[SteveC]

Better do it soon....Sterling is depreciating at a rapid rate and I'm guessing that its only a matter of time before BMW UK are forced into a price increase by a strengthening Euro.

Recent depreciation is already equivalent to £2000 on a €40,000 car!

Welcome back to inflation and Sterling crisis

[Gibbo]

It's not that simple, many variables for example a few below:

- How far out they are hedged and their currency forecast/outlook
- The way the business is structured with there UK operations Mini, RR and Engines may be a factor.
-If they want to lead of follow the market on price increases.

[peterg1965]

There is no way BMW will price hike. The UK is the only European market where cars sales are actually rising year on year. I would say the market is VERY price sensitive so any increase by BMW will mean other manufacturers (audi/MB) reap the benefits in my view. They will absorb the exchange rate anomalies .

[gIzzE]

We were discussing pricing the other day on the Merc forum.

New E220cdi SE auto is £33900, in Germany that car with the extras added to make it the same as UK spec. which is xenons, leather, bluetooth, sat nav, media is €57,000 which is £49,000.

Can't see prices sticking at the level they are for too long in the UK.

[gIzzE]

Friend said he went to look at a new 3 series touring, he bought a 320d se auto back in 2001 brand new and paid £21,000 for it, said to spec it the same with xenons, sat nav, auto, leather and heated seats was just under £37,000.

He said he just couldn't justify that on a 2 litre diesel.

He said he appreciates that the price increase is probably in line with everything else, but it does seem incredibly expensive.

[mob17]

A new F10 that we are looking to buy soon specs up to £39k. And that's a 2 litre diesel.....

[gIzzE]

And it will be worth only £20k in 2 years, that I can guarantee you.

My old mans well specced F11 was getting close to that at 18 months old, Scoot's F11 that was £50k new was £18k at two and a bit years old.

Always better to go for the 3 litre on a 5 series imho, costs around £3k more new and is worth around £8-10k more at 3 years old.

[mob17]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

And it will be worth only £20k in 2 years, that I can guarantee you.

My old mans well specced F11 was getting close to that at 18 months old, Scoot's F11 that was £50k new was £18k at two and a bit years old.

Always better to go for the 3 litre on a 5 series imho, costs around £3k more new and is worth around £8-10k more at 3 years old.

Damn that's a huge drop! Is there anything we can do to make the hit easier, apart from getting a 3 litre?

Reason we want to stick to the 2 litre is that it will be doing a lot of motorway miles, so economy is important.

[Sparky68]

Supply and demand i guess. I dont think prices will shift to far when the climate is as it is. Last thing they want is unsold cars sitting about on ex Air Force bases depreciating.

[jimmylad]

The euro is only going back to where it was at the start of last year. Did prices drop when sterling got stronger ?

40k for 2 litre that will halve quite quickly is madness.

[MEGA]

It's unlikely to me we'll get as bad as we were 3 years ago when I went to Nurburgring and got a 1.03 euro's to the pound exchange rate.

But it's certainly attitudes like this that are more likely to make the economy struggle!


Dave

[mob17]

Originally Posted by jimmylad

The euro is only going back to where it was at the start of last year. Did prices drop when sterling got stronger ?

40k for 2 litre that will halve quite quickly is madness.

I do think its crazy too. But what do you suggest? Should we not even buy new then?

[gIzzE]

Rent one for £350 a month.

There is no way on earth I would buy a new 3 series unless I was doing 30k miles a year and was planning on keeping it for at least 4 or 5 years.

320d Sport auto with business media on contract hire is around £360 a month with a £1000 deposit.

http://www.contracthireandleasing.co...ries/11609558/

So over 2 years will cost you £9000, over 3 years will be around £13k, there is no way a £39k 320d will loose that little over the same period if you are buying cash, and I bet the figures if using finance are 3 to 4 times the deposit and then 50% more each month, and you will still just hand the keys back at the end.

[gIzzE]

There have been some new 320d sports with leather, prof media, dab and upgraded stereo being sold with 5k mies on them for £23k, these are not even year old cars that were used at the Olympics, and 520d's for the same money.
That shows you what the buying public think they are worth really.

£40,000 is absolute madness imho.

[gIzzE]

When you think you can be in a new E220cdi with the 7g tronic plus auto 'box, bluetooth, xenons, comand online, media and leather for £30,000 after 8% discount, it make the 3 series look so over priced it is unreal.

This car will do 44 round town and 55 on a run no problem.

You can hire the above for £299 a month plus vat.

But if you bought it for £30k it would still be worth £18-20k in 3 years.

[Cyprio]

Now is the time to haggle on the price of a nearly new car as dealers need to shift cars to make room for new registration vehicles next month - Mercedes here I come.

[dar2008]

Originally Posted by MEGA

It's unlikely to me we'll get as bad as we were 3 years ago when I went to Nurburgring and got a 1.03 euro's to the pound exchange rate.

But it's certainly attitudes like this that are more likely to make the economy struggle!


Dave

+1

And to add to the scaremongering, here's what the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Rachel Reeves has to say on the subject,...

"the pound being weaker is actually very bad news for the economic recovery and very bad news for families who are already struggling" (Rachel Reeves MP)

Last time I checked, sterling was 0.12% down against the dollar from it's start of day position,... hardly 'very bad news'.

And as for the OP's comment "Welcome back to inflation and Sterling crisis" - what are you talking about???

[MEGA]

I love how the shadow party is attemting to create a self fulfilling prophecy. It's the reason the country is in this f*cking mess in the first place. And it seems the OP is falling for it.

So. Labour. What's their master plan?

In response to a government attempting to recover a near bankerrupt administration that they themselves are responsible for: Destablise the recovering economy through scaremongering, inherit the shit that's left behind when the affected voters are hurt as a result of their current strategy. Once in power spend 4 years giving non existent money to those who can't be bothered to work - lose again; Stay quiet for 6 months And then back to plan A - blame the people trying to put it right.
It's a toxic strategy and the kind of transparent politics even the far right wouldn't try. But yet it will work - because their target demographic is basically all stupid and can't remember what happened last week.

And the result of this is a divided country of equal part bitter squeezed middle classes and self important demanding scrounger, with the rich poor divide getting ever greater and the chance of the UK being the world power it should getting ever slimmer.

Heh / Sigh.
Dave

[gIzzE]

Originally Posted by MEGA

It's a toxic strategy and the kind of transparent politics even the far right wouldn't try. But yet it will work - because their target demographic is basically all stupid and can't remember what happened last week.

That is so true.

[mowflow]

Originally Posted by MEGA

I love how the shadow party is attemting to create a self fulfilling prophecy. It's the reason the country is in this f*cking mess in the first place. And it seems the OP is falling for it.

So. Labour. What's their master plan?

In response to a government attempting to recover a near bankerrupt administration that they themselves are responsible for: Destablise the recovering economy through scaremongering, inherit the shit that's left behind when the affected voters are hurt as a result of their current strategy. Once in power spend 4 years giving non existent money to those who can't be bothered to work - lose again; Stay quiet for 6 months And then back to plan A - blame the people trying to put it right.
It's a toxic strategy and the kind of transparent politics even the far right wouldn't try. But yet it will work - because their target demographic is basically all stupid and can't remember what happened last week.

And the result of this is a divided country of equal part bitter squeezed middle classes and self important demanding scrounger, with the rich poor divide getting ever greater and the chance of the UK being the world power it should getting ever slimmer.

Heh / Sigh.
Dave

Rinse and repeat. I'm too young to remember (through disinterest) anything to do with politics pre Blair but my dad tells me it's been this cycle for as long as he remembers.

The UK may have lost it's AAA rating but with only 2 countries (Canada & Germany) still having that rating it's probably not going to make a MASSIVE difference. Especially since Germanys currency is fucked by all the dead weight (Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal) it's carrying anyway.

The whole world is in the same sinking, piece of shit canoe.

[Cyprio]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

When you think you can be in a new E220cdi with the 7g tronic plus auto 'box, bluetooth, xenons, comand online, media and leather for £30,000 after 8% discount, it make the 3 series look so over priced it is unreal.

This car will do 44 round town and 55 on a run no problem.

You can hire the above for £299 a month plus vat.

But if you bought it for £30k it would still be worth £18-20k in 3 years.

Gizze, as you've posted the above; that, plus you appear to know your Mercs, I'd appeciate it if you could cast your eye over this car and tell me if it has anything more than the basic spec?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...?logcode=ucnnp

The other issue is that it's not a main dealer car, though it does have a Merc warranty for a couple more years.

Sorry for going off topic guys.

[gIzzE]

It is an Edition 125, so it has quite a good basic spec., comand was standard, not sure if the intelligent light system was though, plus you have Premium sound which is a nice, speedtronic cruise is radar cruise, so that would have been an option, plus heated seats and it is the current comand system with all the online stuff.

Looks a nice car and probably a good 30% saving on list.