Man takes car on six-day test drive

[Nodz86]

CANBERRA (Reuters) - An Australian who took a new car on a 1,988 mile six-day test drive from the city to the outback has been arrested, police said on Thursday.

 

 

The 30-year-old convinced a car dealer in the southeastern city of Melbourne to lend him a A$40,000 (19,000 pound) Honda Accord sedan last Friday and drove the equivalent of London to Istanbul before he was arrested near the town of Tennant Creek, deep in the outback of the Northern Territory.

 

"He drove from Melbourne to Adelaide to Alice Springs," Tennant Creek police Constable James Gray-Spence told Reuters.

 

He said the man was arrested without incident at a road block on his way north to Darwin after he failed to pay for fuel at a hamlet.

 

The test drive was the longest known to Australian police and topped a 500km theft on New Zealand's South Island in 2006.

 

"I think we've topped that with the 3,000 km mark," Gray-Spence said.

Melbourne car yard owner Ian McKenzie said the man would have had to have been in the car all day, every day to reach Tennant Creek.

 

"He seemed a legitimate gentleman. He stood at the desk right in front of a camera. He wasn't afraid of being photographed or videoed," McKenzie told the Herald Sun newspaper.

 

The man was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a motor vehicle and unlawful possession of property and will appear in court on Thursday.

 

(Reporting by Rob Taylor, editing by Jonathan Standing)

[Nige]

LOL :D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

That guy is a bit dumb though I mean he took a Honda Accord for a test drive yet Australia is well known for its V8 saloons so If I was him I would have taken out a Holden Commodore (One of these beauties!):

 

 

The guy is dumb lol :D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MCW]

haha classic

[Mb]

Brilliant! Only i'd take something more interesting.

[DriftNismo]

Haha, nice one, kinda reminds me of when Knoxville gets the rental car in the first Jackass movie and smashes it up, and then says there shouldn't be a problem returning it because it still has a full tank of gas lmao.

 

Anyway, any details on how long he's been arrested for?

[The Queen]

Haha thats really funny :D

[Camel]

What a tool.

[ShadowGT]

LOL :D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

That guy is a bit dumb though I mean he took a Honda Accord for a test drive yet Australia is well known for its V8 saloons so If I was him I would have taken out a Holden Commodore (One of these beauties!):

 

 

The guy is dumb lol :D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

HAHA I go past that dealership he stole it from all the time :D. He took the Car from a Honda dealership in Frankston (a popular town in melbourne's south east suburb's where i live :) ) Which suprisingly is exactly across the road from a Holden dealership :D

[Pherelas]

What an idiot lol.

[TDU 505]

I'd take a VXR8...maybe he'll be able to outrun them then...until he needs petrol :D

[Baltoman]

I bet he saw this "stealing car plan" in a movie

[DriftNismo]

Right you are KTF, it was Knoxville.

[Nige]

HAHA I go past that dealership he stole it from all the time :D. He took the Car from a Honda dealership in Frankston (a popular town in melbourne's south east suburb's where i live :) ) Which suprisingly is exactly across the road from a Holden dealership :D

 

That makes the guy even more dumb :D !!!!!!!!!!

 

 

A medioka (:badspelling:) Honda Accord Saloon or a nice V8 Commodore ?????

 

 

no competition really is there :p ??????

[YeOldeTDUMan]

that's a class story ... great find Nodz