Super-luxury cars in the USA -- why not a hefty tax?

luxury cars miami for sale image

titou

I live in Miami Beach. Both there and in NYC where I lived before, there's plenty of sports-cars and luxury sedans driving around (and though it's beside the point, often with the worst drivers at the wheel).

The thing is, these Ferraris and Rolls, Lamborghinis, Lotus and so on -- they're all foreign made. And they all come from countries where the auto industry is supported by the government -- most often Socialist economies such as in Italy and England.

So, why not help out the balance of trade, encourage buying US, and contribute to improving our highway infrastructure by imposing a 'Super-Luxury Tax' on the sale and ownership of all cars with a list price of, say over $80,000? How about 33 1/3% on the sale, and 20% of the residual value each year after as long as the car stays above the $80K mark? How many US manufactured cars cost this much? I can't think of any, while many imports cost this much or even a quarter-million or more.

Good old-fashioned flaunting of wealth has its merits, to be sure. But in times like these, why not make those that continue the ostentatious display of disposable income pay for it and contribute to the common good?
Oh yes, lets not leave out those flocks of sleekly ominous black Mercedes and BMW "Executive Express" sedans that careen through the city like the crows that have become commonplace as well.
mr_f: I was not referring to the government, but to the economy. Last I heard, many industries (automobile, health, communication) were largely underwritten by taxation in the U.K., if not owned outright by the public -- just as they often are in Italy and France and elsewhere in the "Free World". I'm not for or against Socialism in principle -- but for US private enterprise to have to compete against it seems an unrealistic way to do business or safeguard our own interests.
m_f : Once again, no one is criticizing the British in any way. I would move back to Europe (where I spent 20 years) if I could but am caught in the spider-web debt of the [now heavily subsidized] U.S. banks. But honestly, I think you're nit-picking. The point is the cars are manufactured overseas. And to anticipate your argument, I am not talking about tariffs, but individual tax on the consumer. What percent is your VAT, for instance? 20-something percent? It's 7 1/2 where I live, and there is essentially no public transport. Typical American "economizing".

Answer
In my opinion, the largest social ills in the US today are the result of the costs not being born by the people who reap the benefits in a variety of situations. For example, the Walmart shopper enjoys cheap stuff made in China, the upper levels of management in the Chinese system enjoy the profits, and the low level workers deal with "a bowl of rice and a cot" living standards and the pollutions and poisons of the manufacturing processes. The problems of manufacture are not miraculously eliminated, but simply displaced onto a people who can not defend themselves.

In our culture, "high performance" means high speed and "luxury" meaning space beyond all need for simple transportation, both of which translate to out-sized consumption of gasoline. The problems associated with that over-consumption is not paid for by the people who enjoy the thrill of the drive or the luxury of the well stocked minibar and space to lounge. It's born by the soldiers who have to protect the Kuwaiti or Iraqi oil fields, by the people who have PCB's in their drinking water and the poor people in low-lying countries around the world who will be displaced by rising ocean levels.

So the short answer is YES. Anything that makes people understand the real cost of their daily behavior is a good idea.

Help me find a good used car?

Moose

Okay, so I have been looking for a used car for a few months now and I can't find one that I am completely satisfied with that fits my price range.

Price range: $10-20,000

Here are my criteria:
-Has to have at least 200 hp or 200 lb ft of torque
-I would love it to be turbocharged, that is a huge plus. It's almost a must.
-Looks, I want the inside and outside to be attractive
-Manual transmission
-RWD or AWD, I do not want a front wheel drive car
-Quality, I want a good sound system and I don't want the inside to be made of cheap plastic.
-No more than 100k miles
-No American cars

There are probably some other but I can't think of them.

Some cars that I am currently looking at:
-2006 Subaru Impreza WRX
-2006-07 Audi A4 2.0T
-2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
-2006 Saab 9-3 Aero

Thanks for your help.
There are a few used Genesis Coupes for 22k, I can stretch my budget a few thousand.

And I know the Saab is FWD, I just drove in a friend's Saab and I loved it. That's why it's on the list.

Answer
So since your in the market for a Certified Preowned vehicle I would suggest something "faster, bigger better and stronger", I can see your focus is not much about luxury but I just want to inform you that for the price range you are in at least in the $20,000 you can find a USED 2006-2007 BMW 3 series, 2004-2005 BMW 5 series, a 2007 Infiniti G35 AKA G37 sedan or a 2006 Infiniti M35 sedan. Most of these cars exceed your criteria in terms of horspower and refinement, these luxury cars offer modernized looks and refinement at it best. For example a 2007 Infiniti G35 sedan produces 306 HP standard and its platform is still being used as a current existing generation of the vehicle since it debuted in 2007 and it is still being produced for 2010 till the next generation of the G debutes in 2012/2013. Most of these Used BMW, Audis and Infinitis sell for under $20,000 with low equipped miles, obviously they will be 2005-2007 models but they are newer and better looking then most.
(I have selected a couple of cars for sale that fit your criteria, all under $20,000 and equipped with a fare amount of miles)

(2007 Infiniti G35, 306 HP)
http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/infiniti-g35-cars350510024?bodystyle=sedan&sortcol=price&sortdir=up&modelyearub=2007&modelyearlb=2007&askpriceub=any&askpricelb=any&deliverymileageub=any&deliverymileagelb=any&location=Pompano+Beach%2C+FL+33065&listingtype=used&model=g35&make=infiniti&distance=50
http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/infiniti-g35-cars349150090?bodystyle=sedan&sortcol=price&sortdir=up&modelyearub=2007&modelyearlb=2007&askpriceub=any&askpricelb=any&deliverymileageub=any&deliverymileagelb=any&location=Pompano+Beach%2C+FL+33065&listingtype=used&model=g35&make=infiniti&distance=50
(2006 Infiniti M35, 280 HP)
http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/infiniti-m35-cars353945580?bodystyle=sedan&sortcol=price&sortdir=up&modelyearub=2007&modelyearlb=2006&askpriceub=any&askpricelb=any&deliverymileageub=any&deliverymileagelb=any&location=Pompano+Beach%2C+FL+33065&listingtype=used&model=m35&make=infiniti&distance=50
***** If your willing to go the extra mile to finance, the 2008 Infiniti G37 can sell for $23,000, 330 HP!!! As well as the 2008 BMW 328i coupe 230 HP!!!!*****
http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/ctd/1807455366.html
http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/ctd/1776562118.html
http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/ctd/1736115976.html
(2006 BMW 325i / 2007 BMW 328i)
http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/bmw-325-cars350338072?bodystyle=sedan&sortcol=price&sortdir=up&modelyearub=2007&modelyearlb=2006&askpriceub=any&askpricelb=any&deliverymileageub=any&deliverymileagelb=any&location=Pompano+Beach%2C+FL+33065&listingtype=used&model=325&make=bmw&distance=50
http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/bmw-328-cars347353770?bodystyle=sedan&sortcol=price&sortdir=up&modelyearub=2007&modelyearlb=2006&askpriceub=any&askpricelb=any&deliverymileageub=any&deliverymileagelb=any&location=Pompano+Beach%2C+FL+33065&listingtype=used&model=328&make=bmw&distance=50
(2004-2005 BMW 525i, 184 HP, kind of slow)
http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/bmw-525-cars288947418?bodystyle=sedan&sortcol=price&sortdir=up&modelyearub=2006&modelyearlb=2004&askpriceub=any&askpricelb=any&deliverymileageub=50000&deliverymileagelb=10000&location=Pompano+Beach%2C+FL+33065&listingtype=used&model=525&make=bmw&distance=300
http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/ctd/1803014462.html

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