Mk8's Revealed 1st & 2nd Week of May 2021

[Sharkie]

VWA must be drinking some special Kool-Aid .... that pricing is what you'd be paying for a new BMW 128 hatch or a AWD A250 Merc. Both of which have better reputations and "status" and similar performance.

At this rate my MK7.5 R will be replaced by an A45S .... I'd rather spent a bit more and get a car that is at a different level altogether

[Sydneykid]

VWA must be drinking some special Kool-Aid .... that pricing is what you'd be paying for a new BMW 128 hatch or a AWD A250 Merc. Both of which have better reputations and "status" and similar performance.

At this rate my MK7.5 R will be replaced by an A45S .... I'd rather spent a bit more and get a car that is at a different level altogether

I have driven a 128 and it was horrid, by far the worst BMW I have driven, ever. It drove more like a Mini than a BMW and it felt noticeably slow compared to my son's Mk 7.5 R.

Had to do some set up work on an A45S a couple of weeks ago and it cost the owner over $100k, more than a bit more expensive than a MK8 R.

I'm thinking a really low K's S3 might be the go for me.

Cheers
Gary

[Flipper Dog]

Yep, a friend of mine in the UK compared the new prices he paid for his MK7.5 and the MK8 he just bought and there was ~4% difference. Keep in mind that there is 20% VAT on new cars in the UK compared to 10% GST here, plus they have ~5% Stamp Duty compared to ~2% here. If you do the rough maths (I priced UK sourced cars in Australia for 5 years) they should be $50,041 here and hence they are charging us 6% more than they should be.

UK Price 33,510.00 Minus Stamp Duty 1,675.50 5% Minus VAT 6,702.00 20% UK Price after Minuses 25,132.50 Exchange rate 44,680.00 0.56 Plus Stamp Duty 893.60 2% Plus GST 4,468.00 10% Should be 50,041.60 Is 53,100.00 106%

Obviously the spec varies somewhat and I'm sure they will also blame it on our fuel quality or something else.

Cheers
Gary

You also need to factor into your figures the logistic transport costs to get vehicles to this side of the world and Australian specific features which are options on the UK models.

Look at NZ as an example of price differences. Entry level manual Golf is $37,990 NZ ($35,390 AUD) verses $29,350 AUD ($31,500 NZ).

[Sharkie]

I have driven a 128 and it was horrid, by far the worst BMW I have driven, ever. It drove more like a Mini than a BMW and it felt noticeably slow compared to my son's Mk 7.5 R.

Had to do some set up work on an A45S a couple of weeks ago and it cost the owner over $100k, more than a bit more expensive than a MK8 R.

I'm thinking a really low K's S3 might be the go for me.

Cheers
Gary

Can't compare the BMW or the A250 to a R though, an R is simply in another league. Do agree that the BMW is less of a satisfying drive, but price wise the new GTI IMO is worse in almost every way to the A250 (yes, even in performance, given the A250 is AWD).

My point is that if the GTI is at $65K, then the R is likely to be at $75K , which is close enough to $90K to make the A45S (or RS3/RS Q3) a viable option.

Anybody who paid $100K for an A45S is a bit intellectually challenged .... I have had a quote at ~$90K (including free servicing for 3 years) and it is on my very short list to replace the R next Feb when my lease is up.

EDIT: and for the purposes of the discussion on the price of a GTI, I note that an A35 is only $67K+ORC, which with negotiation and a corporate discount is ~$66K with a number of options ticked. Unless VW comes to the party on the pricing on the R, an A35, its 100% performance equivalent with a "better" badge would be cheaper!

[Sydneykid]

You also need to factor into your figures the logistic transport costs to get vehicles to this side of the world and Australian specific features which are options on the UK models.

RORO freight for car companies is surprisingly cheap compared to what they charge an individual.

Look at NZ as an example of price differences. Entry level manual Golf is $37,990 NZ ($35,390 AUD) verses $29,350 AUD ($31,500 NZ).

NZ has 5% import duty and 15% GST and the last time I did cars from UK to NZ they came via Sydney/Melbourne which meant additional freight (almost double), it's expensive because there is a virtual monopoly on trans Tasman freight.

Cheers
Gary

[Sydneykid]

Anybody who paid $100K for an A45S is a bit intellectually challenged .... I have had a quote at ~$90K (including free servicing for 3 years) and it is on my very short list to replace the R next Feb when my lease is up.

The A45S that I did the set up on is to be used as a "Sunday" car with the occasional track day. For that purpose it has the aero package, the high performance seat package and Pirelli Trofeo R tyres fitted. Retail that's $106,500 ( 2021 Mercedes-AMG A45 S review: Track test with Pirelli Trofeo R tyres | CarAdvice) and from what hold told me he paid just over $100k, so a $6k or so discount. He also has free servicing and a loan car for the whole 5 years of the warranty. Maybe not so "intellectually challenged".


Cheers
Gary

[Sharkie]

The A45S that I did the set up on is to be used as a "Sunday" car with the occasional track day. For that purpose it has the aero package, the high performance seat package and Pirelli Trofeo R tyres fitted. Retail that's $106,500 ( 2021 Mercedes-AMG A45 S review: Track test with Pirelli Trofeo R tyres | CarAdvice) and from what hold told me he paid just over $100k, so a $6k or so discount. He also has free servicing and a loan car for the whole 5 years of the warranty. Maybe not so "intellectually challenged".


Cheers
Gary

No, rather "more money than brains".