The new Quattroporte breaks cover over here in Oz

[Gary687]

Guys

Just thought you'd be interested in quite a favourable review of the new V6 Quattroporte over here in Oz.

http://brisbanetimes.drive.com.au/n...aserati-quattroporte-s-v6-20130618-2of1y.html

Probably the most 'comical' bit (read:sad for us!) for you guys is right at the end where it talks about the price - $275,000 + on road costs which means this will break the $300,000 mark by the time it turns a wheel in anger. Not sure what they're going for in the UK but I'm reasonably sure it isn't the pound-equivalent, roughly 181,000 GBP!!!

Anyway I know the disgraceful treatment of us poor Aussie customers has been oft-discussed here previously so don't want to drag that up again really but just FYI....

Cheers

G

 

[Parisien]

Gary............they are taking the PI55...................effectively double the price.........sure way of making it very exclusive and reduce greatly the number of people would otherwise buy it and enjoy it

How come the Australians are all so accepting of this punitive and discriminatory taxation system??!!


P

 

[Gary687]

Well I wish I could answer that. Whilst the benefits of living over here are many, there are certain drawbacks and one of them is this weird idea that they need to somehow protect 'their' car manufacturing industry, which is a complete joke as they do not have a car industry to protect!! Anyway the end product is the raft of taxes and other charges that lifts a normally-affordable car into the stratospheric range, hence the attraction of so many 3200/4200 imports when the dollar exchange rate was different (not so much now)

I'm not sure how anyone would even begin to go about challenging it?? So many of the people over here are happy to be driving the standard Ford/Holden (their Vauxhall/GM) that the care factor is pretty low but even entry-level 'interesting' is prohibitive. We have an Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 that cost and astonishing $42,000 with haggling - RRP $47,000. How can that be so??? It is utterly mental and I don't get it but if you want to drive something a little different you have to be prepared to pay that stupid purchase price and also the biggest rip-off in Main Dealer charging you'd ever have heard of. I can tell you stories of those guys' charges that'd make your hair stand on end....but still we put up with it. How to change it??? Who knows....

G

 

[Parisien]

People power Gary.......getting some lobbying going, challenging them at appropriate moments and then taking a legal challenge.......hold on, will book a ticket to Melbourne to organise this......


P

 

[Gary687]

You're The Man we need mate!!!! Get yourself over here!!

 

[Parisien]

...hold on....my passports out of date..................


P

 

[Gary687]

Ha ha!!!!!! If you had any real passion for the Trident you'd sort that out double quick and get over here and sort our problem out

 

[Parisien]

Ok...gimme a day or two.....but first of all...the Oz brigade will have to club together for a first class return ticket with a 3 month stay at the Ritz...will that be a problem??!!





P

 

[Andyk]

Gary, I wouldn't worry as its a ugly car....Import the last model QP and relish in the fact you have the most beautiful 4 door car ever made.....

 

[Gary687]

P - unfortunately with the cost of our wonderful motors over here we're all too poor to fund your planned 3 month stay!!!

Andyk - not sure we can import the last model QP anyway as I don't think it's on the mythical Govt 'special' list so either way we're up the creek!!

G

 

[Parisien]

It would be interesting to find out the history behind the same........as ever once started its hard then to change.....but times have changed, the economy has changed, the world has changed....so why not change the punitive and arbitrary taxation of supposed "luxury" goods?


P


PS How about a 2 month stay......

 

[Gary687]

One thing the Aussies are not good at is rapid change - even when it's for the better and the general populace can see that. Don't know why and I don't know how to change that really. Needs a whole new mind set shift really and I guess whilst there are people around to pay such ridiculous premiums (and I class myself in that given what I paid for an ordinary Giulietta!!) they'll keep grabbing it with both hands...

G

P.S. Maybe a night's stay!!

 

[Parisien]

Gary...unfortunately as an ex-member of the magicians guild I've had to hand back my magic wand......





So its a chip away at them, wear them down and get them to justify an indefensible position...sounds easy enough to me......


P