There's a big export market at the minute involving old 4x4's, vans, pickups and executive cars such as pajeros/shoguns, sprinters, cabstars and E class/5 series etc, and lots of people advertising to buy them, any condition as long as they run. Most end up on Africa's west coast due to the change in world economics ie, our scrap being of decreasing value and these regions benefitting from Chinese investment. Their building sites and their bosses etc need these vehicles and paperwork is of no importance. It's so cheap to put something in a container and send it there it's no wonder it's a booming business. While ratty merc sprinters and pajeros and massive petrol engines German execs are of little value here and can be bought legally (or nicked and nobody cares cus they're worthless) defenders are not of little value so need be stolen. Obviously lots get stripped here but a lot just vanish, never to be seen again. Probably stuffed in a container. Cabstars are also very popular, my friend has one that's over 20 years old and works the b@lls off it and every couple of months somebody attempts to steal it because they're just so good and the Africans will pay a good price, keys or not. Of course, where stripping them in UK for parts is concerned, that will surely stop one day, when there's not enough legitimate buyers left to buy the bits. People should be very wary when buying second hand bits and ask why the part is for sale anyway. If a breaker has everything for sale except a chassis and v5, alarm bells should be ringing.
