This is an article i found comparing most of the prices involved in buying and running both a CV8 Monaro/Pontiac GTO and BMW 330ci
AMERICA CHEAPER THAN AUSTRALIA, UK
Australia may no longer be the lucky country, according to CarPoint's exclusive Monaro index survey.
David McCarthy investigates.
CarPoint has compared retail prices for a Holden Monaro coupe and a BMW 330Ci coupe, fuel prices and insurance costs on three continents. America, it seems, is not only the land of the free, but also the land of the cheap.
Despite being invented and built in Australia, the Monaro are substantially cheaper in North America. Once prices are converted into the equivalent Australian dollars, the USA Monaro (Pontiac GTO) retails for $47,094 compared to $59,950 for Australia and $71,625 in the UK.
It's when you get to insurance that its cheaper to live in Australia with a price of $1953 for a comprehensive policy compared to $2163 in the USA and a huge $3350 in the UK.
All this of course is before you drive the car. Let's assume 20,000km worth of fuel over the first year. Despite recent fuel price rises in the USA this tallies up to $1196 compared to $2652 in Australia and an astounding $5200 in the UK.
Add this to the purchase price of the Monaro and the insurance bill, and you've spent $50,453 in the USA, $64,543 in Australia and a whopping $80,175 in the UK.
It's an even more dramatic tale for the BMW 330Ci prestige coupe, which is a relative bargain in the USA at $53,300, $78,750 in the UK and almost double at $96,800 in Australia. However, the UK is a cheaper place to insure your BMW than even the USA, with our quotes coming back at $1280 against $1439 in Australia and $1898 in the USA.
And the fuel bill? $920 in the USA, $2040 in Australia and an even $4000 in the UK. This means the cheapest place to purchase and drive a BMW 330Ci coupe is American with a total bill of $56,118 in the USA. That's a whopping thirty grand ahead of the UK at $86,100 and nearly half the Australian total of $100,279.
NOTES: CarPoint has compared the BMW 330Ci and the Monaro CV8. They are both available in the USA, UK and Australia and where possible specification levels and driver type for insurance purposes have been kept as close as possible. We have assumed an average of 20,000km per year, a 40 year old driver with maximum no claim bonus, no finance on vehicle and garaged off street securely in a middle income suburb and a clean licence. The exchange rates used are US$0.69 and GBP0.40. Fuel prices per litre at the time of writing were UK $2.00, USA $0.46 AUS $1.02.