Here's what I saw today, mark 3 (don't quote pictures, 24h ban!)

Big Nasty · 06-11-2019 8:00pm

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Was it in the wild or at a dealer's? If at a dealers it could be a dealer plate like what you might see down south "161-D-0000" just to show the year and reduce the chances of cloning.

I'd be more thinking it's a handy way of covering up that you've a forecourt full of imports.

Marlow · 06-11-2019 8:44pm

vandriver wrote: »

Edit Jersey maybe?

Jersey number plates start with "J" and have 6 numeric digits after that. So not a Jersey number plate. They would also typically have a "GBJ" logo, where we have a "IRL" EU logo.

/M

PrettyBoy · 06-11-2019 10:17pm

Big Nasty wrote: »

I'd be more thinking it's a handy way of covering up that you've a forecourt full of imports.

What a strange view

those "000" plates are used by dealers for display purposes to let Irish buyers know straight away what year the car they're looking at is. The year on the plate is a major factor Irish buyers take into consideration when buying new and used cars. It's the deciding factor for a lot of buyers here.

Big Nasty · 06-11-2019 10:22pm

Not strange at all. If you had an Irish reg 2016 car for sale would you really bother your bollox removing the plates and changing them to 161-D-0000?

If you had a 2016 UK reg car on other hand.........

PrettyBoy · 06-11-2019 10:36pm

Big Nasty wrote: »

Not strange at all. If you had an Irish reg 2016 car for sale would you really bother your bollox removing the plates and changing them to 161-D-0000?

If you had a 2016 UK reg car on other hand.........

Of course not. it's immediately apparent to any potential buyer that cars with those '0000' plates are imports that haven't been registered in Ireland yet so I can't understand why you think this is a way for dealers to "hide' the fact that they're imports - it's literally doing the opposite and distinguishing them as imports.

Big Nasty · 06-11-2019 10:40pm

What do you think stands out as an import more? A big yellow plate or a white IRL plate with 161-D-XXXX on it?

Yeah, thought so.

elperello · 06-11-2019 10:47pm

Do you think their strategy is to tempt the prospective customer onto the forecourt by hiding the fact that it's an import and depend on their sales patter to sell it to them anyway?

Of course if the buyer is not from Dublin he will get the car registered in his own county so the 161-D never arises.

PrettyBoy · 06-11-2019 11:04pm

Big Nasty wrote: »

What do you think stands out as an import more? A big yellow plate or a white IRL plate with 161-D-XXXX on it?

Yeah, thought so.

What do you believe is wrong with dealers selling UK imports? A higher spec'd car in better condition with a better history compared to its Irish equivalent in most cases - why are you so insistent that dealers are trying to hide something from potential buyers when the eventual owner will know well that it's an import anyway?

Big Nasty · 06-11-2019 11:09pm

elperello wrote: »

Do you think their strategy is to tempt the prospective customer onto the forecourt by hiding the fact that it's an import and depend on their sales patter to sell it to them anyway?.

'Hiding' might be taking it a step to far I guess. There's nothing wrong with imports of course. Having a forecourt full of yellow plates doesn't sit well with a lot of people though. IMO.

SmartinMartin · 07-11-2019 12:23am

The only people that wouldn't sit well with are SIMI.

MetzgerMeister · 07-11-2019 11:22am

MOD: Hiding or not hiding, let's just leave it there.

jrar · 09-11-2019 12:18am

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Our roads are good for manufacturer testing.
What is it to the gardai as long as it is registered in the EU and road legal?

Well in the case of this one, the 'W' plate indicates demo cars at a dealer, but I wasn't aware that they could be used outside of France i.e. should have a temp transit plate for anywhere else.

Anyone know the definitive ruling ?

jrar · 09-11-2019 1:51am

eljono · 09-11-2019 2:19am

jrar wrote: »

Any idea what's going on with the 500 and the weird narrow track?

Duke O Smiley · 09-11-2019 2:45am

eljono wrote: »

Any idea what's going on with the 500 and the weird narrow track?

Back axle is converted, engine power output is limited and then they are reclassified as tricycles and thus can be driven by 16 year olds.

Viscount Aggro · 09-11-2019 9:40am

Seen in south Dublin last few days. A lady driving a 192 reg. Mercedes GLS AMG 5.5L
I must be seeing things. Looked it up on Carzone.... 186K

eljono · 09-11-2019 12:16pm

Duke O Smiley wrote: »

Back axle is converted, engine power output is limited and then they are reclassified as tricycles and thus can be driven by 16 year olds.

Interesting, seems quite extreme when there are cars like Ligiers and Aixams designed for that purpose.

elperello · 09-11-2019 11:07pm

eljono wrote: »

Interesting, seems quite extreme when there are cars like Ligiers and Aixams designed for that purpose.

Gas, it's probably because kids think these are cooler.

Interesting story about them here.

https://jalopnik.com/theres-actually-a-decent-reason-why-germans-will-spend-1794673235

If you have the head space

.

CyberGhost · 10-11-2019 1:16pm

humberklog · 10-11-2019 4:03pm

This was immaculate inside and out. Baby seat in the back so it's being used too which gets an extra bonus point...

vintagevrs · 11-11-2019 11:25am

Porsche are doing their thing in the NW again. Drove past a convoy of three new models testing this morning. Think the first one was the Panamera Turismo, which reminded of the Ferrari FF. Had to google Porsche estate to know what it was. Followed by two new 911s. I wonder what the appeal of Ireland is for them? Surely they can recreate crappy roads and pot holes closer to home. I reckon it's the engineers pulling one that they have to go for testing, to get their annual holiday and feed of stout.

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ba_barabus · 11-11-2019 11:45am

vintagevrs wrote: »

Porsche are doing their thing in the NW again. Drove past a convoy of three new models testing this morning. Think the first one was the Panamera Turismo, which reminded of the Ferrari FF. Had to google Porsche estate to know what it was. Followed by two new 911s. I wonder what the appeal of Ireland is for them? Surely they can recreate crappy roads and pot holes closer to home. I reckon it's the engineers pulling one that they have to go for testing, to get their annual holiday and feed of stout.

There is a lot of the development bases based around Galway. And it's genuinely hard to recreate cr@p roads in a country that only has good ones! We can supply thousands of miles of the genuine article for a fraction of the cost.

Mooooo · 12-11-2019 9:08pm

vintagevrs wrote: »

Porsche are doing their thing in the NW again. Drove past a convoy of three new models testing this morning. Think the first one was the Panamera Turismo, which reminded of the Ferrari FF. Had to google Porsche estate to know what it was. Followed by two new 911s. I wonder what the appeal of Ireland is for them? Surely they can recreate crappy roads and pot holes closer to home. I reckon it's the engineers pulling one that they have to go for testing, to get their annual holiday and feed of stout.

There was 4 of those heading west on the cork macroom road round 11 today