New Zealand: Reverse April Fool nets woman luxury car

No fool: Tianna Marsh was handed the car after responding to a newspaper advert

A woman in New Zealand has won a luxury car after taking an apparent April Fool's joke at face value.

It began with a car dealership's front-page advert in the New Zealand Herald newspaper. Titled "April Fool's Day special", it promised a brand new BMW to the first person who turned up to the showroom with their own car and the advert in hand. While many people likely suspected the advert was just another 1 April prank, one woman took the company at its word. Tianna Marsh drove her 15-year-old station wagon along to the dealership in the Auckland suburb of Newmarket at 05:30 local time, sales manager Gavin Penfold tells the paper, and was promptly rewarded with her new set of wheels. The car's number plate reads "NOF00L" and it's worth nearly NZ$50,000 (US$37,000; £25,000).

The advert "definitely appeared too good to be true", says BMW spokesman Ed Finn. "We wanted to turn the tables and reward the first person who was willing to take the chance." Ms Marsh's old car will be sold off to raise funds for a charity which helps disabled children, he tells the paper. A video of the whole event, uploaded to the company's YouTube channel, ends with the message: "Happy April Not Such a Fool".

The advert appeared on the New Zealand Herald's front page on 1 April

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