#61
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BTW, what is VAT? |
#62
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VAT = "Value Added Tax" , it's a tax European folks have to pay for having "Luxury" items instead of cheaper base models . I only know of this because I have European relatives that I've spent time visiting .
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#63
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Yes it is leased, he has a better car every year, a few year ago they gave him a clapped out van but he's a bossman now... I used to lease cars when I was a driving instructor, however I paid cash for my i10 2 years ago just before the higher car tax kicked in...
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#64
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Yes it's value added tax as init4fun says, it's 20% on just about everything except most food, but sweets & takeaways are VAT'd. New cars have car purchase tax based on CO2 emissions plus VAT. Petrol (gas) has a tax on it, then they put VAT on the whole lot including the tax, so they actually tax a tax. You also pay a road fund tax every month, 6 months or year, mines just over 12 pounds a month taken straight out of the bank. You used to have a tax disc to put in your windscreen with expiry date on it but they scraped that a few years ago, they know if you have not paid by a number plate (tag) data base the cops have access to, they also have roadside camera's all over the place to keep an eye on you, big brother is watching...
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#65
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Audiokarma |
#66
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I hope he has a garage to park it in. Most US leasing concerns, the minimum lease time is two years. |
#67
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He doesn't have a garage, he has room for one though. I now have a garage, it's got that much junk in it we can hardly get the car in...
When I leased cars they were for 2 years with option to buy after then, but I never did. When my retina detached I had to stop driving instructing & broke my lease penalty free, I sent them a doctors note & that was it = no more money to pay... He's going to Australia for a month in may to visit the in-laws & we're cat sitting for them, offered to car sit but he just smirked, lol... |
#68
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It's a going joke in the country that people have $5,000 worth of possessions in the garage, while a $50,000 car sits outside. |
#69
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VAT killed a very thriving industry-the luxury car industry in France. VAT wasn't entirely responsible, but B4 the war, they had a luxury car industry that was second to none in the world. Delages, Delahayes, Bugattis-The REAL ones, not today's over-wrought Volkswagens, Panhard & Levassors, & several others were the pride of La Belle France. They re-vamped their income tax system after the war, & it assumed that if you owned a car that cost a lot of Francs-you were taxed accordingly. That is at least partly wht today, you have NO French equivalents of Rolls-Royce, Mercedes, BMW, or Porsche/Audi. You just KNOW, what with all the bother Ze French have had w/those dirty Boeschts in the last century, the fact there are no luxury cars regarded as "World Class" sporting the Tricolor MUST cheese a few of 'em off greatly...
__________________
Benevolent Despot |
#70
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Damn shame. Kind of like Cord and Deusenburg disappearing here during the depression/war. There's Peugeot/Citroen's modern DS line, I guess those are supposed to be luxury.
The French did have great potential for luxury, their cars handle and ride very well, even my old neglected Pug 505. Now if I could just get my hands on a big Citroen......... |
Audiokarma |
#71
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Another thing that is rather PAINFULLY evident is that the French NEVER understood the American market. The "Goddess" Citroens were fantastic cars, in many ways they have never been equaled, let alone surpassed, & the French never fielded a car that could have given our friends from Wolfsburg something to think about. Have LONG admired the Deaux Cheveau, but I dunno if I'd really wanna try to LIVE w/one in this country. They're just TOO crude & unrefined, & we won't even talk about their hopeless lack of power & amenities. I had a great aunt who had a late Sixties Poo-Joe, & it was maybe the LEAST unconventional Frenchy car then, But I always thought it was STILL plenty weird. The Renault Dauphins I remember from the Sixties may have been France's answer to the Beetle, but they didn't have the Beetle's legendary reliability, or charm. I THINK another thing that killed Renault over here was their lack of adequate parts.
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Benevolent Despot |
#72
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#73
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The first issue with the batteries was at 200K miles. When the check engine indicator came on, when I ran the scanner, showed a bad cell in the one of the cell packs. There is 28 cell packs in the main battery module. I found used replacement cell packs on the E-place. Replacing it is very labor intensive as there is a lot of disassembly in the rear of the car. Interesting, to be sure. |
#74
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Wayne from next door has put petrol (gasoline) in his new Lexus instead of diesel, of course it has now conked out & he's not a happy chappy... I have never wanted a diesel as I just know I'd forget & put petrol in it by mistake, I'm a bit daft like that...
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#75
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BUT ! Put gasoline into a Diesel engine's tank and the usual end result is the engine gets damaged by the more volatile fuel , I wouldn't be surprised if the next you hear from your neighbor is how the new Lexus now needs a new engine |
Audiokarma |
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