Surprised by this one really.

 

Just come back from Germany.

 

Drove our familes brand new (800km on the clock) VW Touareg 3.0 TDI V6 a couple of times.

 

They had just traded in their old one (same spec but 3 years old) and bought a new one without finance.

 

I asked what they paid for it... 68,000 euros (£57,000)! I nearly spat my beer out!

 

I've checked on the VW Deutchland website and it's right. Over 60,000 euros for their model then I think they had a load of options.

 

Looking at the VW uk website the most expensive model starts at £43,000.

 

Am I missing something? Why would it cost more to buy the car in the country it is made?

 

On another note... I loved the car. Engine was sweet and the new 8 speed box is lovely. Very nice spec too.

 

Phil

Same here at the time I got my VRS the same car in the Netherlands was €46000 and that was stock before my options (emissions/weight/fuel capacity based). Almost half of that price was an additional form of tax for new vehicles. Also the Dutch equivilent of road tax for my diesel VRS is €150 a MONTH!  I would assume Germany is the same but not as expensive. Try to find price for that VW in the Netherlands but swallow first!  

 

In fact here in Holland it STARTS at €70690 - €97390 hahahahaha http://www.volkswagen.nl/modellen/touareg/prijzen

 

This is why my VRS is a rare and often stared at car here. Will miss the compliments I get about it with the colour never even having been seen by most when I move back to UK. 

On the other hand, I am always baffled when I see your second hand prizes!

Sad that the steering wheel is on the wrong side 

 

And Germany is a lot cheaper than Holland! Look at the car prices in Denmark 

On the other hand, I am always baffled when I see your second hand prizes!

Sad that the steering wheel is on the wrong side 

 

And Germany is a lot cheaper than Holland! Look at the car prices in Denmark 

Had to read that twice to understand, prizes should be prices, but your English is much better than my non-existent German - LOL

Same here at the time I got my VRS the same car in the Netherlands was €46000 and that was stock before my options (emissions/weight/fuel capacity based). Almost half of that price was an additional form of tax for new vehicles. Also the Dutch equivilent of road tax for my diesel VRS is €150 a MONTH!  I would assume Germany is the same but not as expensive. Try to find price for that VW in the Netherlands but swallow first!  

 

In fact here in Holland it STARTS at €70690 - €97390 hahahahaha http://www.volkswagen.nl/modellen/touareg/prijzen

 

This is why my VRS is a rare and often stared at car here. Will miss the compliments I get about it with the colour never even having been seen by most when I move back to UK. 

 

In The Netherlands there is an additional tax BPM that can be a lot

 

This is why it was popular to import cars several years ago when UK prices were over inflated

 

Cars were sold tax free and you paid the Vat in the uk

Had to read that twice to understand, prizes should be prices, but your English is much better than my non-existent German - LOL

 

The prices are so much cheaper in UK that they are in fact prizes in comparison though. magic62's English is better than most on Briskoda.

 

Sad that the steering wheel is on the wrong side 

 

 

Technically the steering wheel is on the 'right' side of the car, so must be the correct place to put it. :P But there again you (and I at present) drive on the 'right' side of the road. So as I see it the perfect combination to be 'right' is FUBAR = RHD car driving on right hand side of road. All hail FUBAR! 

Friend just bought that very car recently. Dealer ex demo, fully loaded (Over £55k list price inc extras) dealer practically begged him to take it and he paid £30k ish for it. 3k on the clock.

There can be excise duties on cars as well as the VAT rate.  Also the VAT is charged on the excise duty as well, doubly wammy.

 

We use to have 10% car tax in the UK hence people use to buy vans with no car tax and then after fit windows and extra seats. In customs we use to go round checking for such conversions.

 

EU single market, nah not really.  We should aspire to be Philip Green of course that well know government consultant and tax expert. 

One big thing is the relation of the pound to the euro.

If the prices in England would have been corrected in the last years, the foreign cars in GB would be über expensive.

They did the same years ago with the german cars in the US, and still a comparable german car is much cheaper in the US than in Germany.

 

Thx for correcting me, that z was a typo. And I am still learning (could write in dutch or german though  )

Virtual all car production in Europe is priced in Euros in terms of parts cost,  Skoda is much cheaper as the CZ wage costs are about half of the German ones and labour cost still make up a considerable percentage of production cost.

 

What people pay as retail for the car can vary hugely but alway worth remember the Eleventh Commandment, "Never pay Retail".

 

Car sales are at a 20 year low because of the European wide (including UK) recession and discounts are high at the moment. In relation to the retail price effective discounts of 10% are common (including the subsidized finance arrangements).  Makes like Ford, Fiat/Chrysler and Vauxhall/Opel one should be expecting 15-20% discount as this is what is given to through some outlets, Family etc can get close to 30% and they a'int selling at a loss (except when they are selling all cars at a loss which they have done in their history),  

 

High manufacturers Retail Price are a pain if they are taken in to Taxable Benefits but are only the starting point for what a customer can/would pay. 

But UK Private car sales are reported as at a 5 year high. 'due to the availability of low finance'.

So they can not be at a 20 year low in the UK.

Back to pre-recession levels.

'19th consecutive monthly rise.'

 

http://bbc.co.uk/news/business-24396562

 

Figures are mis-leading probably,

I think they are not including 'Motability Finance', the biggest car buyer and owner of 3 year old cars in the UK, as a 'Group Buyer',

They count those cars as 'Private Sales' and not as they do 'Fleet' or 'Business'.

the cars are registered to a Individual for the first 3 or 5 years, and the 63 Plate Cars registered are of the type on

the best 'Motability' deals.

 

So now near a Million new cars sales in each 3 years to Motability Finance, then on the used market,

well thats about to change and car Dealerships will take the hit.

http://falseeconomy.org.uk/blog/well-over-100000-to-lose-motability-vehicles-under-draconian-new-rules

 

george

A lot of this is "what the market will bear".

 

If German buyers are prepared to pay €68K then why would VW Gremany want to charge anything less?

 

In the UK they simply would not compete with other brands or sell cars at all at that level.  That's just how a capitalist society works.

Edited 5 October, 201312 yr by slider

But UK Private car sales are reported as at a 5 year high. 'due to the availability of low finance'.

So they can not be at a 20 year low in the UK.

Back to pre-recession levels.

'19th consecutive monthly rise.'

http://bbc.co.uk/news/business-24396562

Figures are mis-leading probably,

I think they are not including 'Motability Finance', the biggest car buyer and owner of 3 year old cars in the UK, as a 'Group Buyer',

They count those cars as 'Private Sales' and not as they do 'Fleet' or 'Business'.

the cars are registered to a Individual for the first 3 or 5 years, and the 63 Plate Cars registered are of the type on

the best 'Motability' deals.

So now near a Million new cars sales in each 3 years to Motability Finance, then on the used market,

well thats about to change and car Dealerships will take the hit.

http://falseeconomy.org.uk/blog/well-over-100000-to-lose-motability-vehicles-under-draconian-new-rules

george

Low finance and if you read the commentary, PPI compensation is feeding into the car market boosting private sales. Not a bad deal for the lenders, pay out a small sum in compo and watch the punters give it back with interest to borrow a large sum to rent a car for 3 years.

On the other hand, I am always baffled when I see your second hand prizes!

Sad that the steering wheel is on the wrong side

And Germany is a lot cheaper than Holland! Look at the car prices in Denmark

My father in law wants me to check out the prices of used LHD Merc B180 Sports in mainland Europe with a view to exporting to Greece.

Any ideas on where you might start looking and which used markets are most keenly priced?

In Germany:

www.mobile.de

www.autoscout24.de

Here are also offers from outside Germany.

European car sales are at their lowest level since records began in 1990.

 

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dd07a63a-1ee1-11e3-b80b-00144feab7de.html#axzz2gsYFunaz

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323981304579080472401982500.html 

 

Personal sales are taking a higher percentage of sales as companies do not want to have company car fleets any more as they are not tax efficient.

 

KPMG did a survey and reckoned that producing Right Hand Drive cars cost about 6% more than the Left Hand ones the rest of Europe drive.

A recent Car magazine article had it correct.

 

Years ago Daewoo cut out the Middle Man and you bought cars direct.

Sadly just not good cars.

 

So BMW are going Mail Order soon with Electric.

Car delivered to your place of choice.

Lease car and Batteries. 

 

Just like Lexus, no need to see the Dealer or the Service desk.

Car Delivered and collected for the very few times it needs serviced.

 

Or as will be with BMW, cars, Bikes, Scooters in different Locations, pay monthly for transport and use the vehicle you need for the journey you are doing.

Drive in Depots, leave one vehicle, drive off in another.

 

george

Much of the pricing of cars and what deals can be done is to do with current and future exchange rates and sales quotas.  In Germany and if buying German cars the price model should be very stable.  Car is built with parts valued in Euros, built by people paid in Euros and paid for a customer paying in Euros.  Should lead to very accurately know what the deal and VW Germany's margins are.

 

Imagine the complexity of Skoda sales in the UK.  Cars biult mostly with parts bought in in Euros, built by workers paid in Czech Koruna which floats and is not pegged against the Euro and then sold to UK Customers who pay in UK Pounds.  Because of this Skoda UK and VAG have to pitch price to guard against variances in these parameters. They can hedge and pre-buy Euros/Koruna but again that has an associated cost.

 

I have generally found that the best deals are to be had near the end of the quarter in late March, June, September and December as Dealer, National company and Multi-National Corporation looks to hit their target and will give up more of their margin to do so.    

Not totally correct, as BMW build parts for their cars in the UK, and buy bits from UK manufacturers, so they are paid in Sterling.

Not totally correct, as BMW build parts for their cars in the UK, and buy bits from UK manufacturers, so they are paid in Sterling.

 

I thought that most car parts buying even in the UK was in Euros from what I had seen but that is mainly in the supply of non-EU parts in to the car makers.

 

Occasionally have seen JP Yen with some but usual compared to most world trade, which is 85% done in US Dollars, Euro, then Yen then GBP is what I mostly see.  Can well imagine that Hams Hall and Oxford have some GBP costs for the workers, though some car producers even wanted to do a UK wage link to the Euro, UKIP would do their nut.

 

 Euro still strong against the GBP despite all the tale of woes spouted by many "news" outlets.  Dolllar weakening considerable, how much is Camaro/Stingray?

 

http://www.chevrolet.com/camaro-performance-cars.html

 

http://www.chevrolet.com/camaro-performance-cars.html

 

10% Import Duty, 20% Import VAT, hmm.