Apparently, according to the EU, there are still bargains to be had if you are prepared to travel.
\"European motorists willing to travel to other EU states to buy a car cheaper than at home can still get \"spectacular\" bargains, although price differences are narrowing, the European Commission said Tuesday.
Presenting a new survey of car prices EU-wide, the commission also forecast that car prices will lower significantly from October 2005, when a new EU law lets dealers with cheaper vehicles to offer set up in more expensive countries.
\"I am pleased to notice that price convergence for cars has made a step forward in the EU,\" said EU competition commissioner Mario Monti.
\"With this, I do not mean that prices are the same .. European consumers still can make good deals when buying abroad but I see clearly signs of more integrated markets especially in the euro area,\" he added.
The cheapest countries in the EU to buy a car are Greece, Finland and Denmark, while Germany and Austria are the most expensive, according to the study which compares pre-tax prices for 91 best-selling models.
The \"most spectacular\" example of potential savings a German motorist buying a VW Passat in Greece, who would save a total of 5,700 euros on the deal, said commission spokesman Tilman Lueder.
That represents a price difference of 39 percent. But differentials in excess of 20 percent between highest- and lowest prices are also available on Fiat Puntos, Peugeot 206s, VW Golfs Ford Focuses and Ford Mondeos.
Certain brands -- notably at the luxury end of the market -- actively limit price differences for their cars across the EU, it noted, citing Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Seat.
You can read the full article here.
www.eubusiness.com/afp/040302123021.hl724nx7
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The cheapest countries in the EU to buy a car are Greece, Finland and Denmark, while Germany and Austria are the most expensive, according to the study which compares pre-tax prices for 91 best-selling models.
"Pre-tax prices" - therein lies the rub. Look here for a graph of car purchase taxes in various countries:
www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/publications/reports/...p
The taxes in Denmark and Finland are huge! I had a quick look around some dealer sites in Denmark and the prices were about 60% more than we pay. Greece may well be cheap, but hardly a viable source for a personal import.
Sol
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Might not be too viable for the UK motorist but if you are from Germany or Austria that is not such a problem.
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Unless a dealer in, say, Denmark or Greece can guarantee a reasonable number of customers for RHD cars it will not be worth the hassle for them to set up an export scheme.
The difficulty in dealing with local tax offices should not be underestimated. The manufacturers now cannot prevent RHD cars being sold in EEC countries but they still don't like it and are hardly likely to be helpful.
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Anyone *really* want to order a right hand drive, UK spec Fiat from a Greek dealer? - Be worth a few rants and raves on here I bet! (No offence to our Greek and Italian contributers)
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