progress
intransitive verb – pro·gress | \ prə-ˈgres \
To develop to a higher, better, or more advanced stage.
Source: twitter.com/EuropeanCarNews
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I looked up the original price (in Australia, in AUD) of the 230/280E ($9k in 1973, $18-19k in 1978) and a calculation site to adjust it to equivalent in today’s dollars ($85-90k), and the A-class starts at about 40% the price! Even the A250 Sport is just over half.
It’s pretty unfathomable to see how expensive Mercedes used to be, especially considering that their trick used to be “better quality” rather than “more features”. At least in entry models that were also high priced. The same is true about other quality vehicles, like the SAAB 9000. And then there’s this:
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e9/f1/6f/e9f16f596c3e63c7a741cbfc003618b0.jpg
I should say a fair part of the price difference is in the import tariff – 45% in those days! If I didn’t have better things to do with my life (sorry) I could try to work out how much difference that adds. There is also the luxury car tax now, but the A-class other than A45 come under the threshold for that I think.
45% explains a bit, yes. I wasn’t aware taxes were that steap. Half way to Norwegian taxation there.
That was then, in full “go on, buy an imported car, we dare you” mode (the tariff actually hit 57.5%), before it was realised that was actually counterproductive. Since the 1980s it has gradually been cut to the current 5%, and most cars come from countries that have a free trade agreement with Australia (no taxes), which was one factor in the local manufacturing industry closing.
There is still the general 10% goods and services tax, and state stamp duty (about 2%), then luxury car tax of 33% on the amount over $57k (roughly), or $70k-odd for “fuel-efficient” vehicles. Those amounts include the GST because car buyers are always a reliable source of revenue.
Facel Vega for 10kUSD? I could talk my wife into getting one!
Inspired by outback_ute I’ve played with a inflation calculator, too:
the base 1983 Porsche 944 (then ~20kUSD) would be a 51kUSD car today, which is ~15% underneath a base 718 today (which I found to be 59kUSD).
Now I started thinking: what would owning a 944 for 35 years cost, just at minimal driving to keep everything in check? In today’s money, USD, generously rounded:
2 fuel tanks/ year 100.- ea. = 7000.-
Bi-annual oil change 100.- = 1700.-
bi-annual brake fluid 100.- = 1700.-
tires every 8 years 3×500 = 1500.-
belts, rollers, waterpump (500.-) every 8 years = 1500.-
brake- and fuel lines once = 2500.-
garage space (build or rent ~25USD/mo) = 10500.-
tax 40USD/year = 1400.-
insurance 100USD/year = 3500.-
Unexpected thing to replace 300 /yr = 10500-.
-> 35700/35yrs or roughly 1kUSD/year, aside to the purchase price.
Some roundings assumptions:
– two fuel tanks are roughly 1000km, which can be insured for 100USD here.
– Eight years for vital rubber seemed doable
– I do fix things myself, but brake/clutch fluid is a tedious job, so I put a high moral price on it
– Unexpected thing to replace: a new clutch is 1kUSD in parts, so that’s three years of occasional light bulbs. Towing costs money, too. A set of brake pads would go here, maybe a set of rotors. Maybe there is an oopsie on a parking lot – I think on average, that’s a sound sum.
1kkm at average speed 50km/h is 20hrs of driving a year. Now the smiles per gallon calculation:
First owner experience: 90kUSD for 700hrs of driving, or 129USD/h
Bought used 10yrs ago for 5kUSD: 15kUSD for 200hrs -> 75USD/h.
Let me progress you: you can use it as a transitive verb, too!
Looking left-to-right, I thought “regress” rather than “progress”…
“you keep using that word but I do not think it means what you think it means”
Several years ago near the nadir of modern M-B reliability I commented that Mercedes luxury used to mean a spartan overengineered vehicle that would run forever, and now means an overpriced box of gadgetry with the reliability of old Kia Sephia.
“you keep using that word but I do not think it means what you think it means”
Several years ago near the nadir of modern M-B reliability I commented that Mercedes luxury used to mean a spartan overengineered vehicle that would run forever, and now means an overpriced box of gadgetry with the reliability of old Kia Sephia.
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