2011 Ex-Demo Car?

[markjay]

I wonder if MB UK are the only car manufacturer using the K prefix? Could it be a non-geographic prefix allocated to car manufacturers to facilitate mass-registration of fleet cars sold to business buyers?

 

[Benz17]

My current one is KP, and the previous W213 was KY, both first owners were MB

The current one with KP, MB Bridgend were the first owner, make that what you will.

 

[markjay]

My current one is KP, and the previous W213 was KY, both first owners were MB

The current one with KP, MB Bridgend were the first owner, make that what you will.

I think it means that the car was first supplied to MB Bridgend, either as a demonstrator or staff car, dealers get to buy a certain allocation of cars on the cheap as test drive cars and for other internal use, but the condition is that the cars are not resold before they are 6 months old (the minimum number of months can vary).

(Just had this discussion at a VW dealership over the weekend, I was looking to buy an ID.4 1st Edition, they had a few in stock being used for test drives but said they can't resell them yet because the minimum number of months haven't lapsed yet)

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

"Some say" that

KA, KB, KC, KD, KE, KF, KG, KH, KJ, KK, KL are registered in	-	Luton
KM, KN, KO, KP, KR, KS, KT, KU, KV, KW, KX, KY are registered in	-	Northampton

"All I know" is that the internet's sometimes unreliable: The Home of Everything Automotive - Car.co.uk

 

[BPD07]

"Some say" that

KA, KB, KC, KD, KE, KF, KG, KH, KJ, KK, KL are registered in	-	Luton
KM, KN, KO, KP, KR, KS, KT, KU, KV, KW, KX, KY are registered in	-	Northampton

"All I know" is that the internet's sometimes unreliable: The Home of Everything Automotive - Car.co.uk

KT was a prefix on a MINI Clubman I owned that was bought Ex demo in Milton Keynes.

 

[E55BOF]

My SLK has the prefix BJ. I'd rather not speculate on what the first owner might have done for a living...

 

[Benz17]

My SLK has the prefix BJ. I'd rather not speculate on what the first owner might have done for a living...

You sure it's not a previa rather then a slk

 

[Dippo]

K as the first letter of the registration does not signify the car was owned by MB. K is simply the identifier for what were the Northampton and Luton vehicle registration offices. There are other manufacturers using K - for example, Volkswagen/Audi/Skoda Seat (Milton Keynes), Suzuki (Milton Keynes), Vauxhall (Luton); Hertz used to have a large depot just outside Northampton which also registered cars. Mercedes simply receive an allocation of registration marks starting with K, the same as any dealer - except they probably receive more than most dealers!

As regards Press Demonstrators not being run in - when I worked for a manufacturer, all the press fleet were run in by inhouse staff. There is no way they would give a car to a journalist which had not been run in.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

K as the first letter of the registration does not signify the car was owned by MB. K is simply the identifier for what were the Northampton and Luton vehicle registration offices.

Yep, I said this on the first page

 

[Mactech]

Within a decade from 2006 I bought 9 Mercedes cars. All those which were bought 'used' (normally about 6 months old from Mercedes direct) had 'K' registrations. That's 6 cars ranging from E280 Est to a GLE. All were great cars with an ML running to over 70k miles with never an issue. All had been registered to Mercedes previously, except one to someone called 'Hertz'!




Most were transferred to my or my wife's private plates.
Whoever they may have driven them before, they all were totally trouble free cars.
So who 'K'ares

 

[Benz17]

Within a decade from 2006 I bought 9 Mercedes cars. All those which were bought 'used' (normally about 6 months old from Mercedes direct) had 'K' registrations. That's 6 cars ranging from E280 Est to a GLE. All were great cars with an ML running to over 70k miles with never an issue. All had been registered to Mercedes previously, except one to someone called 'Hertz'!

View attachment 115377

View attachment 115378
Most were transferred to my or my wife's private plates.
Whoever they may have driven them before, they all were totally trouble free cars.
So who 'K'ares

How did the hertz one turn out.

 

[Mactech]

How did the hertz one turn out.

This one was 100k miles when I bought it as a 'stop gap' car at the start of 2014. Bentley wanted their company cars back on my retirement, outrageous!
This one stayed for 2 years, put on 25k miles and never gave a hint of a problem. Total cost to me was under 1k in depreciation, tyres, non MB servicing and an ATF change.
So very well, I'd say.
I'd say even better for the next owner. It passed the MOT late last year with almost 300k miles on it.
However it was treated in its formative years appears to have done little, if any, harm!

I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

 

[supersim65]

I remember a VW I owned that was MOD white fleet for the first 5 years of it's life. It got re-registered when it was sold on.

I was told fleet/hire cars do get allocated the right budget for regular servicing. They don't get neglected because they're an important asset. But the companies who service them often know the quality of the work won't be checked. So they tend to rush them through slap-dash.

When my preferred mechanic replaced the cam belt. He said there was 6x screws/bolts missing from the head. Which tracks with the above.

 

[markjay]

I remember a VW I owned that was MOD white fleet for the first 5 years of it's life. It got re-registered when it was sold on.

I was told fleet/hire cars do get allocated the right budget for regular servicing. They don't get neglected because they're an important asset. But the companies who service them often know the quality of the work won't be checked. So they tend to rush them through slap-dash.

When my preferred mechanic replaced the cam belt. He said there was 6x screws/bolts missing from the head. Which tracks with the above.

I used to be an Omega fan, and only moved to Mercedes once Opel/Vauxhall stopped making them.

But I must admit I was nearly tempted when I learnt in 2008 that the MOD were flogging a white fleet of Omegas, last year made (2003), with delivery mileage.

 

[Benz2fast4u]

This has been an interesting thread to read, learnt something new about registration numbers.

 

[Benz2fast4u]

View attachment 115381

This one was 100k miles when I bought it as a 'stop gap' car at the start of 2014. Bentley wanted their company cars back on my retirement, outrageous!
This one stayed for 2 years, put on 25k miles and never gave a hint of a problem. Total cost to me was under 1k in depreciation, tyres, non MB servicing and an ATF change.
So very well, I'd say.
I'd say even better for the next owner. It passed the MOT late last year with almost 300k miles on it.
However it was treated in its formative years appears to have done little, if any, harm!

I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

Hi Mactech, I hope you don't mind me asking, which Bentley did you have as a company car?

 

[Mactech]

Hi Mactech, I hope you don't mind me asking, which Bentley did you have as a company car?

Bentley are part of the VW group, so just as 'K' plate Mercedes car are most likely to be former management and/or employee cars, we had management and 'peppercorn' lease cars from the VW group. I had mostly Audi A6's changed every 8k miles and a Golf or Leon lease car.
In the Motorsport group we also had the use of some ex-engineering Bentley cars ranging from a Silver Spur which had been used for kerb strike testing (!) (AKA The 'van') to a rather nice red V8S which had been only ever been used by Quality. These cars were never allowed to be sold but we could use them on company business before they met the crusher.
This one became my favourite for trips to Heathrow from the North whilst supporting our Stateside team, or trips to the Lake District where the race cars were built.

 

[supersim65]

Bentley are part of the VW group, so just as 'K' plate Mercedes car are most likely to be former management and/or employee cars, we had management and 'peppercorn' lease cars from the VW group. I had mostly Audi A6's changed every 8k miles and a Golf or Leon lease car.
In the Motorsport group we also had the use of some ex-engineering Bentley cars ranging from a Silver Spur which had been used for kerb strike testing (!) (AKA The 'van') to a rather nice red V8S which had been only ever been used by Quality. These cars were never allowed to be sold but we could use them on company business before they met the crusher.
This one became my favourite for trips to Heathrow from the North whilst supporting our Stateside team, or trips to the Lake District where the race cars were built.
View attachment 115421

I'm not living for this colour on a Bentley. I am enjoying your carefully curated pictures though.

 

[Mactech]

I'm not living for this colour on a Bentley. I am enjoying your carefully curated pictures though.

Here's another one then, and it's not even silver.
This one actually started on a 'K' plate alongside my wife's initials. Pure coincidence, it was just the car and spec. she wanted.


But we changed the plate to her name instead!

 

[Petrol Pete]

If you see a Honda Civic or Jazz with the prefix OE it's a Honda employee car 'leased' through the company. Not sure of the details but they are not allowed to keep them for long before having to opt out or select a new one.

Honda closes this month. I guess they would have suspended the employee lease program when the closure was announced a few years back so it's unlikely the used market will be flooded with them.