Affordability/frustrations

[Wolfe]

It isn't that bad. I managed to wheel around in an '87 Porsche 911 3.2 for a day or so after riding in a 40-mile bicycle race that morning. Sure, it wasn't pleasant, but I'd be willing to bet that if my legs weren't already tired, it wouldn't have been a problem.

Although sometimes called "exotics," Porsches typically don't fit into the mold M5Power was talking about. Unless you're talking about something like the Carrera GT (if only for its clutch) or a 911 GT2/GT3, Porsches are well-known to be friendly daily drivers.

Hell, I've seen more road-grime-covered 911s driving around in the snow than Ferraris in any season. Although my latitude and the difference in prices between the two marques also affect this.

 

[GT Pro]

As I said before, can anyone shed some light on why cars in Australia are so more rediculously expensive than in America? Surely it can't all be due to luxury vehicle tax.

 

[V1P3R]

Suppy and Demand? I mean honestly it's just a "little" place on the map compared to say the US so they (manufactures) rather get the bigger market. Then there's the occasional "excuse" to price gouge because of where you are. Just my guess. : shrugs:

 

[picklesam]

^^ dunno, must be supply/demand? higher tariffs than the US? i know if your car is $100k, luxo tax is about 9k..than you have to pay stamp duty...johnny's ripping us off mate, i'm moving to America once i've paid off my house...

 

[Glanza-V]

Get a rx7 they look like supercars

 

[YSSMAN]

As I said before, can anyone shed some light on why cars in Australia are so more rediculously expensive than in America? Surely it can't all be due to luxury vehicle tax.

Its mostly taxes and currency rates. Keep in mind that I believe your dollar is worth about $0.75 here in the US (give or take a bit), so its going to explain some of the differences. The Commodore sold in Australia will retail in the US for roughly the same price when it shows up in Pontiac dealers later in the fall, the G8 GT (Commodore SS) somewhere around $35K, or about $40K Australian dollars.

Cars in Britain are always quite expensive as well compared to the rest of the world, and that too I assume is due to taxes and exchange rates.

The only nation in the world I know of that gets cars for as "cheap" as we do in America is Germany, but that has much to do with the lower exchange differences between the Euro and the Dollar, and a more reasonable tax system (in some cases), and furthermore that the cars are built there.

 

[GT Pro]

Its mostly taxes and currency rates. Keep in mind that I believe your dollar is worth about $0.75 here in the US (give or take a bit), so its going to explain some of the differences.

Actually (and by this I mean that this is the highest that it's ever traded), the Australian Dollar is currently buying 90 (88.7) U.S cents which is rather fortunate. So your AMG Merc CLK63 which you buy for 90k should set us back 100k. Which leads me to think that this all comes down to how heavy the country's taxation is.

It may as well be cheaper just to fly to America, organise shipping and get it back to Australia, and then convert it to RHD as well as make any other minor adjustments needed to make it Australian roadworthy...

 

[Casio]

It probably has something to do with the economy too. If say, we brought every car for just over US pricing after conversion. It would drive car prices down, which may cause increased fuel prices or something? It might even cause deflation?

It might also have something to do with the cost of producing a car locally vs imports. Because it may cost 30k (Probably lower) to make a base Falcon in Australia which is why they retail at about 36K for the base. If then Chrysler came along and started selling the 300C Touring Signature Series for the same price, then it would drive out the local market completely.

 

[picklesam]

The Commodore sold in Australia will retail in the US for roughly the same price when it shows up in Pontiac dealers later in the fall, the G8 GT (Commodore SS) somewhere around $35K, or about $40K Australian dollars.

Why would you guys pay $35k for a commodore? If you've got the contacts you can get a second hand merc cl55 for less than that at auctions..

 

[picklesam]

It may as well be cheaper just to fly to America, organise shipping and get it back to Australia, and then convert it to RHD as well as make any other minor adjustments needed to make it Australian roadworthy...

can't be done, unfortunately newer cars cannot be imported easily, this is to protect the oz car industry...if everyone did what you mentioned the authorised dealership networks would collapse, holden and ford would probably go out of business...

and to convert it would be very time consuming and costly...I got quoted $35k for a proper conversion for a 88 merc...so imagine what it'd cost to convert a new car! And don't forget the australian design rules are different to those in the US...

kinda sux how we have to pay more than our friends in America...not just cars but PS3s as well!

 

[YSSMAN]

It may as well be cheaper just to fly to America, organise shipping and get it back to Australia, and then convert it to RHD as well as make any other minor adjustments needed to make it Australian roadworthy...

I'm going to guess that it wouldn't be a good way to go about it. Generally speaking, the newer models made by Ford or GM (just as an example) use the same safety and emissions standards between the US and Australia (its one of the reasons why the Monaro was brought here so quickly). But converting everything over to RHD really isn't worth it... And you likely won't save any money by the end. Plus, won't your government end up taxing the purchase of the vehicle upon arrival? I know the US Feds do...

It might also have something to do with the cost of producing a car locally vs imports.

I would think that it plays into the equation, but its normally much cheaper to produce and sell a vehicle locally than to import one. That Chrysler is actually built in Canada and shipped to Australia (if I'm not mistaken), so Chrysler ends up making much less money than say Ford or GM who can build a similarly priced wagon in Oz, and have delivery costs that are probably a fifth of that of the American model.

But, keep in mind as well, Oz is becoming a place in which many of the Automakers actually want to build their cars to ship them around the world. You guys will be building our Pontiac G8s, and possibly our Buick Roadmasters as well (that is, if GM approves), and if the Falcon rumors are true, our versions will come from Oz as well. And truth be told, we won't pay much more for the cars than what you would down there.

Why would you guys pay $35k for a commodore? If you've got the contacts you can get a second hand merc cl55 for less than that at auctions..

Actually, prices have yet to be confirmed, but a well-equipped Pontiac G8 GT (6.0L 362 BHP L76 V8) should push right up to that point, but I'd be willing to bet that you could get a pretty "basic" G8 GT for right around $30K. I believe it will be the equal to the SS model, as the SS-V package probably won't be available right away, depending on how well Pontiac can sell the vehicles.

IMO, its a screaming good deal. While Dodge does offer the Charger R/T for about the same price, you're getting an extra 20 BHP, a manual transmission option, a better chassis, and an overall better drive. Furthermore, you get a 5 year, 100K mile warranty, which on the Mercedes that you mentioned, wouldn't exist... And, at least in my book, I wouldn't want to have to pay to fix a Mercedes.

That, simply put, is common sense.