Better than the Holden Monaro ?

Yep, but not exactly something you look at when buying a car :) (unless there is too much of it...)

Auto Express hasn't got a clue how to divide. $43.6k is actually £18,630 at the present rate, although strictly speaking you should take the pre-GST price, convert, then add the UK's higher 17.5% VAT. This would make it the equivalent of £19,990 if purchased in the UK.

Furthermore $43.6k is around 75% more than the average annual income in Australia. 175% of the average annual income in the UK would be around £36k, enough to buy you a well-specified 530i. So, for what it costs the average Aussie to buy his Falcon turbo, the average Brit gets to buy a loaded BMW (which, in Australia, would be, well, completely unaffordable as they cost a great deal more than the UK list price, ex VAT, multiplied by the prevailing FX rate, then with Oz GST added).

Sorry, probably shouldn't have chosen the BMW to make an example - everyone knows it's a crap car sold in only one or two places that no-one wants and is never used as a benchmark.

:)

If Australia "gets all the best cars" how come it doesn't export them? Well, except to New Zealand.

Er, $43k is actually £18,600. Auto Express, when deflating the true cost of the car, divided by the FX rate which prevailed in 1999.

It sounded like the Mustang in Bullit.... and without the axel tramp too.

-- James

But I have to say, unless we were talking about an M5, I'd rather have a Monaro or the Falcon.

Unless they're the nutter models, beemers don't do anything for me :/

I dunno, but I wish they did !

As an Australian I can tell you Falcons and Monaros are both pretty average cars. They are generally driven by alcoholics who are trying to make up for their penis shortcomings by driving a large V-8. They are woeful in the handling and braking department. My hobby is blowing away V-8s at the lights in my GTR. England definitely gets better cars. I guess it is a case of the grass being greener. I am jealous of you being able to buy a

1995 M3 for Aus$18000 when the same car here would cost Aus$50000. I am thinking of importing one but have been told rust can be a real problem.

Fraser

As long as your rear seat passengers have had their legs amputated.

Fraser

The answer is obvious, a V12 of course.

OTOH limiting it to the choices you give, it would be a straight 6 multivalve over a crappy V8 for me. The AJ16 was a crackingly good engine.

I'd like to know where you can get a 1995 M3. I know they're out there, but it wouldn't be a good one - a quick search reveals a handful of 1994 cars that have been to Mars and back for that kind of money.

You can, however, get a good one for about 20-25000AusD.

Who the fk cares about rear seat passengers.

Anyone essential will be kids, so rear room isn't an issue. Anyone else is a freeloader - if they don't like it, they can walk...

I was looking at

and drooling a lot. Check out for some aussie examples of prices.

Fraser

I had an RX7 which had more of a decorative parcel shelf than what they called a rear seat. But it was a true sportscar. The Holden crewman is a tarted up Commodore that looks like a stinking pile of shit in the flesh.

Fraser

You would drool less if you saw some of the cars. Although you can find cheap prices in autotrader, visiting some of the sellers can reduce one's faith in humanity to rock bottom. All the cheap cars tend to be dogs and the advertisers pathological liars.

You need to look at the cars priced in the middle (if you want a bargain) or top-end of the price scale.

99.9% of cheap cars are dogs.