1983 Mercedes 280 SE Unregistered.

[alanuk400]

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-page.php/carno/48455


Alan

 

[BTB 500]

How did it do 940 miles without being registered?

 

[Will]

How did it do 940 miles without being registered?

Private land use perhaps?

It does seem a lot of miles for an un-registered car, but it is 25 years old.

Strange though.

Will

 

[talbir]

If the MOt station is 20 miles from his home, then that would explain it.

Although he'd probably have to borrow trade plates to drive there and back. No need for tax or MOT though.


talbir

 

[Will]

I'd be surprised if whoever owned it MOT'd it each year. What would be the point in paying to MOT it for around 20 odd years if it was never even registered for UK roads?

No doubt there is some unusual story with this car though, as per more ultra-low mileage/stored cars etc.

Will

 

[popuptoaster]

you can drive to a prebooked MOT with no number plates or tax as long as the car is insured.

 

[Will]

you can drive to a prebooked MOT with no number plates or tax as long as the car is insured.

Really? That surprises me w.r.t numberplates, how would your details be recorded for traffic offences (eg speed cameras) or an accident etc?

I'd have thought a minimum of trade plates would be required as talbir suggests.

Will

 

[crammy69]

Perhaps it was driven with trade plate from the factory?

 

[popuptoaster]

You cant get number plates allocated for a car unless its road legal so there is a provision in the rules for reregistering cars that have unknown or transfered number plates and need to be MOT'd, the rule predates cameras by a long time, if the police were involved they'd use your chassis number which can be issued or made up by yourself before the car is legal.

 

[The G.F.P]

just think if that was a w124 e320 coupe 1995 in met blue or blue black or silver or bornite with all the toys and leather in brand new 900 odd miles and unregisterd

id pay a fortune for it

i wonder how many cars there are out there like this

 

[popuptoaster]

Trouble is with old cars that are very low milage is they tend to show up lots of problems when you start using them, seals and electrics/electronics especially and then you have the problem that all their value is in the low milage, so as soon as you start using them they soon get down to normal prices.

Not that it stops me buying them, my coupe was unused for 4 years and most of its little foibles to date have been due to this rather than any wear and tear (the coil packed up on the drive home for example) my lowrider was in storage for 9 years and needs a fair biit of work to recomission it even though its not rusty or worn out.

 

[Will]

In fact - just wondering here - but if that vehicle is has never been registered, wouldn't it be placed onto a current '58' plate, and therefore would it need an MOT?

Will

 

[bigstuff]

it might have been a showroom exhibit & given a run on trade plates to keep it up to scratch ?

 

[popuptoaster]

In fact - just wondering here - but if that vehicle is has never been registered, wouldn't it be placed onto a current '58' plate, and therefore would it need an MOT?

Will

it'll get an age related plate if its year of manufacture can be proved, which is easy to do with the chassis number.

the log book will look interesting though as it list the year its first registered not manufactured.

 

[Will]

it'll get an age related plate if its year of manufacture can be proved, which is easy to do with the chassis number.

the log book will look interesting though as it list the year its first registered not manufactured.

Only reason I ask is that there's been a handful of new/un-registered cars out there (including a few MBs) that have been given current registrations

I always thought that the registration mark given at the date of registration would reflect the fact that it had never been previously registered or used in another country etc (unlike imported secondhand/used cars).

Eg, I've seen a '52 plate W202, and a 190E 2.5-16 EVO-II on a 'P' plate.

I still wonder about the MOT though.

Will

 

[popuptoaster]

Its not legal to put a private plate on a car that makes it appear newer than it is but i assume that doesn't apply if its not been registered at all, cant see why anyone would want a new plate on it, it will make it a nightmare to get through an MOT if it has to meet modern emissions regs for example, i think emsissions regs go on the age of the car, but the compusory dim dipping lights and rear seat belts go on the registration plate i think, i'm not 100% sure on that though.

Import cars can also have age related plates now providing the age can be verified, they used to be registered from when they came into the country, my old W115 was a 72 on a 74 plate because of this but my friends freshly imported 80's 'vette is on an 80's plate

 

[The G.F.P]

my car wa sowned by a famous ex aston villa player and he only used it to got home games and so it did about 2,000 in 5 years

thats why its a 1994 with 103k on it

 

[219]

Import cars ...... used to be registered from when they came into the country, my old W115 was a 72 on a 74 plate because of this but my friends freshly imported 80's 'vette is on an 80's plate

My 1957 W105 is registered with a 'B' suffix number for this reason - it was imported in 1964 . ( And with only 65,000 Km over 52 years , come April is also quite low mileage ) .

The 900 miles on the car in question is a bit of a mystery - maybe delivery mileage from Germany - but it will sell on condition , perhaps to a collector who won't ramp up the mileage and I guess the buyer won't be all that concerned .

 

[MBManInKen]

you can drive to a prebooked MOT with no number plates or tax as long as the car is insured.

Its not legal to put a private plate on a car that makes it appear newer than it is but i assume that doesn't apply if its not been registered at all

There is a lot of conjecture in the above and I'm not sure that I believe this. The relevant instrument is "The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001" and I can see no provision in there at all to allow a car to be driven on the public road without a registration or to put a plate on a car that makes it look newer, irrespective of its previous registration status.

 

[219]

The 1964 'B' registration on my 1957 car , previously registered abroad , is an example of exactly that - makes the car 'appear' seven years newer than it actually is