Re: bmw-digest V9 #1765

[Conrad Drake <conrad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Conrad,

> Keep in mind that you can't compare $70/hour in the US to your Australian
> dollars.  It would seem like we are paying 144 AUD by your standards.
> That's like me comparing the USD against the pound.  IIRC, rates in London
> are 65 GPB which would be $94 or 190 AUD. Yes, does sound steep but its
> really not a fair assessment.

I appreciate that US$70ph would barely keep the doors open in
Santa Clara or NYNY.  But I didn't expect that this would be the
appropriate rate US wide.

For comparison I _think_ I'm currently being charged $50 AUD per
hour, (in an industrial part of the city).  I'd expect our local
BMW dealer (who has a monopoly position) to charge $70-$100 AUD
per hour.  That showroom is an expensive building on expensive
real estate.

General spanner rates are nearer $40 AUD, if you're dealing with
a mechanic in an industrial area.

  
> And as for what we use in India, it is the Indian Rupee not the Pesos.

My appologies! That's not what I meant: the "Indian-Pacific Peso"
is a selfdeprecating 
term for the $AUD.  Which has plunged from $0.65 to 0.48 over the
last two year. 

CD

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