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[kurdt]

Correct at those rates ... I was looking at one just the other day that was $85K sticker and just went there.

Kurdt - what's a baseline 300 go for? Love to have Apples to Apples on this one ... but I'm wondering if the import duty will damage prices regardless of import country...

The most basic model 316i costs about 33k euros actually. That's something like 49k dollars. Autos.yahoo.com didn't know that model so I'm not sure if it's european model only. But I found that we both have 335i model. Here it costs about 60k euros and in US $40k .. that's nice

And you can't forget that we have very high car taxes you have pay if you own a car. Right now my family owns 1 car and we pay something like 150 euros every 3 months for that PLUS we have to pay mandatory car insurance and that's something like 100 euros every 3 months. Then we have this mandatory yearly inspection you have to pay yourself. And if your car doesn't pass the standards, you can't drive in on the streets (I'm not sure if you guys have anything like this?). It's something like 30-40 euros. Keeping a car here is quite expensive. Also finnish import laws make it really, really expensive to import car from anywhere else than EU. For a muscle car guy like myself, that's just evil and wrong.

[vsloathe]

The most basic model 316i costs about 33k euros actually. That's something like 49k dollars. Autos.yahoo.com didn't know that model so I'm not sure if it's european model only. But I found that we both have 335i model. Here it costs about 60k euros and in US $40k .. that's nice

You're correct it's Euro-only. So are Mercedes B class (and A class if they exist, I don't know). Cheapest we have is C class. Also no one would buy a 316i here. There is a stigma attached, most people wouldn't consider it a "real" BMW just like they don't consider Mini Coopers "real" BMWs. If I were buying a BMW, it'd be an M5. Everything else just says "I want you to know that I have more money than you and not much taste or originality", imo. The M5 gets a pass because it's a BEAST of a car with a formula 1 engine in it.

And you can't forget that we have very high car taxes you have pay if you own a car. Right now my family owns 1 car and we pay something like 150 euros every 3 months for that PLUS we have to pay mandatory car insurance and that's something like 100 euros every 3 months. Then we have this mandatory yearly inspection you have to pay yourself. And if your car doesn't pass the standards, you can't drive in on the streets (I'm not sure if you guys have anything like this?). It's something like 30-40 euros. Keeping a car here is quite expensive. Also finnish import laws make it really, really expensive to import car from anywhere else than EU. For a muscle car guy like myself, that's just evil and wrong.

We pay all of those things in the US, but it's not worth even talking about it because it varies so wildly from state to state. For instance, in my state we have an excise tax you pay on your car every year, registration that you pay every year (both about the same as yours), mandatory state inspection (safety and emissions/enviro) and insurance and all that (winds up costing much more than your totals, btw). In Florida, there is no inspection at all, but you still need to pay to register your car. Every state that I know of has mandatory insurance. It greatly depends on your level of risk how much you pay. Young people with fast cars pay a shitload. Also, my state is a "no fault" state, which means every accident is 50% your fault, whether or not it actually is. Some people bitch about that but I think it's A-OK because at the end of the day, you need people to have an incentive to avoid accidents. It cuts down on a lot of insurance fraud. In other states, some crime syndicates run insurance fraud rings, where they will distract you and then cut in front of you and brake hard so that you rear-end them (which makes it 100% your fault, no matter what). You can't do bullshit like that in Massachusetts, so I accept the slight downside.

[isthisthingon]

California is not so lucky.  Silicon Valley is a dream compared to Los Angeles when it comes to safe drivers.  But you could be driving 70MPH and someone in need of an insurance settlement can pull right out in front of you legally, and win with no possible contest.

They may get hit with a reckless driving charge but the insurance company's hands are tied.  Payout goes to the car in front, period 

[kurdt]

We pay all of those things in the US, but it's not worth even talking about it because it varies so wildly from state to state. For instance, in my state we have an excise tax you pay on your car every year, registration that you pay every year (both about the same as yours), mandatory state inspection (safety and emissions/enviro) and insurance and all that (winds up costing much more than your totals, btw). In Florida, there is no inspection at all, but you still need to pay to register your car. Every state that I know of has mandatory insurance. It greatly depends on your level of risk how much you pay. Young people with fast cars pay a shitload. Also, my state is a "no fault" state, which means every accident is 50% your fault, whether or not it actually is. Some people bitch about that but I think it's A-OK because at the end of the day, you need people to have an incentive to avoid accidents. It cuts down on a lot of insurance fraud. In other states, some crime syndicates run insurance fraud rings, where they will distract you and then cut in front of you and brake hard so that you rear-end them (which makes it 100% your fault, no matter what). You can't do bullshit like that in Massachusetts, so I accept the slight downside.

Aah ok, good to know. For some reason all the media here give the impression that keeping car in US is really, really cheap.

One last thing.. how much does gas cost there per 1L? Right now 1L here costs 1.40 euros.

[vsloathe]

3.8 liters in an American gallon.

Both my cars require premium fuel, so I don't know what the cheap fuel costs because I don't pay attention. I think last time I filled up I paid $2.70 a gallon, so like 71 American cents per liter. I live in one of the moderately expensive areas of the country for fuel. There are places where it costs a bit more, and places where it costs much less.

[isthisthingon]

3.8 liters in an American gallon.

Both my cars require premium fuel, so I don't know what the cheap fuel costs because I don't pay attention. I think last time I filled up I paid $2.70 a gallon, so like 71 American cents per liter. I live in one of the moderately expensive areas of the country for fuel. There are places where it costs a bit more, and places where it costs much less.

I need premium too.  Filled up at $3.33 a gallon yesterday for about $45.  Northern California has seriously high gas tax.

[ehlo]

£1.08/l in the UK at the moment 

[kurdt]

£1.08/l in the UK at the moment 

Jeez.. that's pretty fucking high even in finnish gas prices.

[ehlo]

£1.08/l in the UK at the moment 

Jeez.. that's pretty fucking high even in finnish gas prices.

Good job I ride a scooter, £5 of petrol lasts me a whole month 

[kurdt]

Good job I ride a scooter, £5 of petrol lasts me a whole month 

Yeah but it's a trade-off with scooter. Basically you are trading your manhood for a cheap vehicle.

[ehlo]

Yeah but it's a trade-off with scooter. Basically you are trading your manhood for a cheap vehicle.

I don't feel the need to drive a penis extender... 

Besides I only live five minutes from work and... *mumbles to self*

What was this thread about again? 

[isthisthingon]

It went something like this

OK, I understand that having a patent is a way of protecting what you invent. And I am in support of the creators of original art to be able to profit from such art for a reasonable amount of time. But this is just silly, a waste of time and your's and my tax dollar.

"US Ethernet Innovations" has secured a lot of patents over time and managed to get a hold of one that talks about optimizing the connection between a host when you first connect an ethernet cable. They claim that Acer, Apple, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu, Gateway, Hewlett Packard, Sony and Toshiba (all named concurrently as co-defendents in the suit) are all in violation and they demand that they be compensated ... since these infractions have been occurring since the early '90s.

The early NINETIES? So: a company that created this innovation (such as it is) didn't go after whomever first violated the patent. US Ethernet Bullshit scoops up the patent and squats until such time that lots and lots of people have violated it, so they have a huge case on their hands. Note that all the companies specified are public and have huge market caps.

Frickin' disgusting. IMO, Tort reform for the patent industry should contain a certain Common Sense clause.