had 5 k to spare
It's the same car , it is from a post in ES that has the reg on a video

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Mondeo/3.0-ST-2/713262126749660/advert?channel=CARS

cursai

Chimaera wrote: »

I've been told by a Garda friend that the silver is used on traffic cars because it's apparently more visible on motorways. Don't quite know how that works, but hey.

Seemingly its the contrast it creates for higher visibility. On a side note, i would'nt touch any of these cars for anything more than 500e. i wouldn't put a child anywhere near the backseats even if they stripped the material and changed it. What ive seen happen in them ill never forget.

Quazzie

kwalshe wrote: »

What about this fella? If you had 5 k to spare
It's the same car , it is from a post in ES that has the reg on a video

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Mondeo/3.0-ST-2/713262126749660/advert?channel=CARS

Thats been well clocked if its a Garda car.

kwalshe

kwalshe wrote: »

What about this fella? If you had 5 k to spare
It's the same car , it is from a post in ES that has the reg on a video

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Mondeo/3.0-ST-2/713262126749660/advert?channel=CARS

Any link to the post in ES to compare the reg?

Dartz

Its got cop shocks, cop tyres, cop brakes, cop engine, and the engine was designed pre catalytic converters so it will run ok on regular gas. So, what do you say ... is it the new Blues mobile.

dgt

Ronnie Beck wrote: »

The smell of bacon doesn't go away.

I thought you said beacons and then I re read it... Tut tut :rolleyes:

Anyways, back when I used to buy cars in merlin car auctions in Ashbourne, every now and again there would be ex fleet cars. Some were in excellent condition apart from the obligatory holes in the roof and missing dash. I always remember in 2006, an 05 Vectra sold for just €500... :eek: then again half of it was in bits

Generally 2 year old ex fleet cars sell for around €2500 - €4000 and detective stuff commands higher as they're usually better kept, based on experience. Things may have changed since, haven't been to an auction with fleet stuff in a while. Last auction vehicle we got was the Iveco in 2009 in Mallusk, had a broken pinion bearing and therefore went for peanuts :pac:

dahamsta

The Met switched to silver simply because it has a higher resale value than white. The "visibility" line sounds like bean-counter bullsh*t to me.

kwalshe

RoverJames wrote: »

Any link to the post in ES to compare the reg?

Why ? Do you not believe me? , Sherlock ... is that you?

kwalshe

kwalshe wrote: »

Why ? Do you not believe me? , Sherlock ... is that you?

Seems a reasonable question really.

kwalshe

RoverJames wrote: »

Seems a reasonable question really.

Does it? I think my question is also reasonable, Do you not believe me? why would I bother posting the links.

flyingsnail

kwalshe wrote: »

Why ? Do you not believe me? , Sherlock ... is that you?

RoverJames wrote: »

Seems a reasonable question really.

kwalshe wrote: »

Does it? I think my question is also reasonable, Do you not believe me? why would I bother posting the links.

Seems perfectly reasonable to me. Have a look at this tread over in ES. That 03 ST220 is still in service, they are not the same car.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056482016&page=8

kwalshe

kwalshe wrote: »

Does it? I think my question is also reasonable, Do you not believe me? why would I bother posting the links.

Well you are claiming that the Mondeo that the garage is selling for over €5000 is an ex Garda car, as someone has pointed out the mileage on it is very very low for a 2003 reg Garda car.

It's not that I don't believe you as such, more a case as I find what you are claiming to be fact as rather hard to believe.

Your reluctance to provide the link is adding to me finding it hard to believe

kwalshe

Jesus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanecasey51/5672573969/

Look at the video,

Quazzie

kwalshe wrote: »

Jesus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanecasey51/5672573969/

Look at the video,

Its very hard to make out the reg of the car in the video. I think you might be addind 2+2 and getting 5

kwalshe

kwalshe wrote: »

Jesus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanecasey51/5672573969/

Look at the video,

there is no way that's 03D81390

Also where's the post over on ES forum that you were referring to?
Because the one linked to in this thread states 03D81390 in not an ex Garda car.

TestTransmission

dgt wrote: »

I thought you said beacons and then I re read it... Tut tut :rolleyes:

It's been dealt with ,leave it out

kwalshe

Quazzie wrote: »

Its very hard to make out the reg of the car in the video. I think you might be addind 2+2 and getting 5

you know what, I'm done with this. I posted some links from the ES that was relevant to this thread, I never actually claimed anything. To me the reg looks like it's the same one.

kwalshe

kwalshe wrote: »

What about this fella? If you had 5 k to spare
It's the same car , it is from a post in ES that has the reg on a video

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Mondeo/3.0-ST-2/713262126749660/advert?channel=CARS

kwalshe wrote: »

you know what, I'm done with this. I posted some links from the ES that was relevant to this thread, I never actually claimed anything. To me the reg looks like it's the same one.

You claimed it was the same car.

smash

kwalshe wrote: »

Jesus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanecasey51/5672573969/

Look at the video,

They park like that on the M50 down ramp at cherrywood, hanging out the window with a speed gun. It's bloody dangerous.

kwalshe

RoverJames wrote: »

You claimed it was the same car.

You know what RJ, maybe I'm wrong, I had a look at it again and maybe they are different cars, I spotted it in the Vehicle Gallery in ES and they were both posted by different users. On a quick look they looked the same to me. Either way I'll be like a magpie watching for silver objects parked on the slip roads on the motorways

Maybe I was a little rude so I take it back

kwalshe

kwalshe wrote: »

.........

Maybe I was a little rude so I take it back

No bother, you weren't rude at all
I was just surprised to see an ex Garda car with miles that low being sold.

Anan1

You two are being very mature for Motors.:D

Mister Jingles

RE: Mondeo St

I came across it the other day on flickr, posted it in ES and then someone posted a link to carzone claiming it to be the same car (tbh the regs did look similar in the video). I questioned this in the ES photo discussion thread due to the low mileage but it turned out to be still in use and the carzone one being a different car.

Nice car all the same for the TC to have, apparently it was seized and kitted out then the same with a X5 not so long ago.

I wouldn't think it would be worth buying an ex patrol car these day. AGS keep them until 300K (miles or kms, im not sure) and get rid of them as the manufacturer will not stand over them anymore or something like that. Either way they'll be in a bad state.

Sobanek

03D81651 is the ex-Garda ST Mondeo.
03D81390 is the one on Carzone.

Who knows, this could've been an ex-garda car.

waxon-waxoff

Just over four years ago i imported a vehicle from UK. My reg is 03 D 78*** so the ST for sale was imported in 2008. Therefore not a Garda car as they buy 'em new.

afatbollix

They got the ST off a crim and stuck some lights on it.

gizabeer

Dartz wrote: »

Its got cop shocks, cop tyres, cop brakes, cop engine, and the engine was designed pre catalytic converters so it will run ok on regular gas. So, what do you say ... is it the new Blues mobile.

Fix the cigarette lighter

Buffman

The Garda cars are kept until 300,000km now, due to the manufacturers not standing over them after this. I'd say after that most of them would be fit for parts only, after a hard life. This also leads to strange things happening like relatively ok but over 300,000km cars used to rebuild badly damaged ones which might have 250,000km on them. There was a thread in ES about it,I think this post sums it the current situation.

deadwood wrote: »

We've had the same car for 300k+.

2 engines, 3 gearboxes, every panel replaced, some twice. Lights replaced annually.

Great car.

Our man in Havana

Most police forces in Europe have gone over to silver these days. I suspect the garda will do the same eventually.

john reilly

smash wrote: »

You'll pick them up for less than €500 when they go through the auctions.

no you wont

Voodoomelon

Something to bear in mind with fleet cars, is they run hot all day long, every day, every week every month. The only downtime they get is when theyre being serviced. They have a very hard life, I don't think any price would be low enough TBH.

Guy:Incognito

john reilly wrote: »

no you wont

They need to be that price or they're not worth it imo.

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Something to bear in mind with fleet cars, is they run hot all day long, every day, every week every month. The only downtime they get is when theyre being serviced. They have a very hard life, I don't think any price would be low enough TBH.

For a few hundred quid, if they keep running for a year I'd consider it value enough.

john reilly

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Something to bear in mind with fleet cars, is they run hot all day long, every day, every week every month. The only downtime they get is when theyre being serviced. They have a very hard life, I don't think any price would be low enough TBH.

you do know running hot is when the least damage is done.

john reilly

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

They need to be that price or they're not worth it imo.



For a few hundred quid, if they keep running for a year I'd consider it value enough.

regardless they are 2005,6 and 7 cars and wont be less than a thousand euros

r3nu4l

dahamsta wrote: »

The Met switched to silver simply because it has a higher resale value than white. The "visibility" line sounds like bean-counter bullsh*t to me.

Erm, actually the bean counters would sell you the higher resale line, it's the marketing and PR goons that would sell you the visibility line

I wouldn't even consider an ex squad car as a family motor tbh. Taxi, yes.

dahamsta

An good accountant would mention resale. A bean counter is not a good accountant. Or at least that's my experience of the term.

puppetmaster

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Most police forces in Europe have gone over to silver these days. I suspect the garda will do the same eventually.

The last 3 Garda traffic corps avensis'sss'ss ive seen have been silver, Saying that two of them could have been the same one, They def dont stand out as much to me as Cruisers though.

Just on the colour argument;

I believe this is down to a stock issue when the contract was being finalised with Toyota. White is the colour AGS went looking for, but Toyota couldn't supply the amount requested in white, so offered silver at a discount, which AGS went for.

I've seen both silver and white Avensis' and I'm fairly sure I've come across a single-striped (that is; non Traffic Corps) Avensis' parked up in Drogheda Garda station before (doesn't belong to the station, was just a once-off when I seen it).

I don't believe there has been a conscious decision to make the Traffic Corps fleet silver.


That said, a Google search of "Traffic Corps Avensis" only returns silver cars, so I suppose it is entirely possible that a decision was made to only use the silvers for Traffic duty. I remember the thread in the Emergency Services forum at the start of the Toyota contract discussing a shortage of white cars though. No one ever indicated that silver would be a Traffic Corps colour.


... Just my contradictory input


EDIT: Thread on it; http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056194630

Voodoomelon

john reilly wrote: »

you do know running hot is when the least damage is done.

Motors 101.
But running solidly for 20 odd hours a day for 3,4,5,6 years? No thanks.

sandin

who remembers the "unmarked" white maximas the traffic corp had back in early 90's?
there were 4 of them - the only 4 white maximas in the country, so the umarked element was useless.

I got one in an auction and whilst the insurance and fuel bills were high, it gave me some frickin great fun for about 2 years.

I've grown up now:D, but the memories of cars getting out of my way still live on!:p

Buffman

sandin wrote: »

I got one in an auction

Did you get a good deal on it price wise?

vetstu

S Line wrote: »

Too much time on my hands to be thinking about silly things!!

What do they do ? - second hand bumpers, duct-tape, does the company that cut out the holes try and glue back in the bit they cut out ??

They stick orange reflectors over the holes, that are about the same size as the flashers that were originally there.