I wonder how much would a 135i cost with every option possible??

[BMW86]

I was just wondering how much a 135i would set you back if you ordered it in a coupe with every option possible (ie, automatic transmission, metallic paint, Pro Nav etc) as well as every option available in the Performance Range (wheels, carbon bits, seats etc).

Here in Australia, I think we would be looking at least $130k on road!!! Has anybody out there done this or planning to do it?

[lacrosse]

Has to be close to $50,000 USD.

[stampchez]

I just built a $57 vert on the website.

[BMW86]

Wow that seems really expensive for a car built in the US. I don't understand why cars in Australia are soo expensive - I think it has to do with excessive taxes. In Australia, it is normal to spend close to $100k on a premium brand car such as Merc/bmw/audi/lexus.

Over here, the M3 is around $170k on road, a 135i with a few options easily costs $95k on road. If I was living in the US, what sports cars would be affordable if I had a $100k budget (which is pretty much what I spent on a 135i coupe with a few extras)?

[former]

Well, you'd have to do the conversion first. Looks like the Aus$ = about .817 US$.

However, you'd still have $81k to play with. That gives you a lot of options.

Sticking with BMW, the M3 starts in the mid-60's I believe; M5 in the upper 70's. Corvette Z06. Nissan GT-R. The list goes on. You'd have quite a selection of vehicles to choose from.

[e36chris]

Originally Posted by BMW86

Wow that seems really expensive for a car built in the US. I don't understand why cars in Australia are soo expensive - I think it has to do with excessive taxes. In Australia, it is normal to spend close to $100k on a premium brand car such as Merc/bmw/audi/lexus.

Over here, the M3 is around $170k on road, a 135i with a few options easily costs $95k on road. If I was living in the US, what sports cars would be affordable if I had a $100k budget (which is pretty much what I spent on a 135i coupe with a few extras)?

given that, how much do you guys pull in a year, must a be a high cost of living

[BMW86]

Yeah Australia is great but we seem to get taxed heavily on everything.

Spending $85k on an entry level.... and I mean entry level 3 series is normal here. And you see so many of them on the road!!!

[bdardashti]

Originally Posted by e36chris

given that, how much do you guys pull in a year, must a be a high cost of living

Their prices are obviously reflective of their incomes. My cousin is in Sydney, and based on what he says, someone working at McDonald's would easily get $13 per hour, compared to $8 min wage here in Toronto. That's a 63% difference. On average though, salaries seem about 1.6 - 1.8 times what they are here in Canada.

[BMW86]

Wage is reflective of age up until the age of 21. A base wage at maccas would be about $8/hr too.

[ExMX5]

Basically we get done like kippers. Wages are similar in real value - but America has a lot more buying power when it comes to cars. Back in the bad old days when competition with the local marques was hot, the european manufacturers slashed prices to compete. Acclimatisation means that, over time, the prices of european cars has, very slowly, come back up, but are still comparatively cheap.

That's why you see everyone older than 18 in the states running around in brand new WRXsand are shocked at the price of a 1-series while here we look at a 80k 1 series and go "Woah - a coupe BMW for less than 90k - Awesome".