thoughts on automotive design

I live in Finland, and like other Nordic countries the government here despises cars. They hate them so much they try to stop anyone owning one, by adding massive sales tax. Luckily we’re not as screwed as our friends in Norway, but car prices here are astonishing. The second hand car market here is also very very strange, in that cars DO NOT lose their value. For example we sold our 2 year old, well used (scratched bumpers thanks to our tight parking spot) Citroen C3 last year, for MORE money than we bought it for!!! This makes NO SENSE. Also interesting are the perceived values of different brands when compared to the UK. For example Honda are as expensive as BMW here, and just as well respected, and Jaguar are not the cheap old mans cars that we see them as in the UK. Jaguars are (quite rightly) seen as superb luxury cars. Here are 2 examples currently for sale in the UK, and in Finland.

British XK8- 1997 model:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1740822.htm

Finnish XK8- 1997 model:

http://www.nettiauto.com/jaguar/xk8/3290667

hmmm-  €20,000 difference….!!!