Posted on 10/15/2024 9:18:54 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
The small South Caucasus nation of Georgia has become a multi-billion dollar hub for the international used car market. The vehicles are mostly sourced from the US, and many appear to be ending up in Russia.
Equivalent in size to more than 40 football pitches, it hosts thousands of vehicles up for sale.
He says that his company has responded to “a lot of demand for Western-produced vehicles”. Today the firm has 600 employees.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Usually a bit wider than a US football field but they are probably not that far apart in area size.
Thousands of late model cars that crash are driveable, serviceable BUT the electronics/sensors/cameras are impacted so they are deemed unsafe on US roads and are “totaled.”
They go to Russia perhaps but they definitely are sold to somewhere.
The Germans used to sell their cars which failed the TUV to sell to Poland. In the 1980’s they sold to the Americans looking for a lower cost German car….
Someone occasionaly pees in his cornflakes, and that sets him off.
Being paranoid exacerbates his many problems.
The US requires that cars repaired under insurance have ALL safety features restored, regardless of cost, and some repairs requiring calibrations cost many thousands just due to having to buy expensive equipment and then train and then do the work.
The question becomes - just how important is that thing that tells you if you’re out of your lane or fights your steering? Some of us here, as in ALL of us (except that 13 year old non-US Zeeper) learned to drive without those systems. So, maybe it’s time to have an ADULT discussion about allowing these cars to degrade somewhat as long as they maintain primary safety features (such as seat belts and safety glass, for example), so they don’t have to be junked the next time they get a scratch.
Any flood damaged rigs?
Yes. Just as I said in #42.
Why don’t more people understand how the premature auto totaling grave is, along with uninsured drivers, why their insurance rates continue to soar?
—”Thousands of cars that are stolen in US are ending up in Russia”
I used to believe that too, but a friend deep in the auto insurance biz said most Russians cannot afford them.
...”According to recent reports, thousands of cars stolen in the US are ending up being shipped overseas, primarily to markets in West Africa where they are sold to unsuspecting buyers, with countries like Nigeria being a major destination; this is often facilitated through major US ports like the Port of New York-Newark”
Cars are repaired, and horseraces are fixed.
A sign in a friend’s shop.
Are used to fly into Almaty Kazakhstan, we would often see cars that have dealership badges on the back from US dealerships! Our understanding was that storm cars make it across the border to Mexico and then or shipped to Russia/Kazakhstan. Who knows… But I’ve certainly seen them. They even had to have special license plates made because of the shape of US license plates as opposed to the rest of the world.
hah!
Russia can pull out the computer chips and use them in their drones and smart bombs.
“but they’re so technologically fragile. Fixing anything almost ‘totals’ the car.”
Straight up truth. I wonder if the Russians are repairing these systems or just stripping them off and reprogramming the computer without them.
—”I had a Renault Dauphine in 1964. My taste was questionable.”
A school chum had REE-Nault of similar vintage in the early 70s. Long before the Re-no.
It would always start no matter how cold, but at 10 F or lower the automatic would freeze... The car starts and goes, with no stopping. He was granted a special parking spot that pointed down a lane because he had to make a few laps for the ATF to warm up.
Booth feet hard on the brake would usually kill the engine if needed.
Him and his Ree-Nault were very popular because out of a full lot his car would get you there and back.
“many years ago”
I watch the auctions. Lots of Russian names as buyers for the last 4-5 years.
The Russians - or any sensible country - do what is necessary to have the auto perform its primary function. (But keep the heated seats in Siberia!)
Yep, at the beginning of the Ukraine War, the sanctions greatly impacted Russian car production. They could not build cars with the required 50 airbags, nor anti-lock braking. Guess what, Russians still bought them...and no carnage on the highways, as the cars still had seat belts and they still brakes.
Today’s cars would be HALF of their present price (if not less) if we just went back to 1985 safety standards - which were still damn good. For emissions, 2005 was PLENTY.
A decent quarterback can probably pitch a football 40 yards. So around 15,000 square feet? So under half the size of a grocery store, larger than a CVS.
Bwahaha. I had a older camper conversion one in the mid nineties that my husband put some massive muffler system on.
That sucker turned every man’s head when I started it up in the walmart parking lot. And people got the hell out of my way when I signaled a lane change.
Called it my Urban Assault Vehicle. I hauled a lot of kids around in that monster.
—”Rubles For Clunkers”
Today’s ruble is worth ONE CENT and dropping.
Very few outside of Russia accept the ruble.
And the Russians are holding on to any dollar/euros they have stashed.
IMO they are trading something for the cars, but what?
Years back my climbing buddies always wore 3 pairs of Levis, when going to East Europe to trade. at the time titanium ice screws were a precious commodity and the Russians were the best at machining titanium.
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