| X5Sport |
05-07-2008 07:25 AM |
We're starting to see the same in the UK now that fuel prices are well over £5 ($10) a gallon (imperial) and the UK Govt plan to start charging owners more than £400 ($800) per year in Vehicle Excise Duty (Road Tax) for vehicles registered from May 2001 onwards (so penalising people years after they made their purchases). Owners of the larger engined/heavier SUV, and any other high emissions type vehicle, are now trying to shift them and prices are falling quickly. From 2010, new cars in the highest tax band - where the new X5 also sits get whacked for an additional pollution tax of $1500 on top of all the other taxes & vehicle duty in the first year.
The UK is getting serious about emissions, but to be honest we're a smallish island as far as global emissions go and the differences it will actually make is marginal to the whole global warming thing, but if it makes the country feel better........................but that's a whole different thread.
I think that as long as my E53's now much improved reliability holds out I might just hang on to it for the time being. Diesel fuel is even more expensive in the UK at around $11 a gallon and because of the changes in the maritime sector (who it is reported may have to add diesel to their bunker fuel to clean up the emissions) thus increasing demand for diesel, there is a significant and growing price gap between diesel and petrol to the point where diesel may price itself out of the market. At least one motoring journo expects to see diesel prices here rising to more than £9 ($18) per gallon.
Reliability issues aside, my X is without doubt the best driving and most comfortable car I have ever owned so it will be real shame if it's type disappears.
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