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Off Topic Japan

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Off Topic Japan

Doofer said:
It might be to do with the UK tax laws. Most people who want a pickup are self-employed. I think (not certain) that if a van can't carry a ton payload then it's classed as a company car and you get clobbered for loads of benefit-in-kind tax.

All the big Tonka-toy things that rich builders charge around in are over a tonne, so are cheaper to run than running a Panda privately.
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The Japanese were pretty switched on (again) with pick-ups, or maybe they just had such a good range that they were well able to fill the niche. I'm pretty sure there was a change in the tax regime that allowed sole traders and small companies claim back VAT and a higher rate of depreciation against tax.

In the late '70s Ford almost came a cropper with tax laws when they brought out the Mk3 Escort based van. Estate based vans like the the Astra used to use the doors from a 3 door estate whereas boxier vans like the Escort and later Astramax used the front doors from a 5 door estate/hatchback.

Vans like the Bedford HA and Mk1 Escort always had visibility problems especially at acute angles at junctions. Ford's answer was simple, put a little side window into the body right behind the doors, hence much better visibility and greater safety.

That was until they met the Inland Revenue and H.M. Customs and Excise. Because it had two side windows each side Customs decided it was a car, not a van and therefore companies could not claim VAT back and on that basis Inland Revenue also stated that depreciation could only be claimed back at the car rate which was (I think) 25% as opposed to (I think) 33% p.a.

Eventually Ford appealed against those decisions and the Escort was, again, officially a van. (Probably) Because of that the Club/Crew/King Cab kind of thing gained in popularity as the manufacturers piled on the extras, such as Bull Bars, leather upholstery and alloys. Suddenly the likes of plumbers, joiners and builders didn't need to pay for two vehicles, a car and a van.

Perhaps the problem with FIAT's little pick up over here would be just that,size
 
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evo-number-one said:
Some cracking used FIAT car parts at bargain prices in the land of the rising sun.....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIAT-PANDA-1999-Other-Electric-Parts-1069950-/321085792984?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ac23462d8

..... not!

I get the feeling postage is rolled in rather than being "free" :D
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some one on here said they do that when an item is out of stock, so its easier to adjust it again when back in stock, instead of deleting and relisting
 
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dave said:
i always thought that at the time you had to have a window on the side to the rear of the driver to be aloud to do 70mph, so that is why they put it there
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Speed limits for different classes of vehicles have always attracted the attention of the "Men from the Ministry" so I can't say for sure what the limits used to be for different types of motors. Certainly at one time the speed limit for heavier trucks used to be 20 mph, but, to be fair, that was before even I was born.

During my driving career, which for non cars started in about 1980, for car derived vans (Escorts and the like) the speed limit was the same as for cars, as was everything up to 7.5 tons gross on the motorways. Up to 3.5 tons, the old 35 cwt. category, they were the same as cars on all kinds of roads. For those between 3.5 & 7.5 tons it was 50 on single carriageway and 60 on dual carriageway National Speed Limit roads. For everything over 7.5 tons the limits were: 60 on motorways, 50 on dual carriageways and 40 on single carriageway roads.

dave said:
i don't think you was born then
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Has he started shaving yet?
 
Some years ago, my wife and I went on holiday to the UK.
We were driving our 1994 Fiat Fiorino Pick-Up 1,7 Diesel.
When we drove into the Dartford tunnel, I had to pay toll for a truck.....which was much more than the toll for a passenger car... can you imagine,we were only two adults in a very small Pick-Up.....
Some time later, I even discovered that diesel fuel ( derf) was more expensive than petrol in the UK....!!
It's just the opposite here, diesel is about 25% less expensive compared to petrol...!!
We did have a great trip after all....!! (y)
 
Peter Pick-Up said:
Some time later, I even discovered that diesel fuel ( derf) was more expensive than petrol in the UK....!!
It's just the opposite here, diesel is about 25% less expensive compared to petrol...!!
We did have a great trip after all....!! (y)
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diesel was a lot cheaper here than petrol many years ago when very few cars ran on it, but when loads of diesel cars started to appear on the roads the government spotted gold and taxed it more, they should have added another fuel died blue or orange for trucks IMO to keep it cheap for them but they didn't:(
 
dave said:
diesel was a lot cheaper here than petrol many years ago when very few cars ran on it, but when loads of diesel cars started to appear on the roads the government spotted gold and taxed it more, they should have added another fuel died blue or orange for trucks IMO to keep it cheap for them but they didn't:(
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If they had done that then car diesel and petrol would probably be about £5 per litre by now. It's only the fact that more fuel duty would end up on the price of almost everything through delivery costs that stops them loading more tax onto it.

Remember the fuel strikes? It was only the truckers that were fighting our corner, while sadly many car drivers just moaned about the slight inconvenience.
 
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