Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2005 09:33:26 +0000 (UTC) From: Craig's Saab C900 Site <c900nospam.apana.org.au> Subject: Re: I'm very tempted.
Grunff <grunffnospam.com> writes: >James Sweet wrote: >> Baffles me how cheap even projects can be, if that was left hand drive it'd >> fetch $800-$1000 easy in my area, even in it's current condition. A car in >> good cosmetic condition is worth that much even if the drivetrain is >> completely shot. ><rant> >This is a quite sad side-effect of the current attitudes to second hand >cars in the UK. Let me elaborate. >First off, used car prices are low - really low. You can pick up really >nice, well-running cars, with new MOTs (that's a roadworthyness >certificate) for only a few hundred pounds. You can buy most 2-3 year >old cars at 40-50% their initial sale price. >This has come about largely because of a strong economy, and because >everyone wants a new car. I am constantly amazed how much people spend >on cars. I love cars and driving, but I'd never want to spend more than >say 30% of my annual earnings on a car purchase. And yet I know many, >many people who choose to spend 100-200% of their earnings on a car >purchase (then complain about being broke). Hmmm, in Australia spending 30 percent or less of annual earnings (even if you are referring to pre-tax not post-tax income), you'd be very limited in the choice of vehicle. The cheapest car you can buy new here is around A$15k, and the average income is around A$40k per year (gross - ie. pre-tax). I haven't priced new Saabs for a while but an average income won't even buy the base model of what's currently available from Saab. With an average mortgage around the A$250k to $300k mark, there isn't anything left to buy new vehicles even though since the GST-based tax system replaced the old wholesale sales tax system in 2000, car prices did fall. The cost of new vehicles in the UK must be a lot less compared to average income than here in Australia. I know that's already the case in the USA compared to Australia (after all, retail fuel costs in the US are orders of magnitude less than here and in other countries). Regards, Craig. -- Craig's Saab C900 Page --> http://nospam/~c900 Sydney, NSW Australia Craig's Saab C900 Workshop -- For all Saab C900 Enthusiasts world-wide! http://www.nospam.net http://www.nospam c900nospam.apana.org.au Come and explore our site, and check out our web-forums, mailing list, etc.
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