Came across this and thought I'd share..
silverstone.fortunecity.com/studebaker/677/ownacar...l
Interesting little personal page about car ownership in Sweden.
|
|
I read recently that there is a special dispensation for young people under the normal driving age to drive working vehicles like pick-up trucks - something to do with children on farms in remote areas either helping on the farm or getting to school. So there is a cult of customising ancient Volvos so that they nominaly resemble pickups, and can be driven by 15/16 year olds.
|
|
Blimey, after all the Swedish road safety vehicle laws (all vehicles must have mudflaps according to that link) they let 15 yr olds on the road!
|
|
I quite like the Renault 17.
|
|
Me too, where are they all now? Corroded to dust I expect.
|
|
|
|
>>In Sweden 55% of the cars are older than 10 years, the figure for France is 31% and Germany 27%.
I wonder what the percentage is for the UK? I would guess about 15 to 18%. Does anyone know?
--
Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
|
|
Why do british cars seem to corrode to dust, even when swedish cars seems to have a an average lifespan of 20+ years?
|
It used to be the case in all Scandinavian countries that high purchase tax on new cars meant that older cars retained their value and accordingly were better looked after than in the UK and other places, the tax situation is less marked now though the culture of cherishing a car continues it seems.
I remember that around 1990 a friend in Denmark had an 85/86 Uno that was worth four or five times as much over there compared to a similar car here. I also recall that at the time due to excessive tax on luxury cars a BMW 735 was around 1,000,000 Danish Kronor or £100,000 when one could be bought here for £35,000.
|
I reckon they use less salt on the roads.
Everyone has winter tyres, so they just clear them with snowploughs.
I could be wrong tho (usually am)
|
|
|
That is still the case I beleave. Through some of my work I regularly get to meet Danish & Norwegian car enthusiasts. It is a great source of amusement to discuss car prices with them! One that I was chatting with recently said that he had paid £50,000 for a Mondeo ST estate a couple of years ago! What really iritates the Danes is us being able to go over there and purchase cars at their pre-tax price - which is low beacuse of the mega taxes they have to pay on top - but they are unable to go to Germany for instance and buy a car to take back home to use. They end up having to pay the full tax rate so it is'nt viable.
To own a Ferrari or other high end car over there really does set someone apart as being very rich, which lets face it is not always the case in Blighty.
|
|
|
|
|
![2023 BMW 1 Series 118i [136] Sport 5dr Step Auto [Live Cockpit Pro]](https://img.common.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/unsafe/trim/90x60/smart/filters:quality(70):no_upscale():format(webp)/https://cdn.uk.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/images/cas/8f880fcabd37557d908c28a4d66bdb53/3fbad8b2291927dfff4a517b10b43a88.jpg)
£20,252was £20,915Details:no_upscale():format(webp)/https://cdn.uk.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/images/cas/1a7d4474b17676684a348cdd448c4b92/08bb122aa412bc7f4fd14d51efe0f7ec.jpg)
£29,937was £30,619Details:no_upscale():format(webp)/https://cdn.uk.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/images/cas/50317e11790e78d451cd7ea1034db948/945052e3f5e296502220368946402172.jpg)
£14,662was £14,989Details:no_upscale():format(webp)/https://cdn.uk.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/images/cas/3541ab6c55c241daa536e7011376e00a/2ade89a4638733a7b49c56a4ed052ac8.jpg)
£18,340was £19,200Details