Got screwed by the government today. Arghhh

[mjs020294]

I've rented a variety of Euro cars (Alfa Romero, BMW, Mercedes) and find they're easier to maneuver (and avoid accidents) than an SUV.

That stands to reason, lower center of gravity plus US driver prefer cars set up like moving sofas.  The crappy handling and feedback on cars in the US market took a couple of years to get used to for us.  The driving is different over here though, straight roads and 90 degree turns do not require great road holding and responsive steering…..comfort is king in the US.

[SeedOfChucky33]

Opals are nice cars, but not for 30K.

Can't you buy a car oversees and have it shipped in? I guess the taxes would still apply and you'd be set back just the same.

[mjs020294]

Opals are nice cars, but not for 30K.

that is a GM. 

[Groovatron]

While in Sicily my girlfriend had a car that had a 500 cc engine. I could barely get in the thing but it would run for weeks on a tank of gas. At that time gas was over $4 a gallon when you converted from liters.

[mjs020294]

My dad runs a VW Passat diesel turbo.  It is a decent sized car, and he gets 50+mpg local driving and 70+mpg highway driving.  You can tell it is diesel it accelerates really well and it will top 120mph

[SeedOfChucky33]

Opals are nice cars, but not for 30K.

that is a GM.

I could have sworn the lightning bolt was the Opal logo. Shows what I know. Unless Opals are infact GMs, which I had no idea about that either.

[mjs020294]

Opals are nice cars, but not for 30K.

that is a GM.

I could have sworn the lightning bolt was the Opal logo. Shows what I know. Unless Opals are infact GMs, which I had no idea about that either.

They were called Vauxhall in the UK and Opal in Europe but the technology was Chevrolet/GM.    One of the biggest selling models over there right now is the same as the Chevy Malibu.

[wiggumdk]

Opals are nice cars, but not for 30K.

Can't you buy a car oversees and have it shipped in? I guess the taxes would still apply and you'd be set back just the same.

Nope. It will be taxed with 180% and the 25% on top of that as well. They have made sure you can't get around it. And actually because the cars in Denmark are taxed so freakishly, manufactures actually sell them dirt-cheap to dealers because otherwise they couldn't sell cars. Then Swedes/Germans/Britains and other European citizens buy some of them in Denmark and have them shipped to their country. They can save quite a bit of money that way.

Wow.  Just wow.

At least you get great gas mileage with that ride...

Absolutely. And it a necessity too cause gas prices are also taxed like crazy. We pay around $7 per gallon of fuel.

Part of the equation though is that we have higher salaries to compensate for the high income taxes we have

[DBrooksIsMyDaddy]

Hahaha, driving a sofa!  With lots of cup holders, too.  I like small cars, but with the proliferation of SUVs and big pickups, it seems dangerous to be the only one in a small car.

[mjs020294]

Hahaha, driving a sofa! With lots of cup holders, too. I like small cars, but with the proliferation of SUVs and big pickups, it seems dangerous to be the only one in a small car.

If you are T-boned by a large SUV or pick-up you are 25 times more likely to die if you are in a medium sized sedan, compared to a large SUV.    The crash test statistics they release are a joke because they ram cars into staionary objects, or use a standard projectile.  VW Beetles does great when it hits a wall but they don't do so well when a 4000lb SUV samck them at 50 mph.

[DBrooksIsMyDaddy]

I know.   My 18 year old wants to get a little car, but I won't let her for that reason.  A friend of mine died on Dale Mabry when she was t-boned by a minivan.