[absynthguzzler]

• Congress approves $25Billion for US Car Makers
• GM needs a Govt loan,
• Chrysler seems to be drowning,
• Ford although looking strong is actually silent about its health.
• Industrial Growth rate predicted to be only 1% for next 12 months of recovery.
• Auto makers have cut down on television advertisements inadvertently shutting down smaller broadcasters.

The above are just quotes from various news reports after googling.

A Mustang from the showrooms cost about $20G's. A bit more of the green turning into an ugly color and imagine the prices of high-end cars in the US!!.

Whether it be the new edge, round edge or the curve ... whatever ticks your fancy, I'd say this is the right time to pick up a bloody good car and import it , albeit a LHD.Yes,duties and what not would apply, but i reckon very soon the numbers would add up to only 20-30% over the original prices before the slump.i.e one would be paying the full 110%(or whatever it is) on the invoiced rate and this figure is sure going downhill starting from today.

Just to paint a picture.
When stuck with the option of picking up a Sports Car or Luxury Saloon in India, What would the average youngster/enthusiast with money to back him up choose ?

On a much more business oriented thought- People who are interested in Kit-Cars should just import the complete body panels to fit a donor vehicle in India. There are a lot that just hug onto a Ford Escort.You'll get them dirt cheap with unmatched quality.IMO, no bodyshop in India can/could replicate a commercially available kit. Ive seen some going for as low as $2000/3000.

I just wish it gets sweeter where one of the RHD countries has a crisis and end up with the same scenario.Wishful thinking all this, some might say. But a person who thought different always bordered on the tags of insanity and clever. I'm one of them.

[Amien]

The $25Billion bailout was possibly the worst thing they could've done to the uptill-now free market US auto industry.

[HPP]

The American car makers have a rough future. The days they once enjoyed as "The Big Three" are gone forever. They will likely survive, but they will downsize like never before and will exist on a much smaller scale.. And they deserve it. They got lazy and believed they could just keep selling cars even though their quality didn't keep up, and their models stayed boring when things started changing. I for one will not miss them.

[kutlee]

good write up. How about importing a LHD, converted RHD. If the costs are offset by the current crisis, even without RHD countries not going to crisis, should be OK i guess.
I like kit cars. they are just fun.

[evo]

I just re read the bits I like of the book Iacocca. I suggest you read it if you have the time. Its a fantastic book. For those of us who dont know, its the autobiography of Lee Iacocca , the guy who conceived and launched the Mustang! He is also the guy who saved Chrysler from going bankrupt. Compare that time to this time and it puts a lot of stuff into perspective not to mention history repeating itself. Cheers

[kuttapan]

Originally Posted by absynthguzzler

Whether it be the new edge, round edge or the curve ... whatever ticks your fancy, I'd say this is the right time to pick up a bloody good car and import it , albeit a LHD.Yes,duties and what not would apply, but i reckon very soon the numbers would add up to only 20-30% over the original prices before the slump.i.e one would be paying the full 110%(or whatever it is) on the invoiced rate and this figure is sure going downhill starting from today.

I just wish it gets sweeter where one of the RHD countries has a crisis and end up with the same scenario.Wishful thinking all this, some might say. But a person who thought different always bordered on the tags of insanity and clever. I'm one of them.

You probably chose your your username to allude to your above mentioned attributes, anyway, add uninformed to the mix . You cannot import an LHD car legally into India. Even LHD converted to RHD may be fraught with hassles, which you would not want to get into.

I too share your thoughts on importing a car from an RHD country, lets hope the time comes. Meanwhile, let me see how I can enjoy the LHD stuff here.

[absynthguzzler]

Originally Posted by kuttapan

You probably chose your your username to allude to your above mentioned attributes, anyway, add uninformed to the mix . You cannot import an LHD car legally into India. Even LHD converted to RHD may be fraught with hassles, which you would not want to get into.

I too share your thoughts on importing a car from an RHD country, lets hope the time comes. Meanwhile, let me see how I can enjoy the LHD stuff here.

My success rate till date is 4 in 18 ideas Ive come up with.Bummer, gotta think of something viable in the next 6 to keep the average ,