[cabrioletaddict]

these are the kind of rates being advertised in the uk for credit

you may squeeze 6 or 7 if you have excellent credit

also a loaded 335d is 72k - 80k dollars

you guys have got it good over there

[nukezero]

72k - 80k ?

forget that. for 72k-80k, you can get a lightly used porsche 911 or a similar used Audi R8....

[markinva]

Originally Posted by cabrioletaddict

these are the kind of rates being advertised in the uk for credit

you may squeeze 6 or 7 if you have excellent credit

also a loaded 335d is 72k - 80k dollars

you guys have got it good over there

yes we do. And then we have people putting regular grade gas in their car to save $3.

[The J-Man]

Originally Posted by cabrioletaddict

these are the kind of rates being advertised in the uk for credit

you may squeeze 6 or 7 if you have excellent credit

also a loaded 335d is 72k - 80k dollars

you guys have got it good over there

The interest rate is high, but you guys are paid in pounds, not dollars, right? So what does it matter if a 335d is $80K, you are paying pounds. 80K dollars = 50K pounds = the same price we pay in our currency.

[cabrioletaddict]

you can get a 3 year old 911 for that money or a new boxster here

we have 17.5 % new sales tax which really screws new car prices and fuels depreciation

gas is $8 per gallon

[cabrioletaddict]

no thats not so true

2008 - 2 dollars - 1 pound

2010 1.57 dollars 1 pound

an average guy over here - graduated school not college earns around 16k pounds

[jaybird124]

And people still want to have a socialistic model like Europe. Idiots.

[cabrioletaddict]

if obama sorts out your healthcare YES

[mapezzul]

Another one of these threads about pricing in EU vs. US- You can not do a direct money conversion. That is not how economies work. You have to look at purchasing power, how much you can get for your unit of currency then equalize; bang for the buck as it were.

The economist publishes periodically the "Big Mac" index which shows fluctuations in purchasing power.

You can even do it with Coca Cola. For example the Euro is about 20% inflated when it comes to purchasing goods- it may be valued higher than the dollar but it takes 20% more Euros to purchase the same item than in dollars.

[BimmerPod]

Originally Posted by mapezzul

Another one of these threads about pricing in EU vs. US- You can not do a direct money conversion. That is not how economies work. You have to look at purchasing power, how much you can get for your unit of currency then equalize; bang for the buck as it were.

The economist publishes periodically the "Big Mac" index which shows fluctuations in purchasing power.

You can even do it with Coca Cola. For example the Euro is about 20% inflated when it comes to purchasing goods- it may be valued higher than the dollar but it takes 20% more Euros to purchase the same item than in dollars.

+1 well put

[markinva]

Originally Posted by mapezzul

Another one of these threads about pricing in EU vs. US- You can not do a direct money conversion. That is not how economies work. You have to look at purchasing power, how much you can get for your unit of currency then equalize; bang for the buck as it were.

The economist publishes periodically the "Big Mac" index which shows fluctuations in purchasing power.

You can even do it with Coca Cola. For example the Euro is about 20% inflated when it comes to purchasing goods- it may be valued higher than the dollar but it takes 20% more Euros to purchase the same item than in dollars.

while this is generally true, in this case PPP is close enough that the overall point still holds water.

The GDP PPP per capita of the UK vs the USA is only about 20% different. So, I would say that indeed a BMW is a heck of a lot more expensive for Britons than it is for Americans, in their respective countries.

[ellipsis212]

Originally Posted by jaybird124

And people still want to have a socialistic model like Europe. Idiots.

nice non-sequitur

[The J-Man]

Another way to look at it.

The current big mac shows the US and UK almost at parity. Therefore, a $50K 335d in the US should cost about 31K pounds. According to bmw.co.uk, a well optioned 335d has a sticker price of about 40K pounds. That, however, includes a 17.5% VAT, which needs to be backed out to compare with US msrp pricing since it is a tax and does not reflect the actual price of the product.

So assume 33K pounds in the UK pre VAT tax.

The same car with almost identical options runs about $51,000 on the BMW US website pre sales tax.

Since the two currencies between countries are almost at parity, you can do a straight across conversion using current exchange rates of 1 pound to 1.6 dollars.

Therefore, you can say that a 33K pound car in the UK costs $52,800. In reality, it costs $51,000 in the US. So, apples to apples, the UK car costs only 3.5% more than in the United States ($1800). Even with VAT added, that same car costs only 13-15% more in the UK assuming you will be paying 5-8% sales tax in the United States.

This is a far cry from the OP's assertion that a 335d costs a full 40%+ more in the UK.

(I think my math is correct.)

[cotmfk]

If it's so bad over there... OP and others should move to the US.

I used to be a UK citizen so don't say take your own advice! Moving is never easy, but don't complain just to complain.