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Re: Weak Deutschmark??? Was: Cyl Head

To: palte@rt.el.utwente.nl (Bert Palte)
Subject: Re: Weak Deutschmark??? Was: Cyl Head
From: mmcewen@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca (John McEwen)
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 12:58:34 -0700
Hi Bert:

The DM has fallen considerably against the US and Cdn. dollars.  At one
point we were paying $1.25 Cdn. for 1 DM.  The current price is .80 cents
and falling.  The Pound Sterling however is incredibly strong and the
purchase of things from Britain is now just a bad joke for us.  The current
price of the pound is $2.41.

We see an enormous difference in prices especially in  cars and motorcycles
as advertised in Britain vs. their cost in Canada.  A close comparison in
terms of price for us may be made by assuming that Canadian prices are the
same in dollars as British prices are in pounds.  Thus a given car
advertised for
=A35,000 in Britain could be purchased in Canada for $5,000 Cdn.  I don't
have an explanation for this very great disparity as the pound's cost in
dollars has not changed much over the years, however what it buys has
decreased greatly.

John McEwen

>Phil commented:
>
><snip>
>
>> The good news for the rest of Europe
>>is that the (..). weak Mark,
>
>????????????????????????
>
>This is probably a mistake, Phil.
>
>The Deutschmark is NOT weak, perhaps it seems to you that way,
>but probably more important to you, your own currency (British Pound)
>has risen very strongly over the last couple of years (like the Italian
>Lira, by the way).
>
>So it probably just seems that way if you are in Britain.
>
>
>> are making secondhand
>>cars in Germany VERY cheap. People in the UK are popping over to Germany
>>to pick up Porsches at rockbottom prices. OK, they're lhd but so what?
>
>
>This is DEFINITELY true, I've noticed that also when I am in Germany.
>(My job brings me on a regular basis in Germany and Italy and I'm always
>looking for, ehhh... 'interesting' cars.)
>
>Secondhand Porsches are now  very cheap in Germany.
>
>The reason is in some recent changes in the German car taxation system,
>making ALL
>cars that have NOT been equipped with  a catalytic converter (i.e pre- 1987
>or something, for Germany)
>[more expensive to keep and therefore] very unattractive to keep, when you
>live in Germany.
>This lowers their resale price.
>
>
>Personally, I've been looking into Porsches 924 and 928  (ca. 1985-87)
>[druel, druel] and these can be had for as little as
>$ 5000 - $ 8000 when bought at a dealer  outlet (not the cheapest place to
>buy a secondhand car, but definitively one of the safest...)
>
>Especially the 928 were VERY expensive when new!
>
>
>BTW I was in Italy only a few weeks ago and you hardly ever see any MGs ove=
r
>there!
>(mandatory LBC content)
>
>
>
>Bert
>
>(whose currency, the Dutch guilder, is as strong as the Deutschmark)



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