Police vehicle expenditure
15 December 2003, 02:39 PM
#1
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Why on earth are the City of London police driving round in spanking brand new Mercedes estates with leather upholstry and every conceiveable extra on board and this is ontop of all the lovely BMW's I have seen them in on a daily basis. Isn't this a little over elaborate with the tax payers money? Whats wrong with them having a Mondeo estate or similar priced car instead of a top of the range Merc or BMW! 
I know they don't pay the same price as Joe public for their cars but surely the same discount applies to the cheaper brands of cars such as Ford and Vauxhall so should be buying them etc.
Glad to see this morning that Kent County Constabulary have got the right idea as I saw a brand new police Skoda Octavia estate in town
No worries there then if they give chase while I'm in the scoob 
I know they don't pay the same price as Joe public for their cars but surely the same discount applies to the cheaper brands of cars such as Ford and Vauxhall so should be buying them etc.Glad to see this morning that Kent County Constabulary have got the right idea as I saw a brand new police Skoda Octavia estate in town
No worries there then if they give chase while I'm in the scoob
15 December 2003, 02:45 PM
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Be better if they bought Rovers as well. At least they'd be helping British industry.
Knock the French as much as you want but you wont see the police there in Fords, Mercs, BMs etc.
Chip.
Knock the French as much as you want but you wont see the police there in Fords, Mercs, BMs etc.
Chip.
15 December 2003, 02:51 PM
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It may be that there's a sponsorship thing going on, I know occasionally c the ambulance service they get extremely good deals on cars to be used for rapid response, as the manufacturers like the publicity (there are a couple of sponsored legacies, 1 in london, 1 near welshpool, and a sponsored impreza in Hampshire)
There is also a depreciation issue, if you drive a mondeo or similar for 3 years the loss of value means it may not actually be that much cheaer than something shinier.
There is also a depreciation issue, if you drive a mondeo or similar for 3 years the loss of value means it may not actually be that much cheaer than something shinier.
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15 December 2003, 03:00 PM
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The Legacy is dark blue, it's used by HEMs, the London air ambulance, if the aircraft is grounded due to weather/darkness, or if they have a job in an area the helicopter can't get to.
Cheers for clearing that up for me 
15 December 2003, 03:28 PM
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Why on earth are the City of London police driving round in spanking brand new Mercedes estates with leather upholstry and every conceiveable extra on board and this is ontop of all the lovely BMW's
15 December 2003, 04:02 PM
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Glad to see this morning that Kent County Constabulary have got the right idea as I saw a brand new police Skoda Octavia estate in town No worries there then if they give chase while I'm in the scoob
Oooh and Kent County Constabulary is soooo last year. Kent Police now if ya don't mind
Tavia vRS is a cracking car but would have to agree not a patch on Scoob with the weight it carries (namely my doughnut eating ****)
Nathan..
Edited due to bad speeling
[Edited by Nathan L - 12/15/2003 4:05:07 PM]
15 December 2003, 04:15 PM
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Police in genreal get great deals on vehicles and also get vehicles on test a lot, i've seen both petrol and diiesel versions of BMW, Merc, Subaru (obviously not diesel!) and others, although rumours bout a Ferrari cannot be confirmed!! Bog standard patrol vehicles are usually Astra in our force, nice and loud diesel engines to alert everyone we are on way, the more exotic vehicles are generally for specific jobs within the force. Believe me, these are got on the cheap, if there's anything Police Forces are its cheap (i heard rumours of a new well known performance vehicle being picked up for £15,000 instead of book price of £30,000)!!
15 December 2003, 04:19 PM
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But thats my point Chris, say the Merc only cost £15k what would that have made a Mondeo estate to buy!!! A hell of a lot less than the Merc I bet.
Yeah the Merc was not any old patrol car, was loaded up with gear with 4 blokes in flak jackets etc but still doesn't mean they need leather seats and a Merc, nice Mondeo or Skoda with cloth seats and wind down windows would have been fine
Yeah the Merc was not any old patrol car, was loaded up with gear with 4 blokes in flak jackets etc but still doesn't mean they need leather seats and a Merc, nice Mondeo or Skoda with cloth seats and wind down windows would have been fine
15 December 2003, 04:20 PM
#20
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Don't forget that a lot of car companies more or less give trial versions of the cars away to the police, in a hope that someone in fleet management will decide to buy a load of their cars.
I know that W Yorks got a really good deal on the Volvos when they first took them on..... a REALLY good deal, which made them cheaper than most other cars in its class.
I know that W Yorks got a really good deal on the Volvos when they first took them on..... a REALLY good deal, which made them cheaper than most other cars in its class.
15 December 2003, 04:26 PM
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When I was serving, Mercedes were for ever loaning vehicles on trial in the hope that we might buy them. I must have tried two or three different Mercedes, a couple of BMW's, a Lamborghini Countach, a Ferrari, Audi Quattro, Masserati, Jaguars, thelist is endless.
The vehicles spend about 4 weeks at each traffic base are evaluated by the crews and are then moved on again. Each person who drives the vehicle completes an evaluation report and this is kept on file until that vehicle goes out of production.
To the manufacturers it is great advertising and a cheap form of advertising at that as well. In our area when we had Ford Escorts as panda cars and Granada's as Traffic cars, Ford were the biggest selling vehicle in the area. We then changed to Vauxhall and Ford sales plummeted and Vauxhall sales took off.
When I first went on Traffic, we had 528 BMW's, and it was worked out that the cost per mile was in the region of 0.025p per mile to run against £1.30 a mile for the Granada, £2.50 for the Jaguar XJ6 and about £45 per mile for the Rover SD1.
If you ever go to the BMW museum in Germany, my old patrol car is in the museum having clocked up 400,000+ miles without ever having the heads off.
So although these vehicle can be brought cheaper than the public can buy them, but still may be dearer than the average rep mobile, the overall running costs can work out considerably cheaper in the long term.
The vehicles spend about 4 weeks at each traffic base are evaluated by the crews and are then moved on again. Each person who drives the vehicle completes an evaluation report and this is kept on file until that vehicle goes out of production.
To the manufacturers it is great advertising and a cheap form of advertising at that as well. In our area when we had Ford Escorts as panda cars and Granada's as Traffic cars, Ford were the biggest selling vehicle in the area. We then changed to Vauxhall and Ford sales plummeted and Vauxhall sales took off.
When I first went on Traffic, we had 528 BMW's, and it was worked out that the cost per mile was in the region of 0.025p per mile to run against £1.30 a mile for the Granada, £2.50 for the Jaguar XJ6 and about £45 per mile for the Rover SD1.
If you ever go to the BMW museum in Germany, my old patrol car is in the museum having clocked up 400,000+ miles without ever having the heads off.
So although these vehicle can be brought cheaper than the public can buy them, but still may be dearer than the average rep mobile, the overall running costs can work out considerably cheaper in the long term.
15 December 2003, 04:36 PM
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OK thats fair enough then
I just thought it looked a bit of a cushy number driving round in this flash and very comfy looking Merc, a job I wouldn't have minded
Just looks a bit odd when you see it due to the lack of police resources etc and always needing more bobbies on the beat but saying the funding isnt there only to be seen driving in very flash new motors.
I just thought it looked a bit of a cushy number driving round in this flash and very comfy looking Merc, a job I wouldn't have minded
Just looks a bit odd when you see it due to the lack of police resources etc and always needing more bobbies on the beat but saying the funding isnt there only to be seen driving in very flash new motors.
15 December 2003, 04:42 PM
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Nathan it was in TWells, it wasn't the RS but the v5
Well that's what it says on the Tunbridge Wells car when I drive it anyway
Nathan..
[Edited by Nathan L - 12/15/2003 5:02:50 PM]
15 December 2003, 04:54 PM
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They don't do an RS estate, or they didn't when I had a test drive nearly 2 years ago. This was the estate with v5 on the front grill. Still a 1.8 turbo I think but just a non tarted version of the RS available in hatchback and estate.
I want the RS in black, I think they look superb and drive superb Wont give the scoob up for anything though, just one of those possessions I have always wanted and never want to get rid of even though it costs me a fortune to run
Edited to say having re read your post are you saying it was you in Monson Rd this morning in the Skoda?
[Edited by ************** - 12/15/2003 5:00:21 PM]
I want the RS in black, I think they look superb and drive superb
Wont give the scoob up for anything though, just one of those possessions I have always wanted and never want to get rid of even though it costs me a fortune to run Edited to say having re read your post are you saying it was you in Monson Rd this morning in the Skoda?
[Edited by ************** - 12/15/2003 5:00:21 PM]
15 December 2003, 05:06 PM
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Nope not me in Monson Road this morning.
I'm off until the New Year now. Wahoooooo
If you want a closer look at the car i'll meet up with you in 2004 at some point.
Nathan..
I'm off until the New Year now. Wahoooooo
If you want a closer look at the car i'll meet up with you in 2004 at some point.
Nathan..
15 December 2003, 05:41 PM
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So if you work in Tunbridge Wells police station I hope you werent there about 6 years ago when I fell asleep outside the police station and got a free ride to a&e in the back of a patrol car due to 12 pints of guiness and them thinking I was dead 