Car import tax to Finland/Buying Audi in Finland

[Nj]

OK, äitiysloma first then... would be very untyppical in Finland, a stay-home mom... (btw: puhutko suomea?)

We lived in Oulu as well, for some 3½ years

yes, she'll take some time off and when she gets the urge to return to work we'll take advantage of her parents

to answer your question.. not really. I did a very basic course for a couple of weeks but I was mostly with international students the whole time and the finnish people wanted to practice their english all the time. My wife speaks Finnish though. I'll have to start making an effort to learn before I go and then just keep learning when I arrive.

I'm now trying to work out the best route to drive from Scotland to Kajaani. hmmm. Doesn't look like there are any ferries from scotland to norway so i'll probably have to drive to Dover, ferry or tunnel to Calais, drive up through Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and then... Denmark and Sweden? Or ferry from Germany directly to Finland? hmmmmm.....

[niall1]

I was thinking about it but i really don't want to give up my A4.

There's a nice LHD A4 wagon on Pistonheads at the moment..
You could swap over your favourite bits?

[Nj]

I can't see it. do you remember where or roughly how much it is so I can narrow down my search?

[niall1]

****** the avant I was looking at is now sold:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/771324.htm

But there is a 1999 1.8T saloon:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/893211.htm

or a nice A6?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/730662.htm

[Nj]

that first one and the A6 are both really nice but way out of my price range. The A4 sport is nice but £3,500 is a lot for a 1999 non quattro. What I really need is someone who loves their LHD B6 3.0 quattro sport avant but would prefer it in RHD. Then i'd come in, high 5 him and do a swap. Of course if i'm going that far I may as well expect Heidi Klum to come as part of the deal too.

[niall1]

LOL. Good luck with the move anyway.

[Nj]

cheers matey. I wonder if i can buy a few now, daisy chain them behind my A4 like a baggage chain and keep them all when i'm in Finland? hmm..

[Henkjan]

I'm now trying to work out the best route to drive from Scotland to Kajaani. hmmm. Doesn't look like there are any ferries from scotland to norway so i'll probably have to drive to Dover, ferry or tunnel to Calais, drive up through Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and then... Denmark and Sweden? Or ferry from Germany directly to Finland? hmmmmm.....

there is a ferry from Newcastle to (near) Amsterdam, and the same company also sails to Denmark from Harwich (click). and from there drive to Stockholm and from there Ferry to Helsinki or Turku. Germany-Helsinki is also possible, but Ferry schedule is not pleasant iirc (stuff like the boat leaving a 4 AM) and it's very expensive.

about cars: you'll want a quattro in Finland. anyone who says otherwise hasn't driven one in the winter or is full of s..t.

about the language: try to learn as much now, let your wife start to speak only Finnish with you at home (this realy helps). this will be a very big plus in getting jobs (btw: I recognise the Finns wanting to speak English all too well, only until I had to work together with a guy who did not speak any English I started to learn the language)

[Nj]

I like the look of that Harwich to Esbjerg route. Then a nice drive up to Stockholm and another ferry to Turku. cheers for the info and advice

It would take a hell of a lot to get me to part with my current quattro. I friggin love it. If only I could flip the steering wheel across to the other side

about languages.. I already have that treatment with Russian so yeah i'll probably have to ask my wife to switch to Finnish now. I just hope after the 2nd baby arrives that one of us can figure out wtf is going on in our house

[repo]

Doesn't DFDS have the ferryline from Newcastle to Gothenburg anymore? From Gothenburg to Stockholm it is just a short stint. From Stockholm You can take ever-so-merry Viking Line or Silja Line to Helsinki or Turku.

Another options might be Superfast ferries from Rostock to Helsinki or Finnlines from Travemünde to Helsinki.

Finnlines is by far the better of latter.

[Henkjan]

Doesn't DFDS have the ferryline from Newcastle to Gothenburg anymore?

the last year it appears that many ferry lines have stopped. also the one from Newcastle to Norway (a year ago it sailed) is no longer in operation.
source: http://www.directferries.co.uk/newcastle_ferry.htm

From Gothenburg to Stockholm it is just a short stint..

as I said, Finns have another definition of "far"... that's 470kms...

about languages .... figure out wtf is going on in our house

join the club, we use 3 languages in our house

[repo]

Well. If one is about to move to Kajaani, and wants to go anywhere, it is first 470km of woods, before the first lightpoles...

So after a while, 470km will start to feel like a short stint...

As the ferryline to Gothenburg seems to be discontinued, I would definately choose Finnlines.

[Nj]

thanks lads. that's another good option to consider. Looks like around 550 euros for a one way journey with the car and 2 passengers from Travemünde to Helsinki. 27 hours of eating and sleeping. It does sound good but part of me still wants to drive from Denmark up to Stockholm. Am I being stupid? I always thought it looks like a good drive.

[repo]

Driving through Sweden is a nice route, for sure. Roads are good, and especially Stockholm is a VERY beautiful place. If You have possibility, spend a day or two over there. I know I would.

Then again, ferries from Stockholm are nightmare. Really. Unless You have a busload of drunken lads to sing with.

They are like miniature caribbean cruisers. Filled with idiotic finns beyond being drunk.

[Nj]

funny you should say that. I went to Stockholm for new year's eve one year. think it was 2002/2003. I went with my (then) girlfriend and a few other international students. that ferry was CRAZY. I loved Stockholm though. I doubt i'd have time to stay for a couple of days this time though since I'd be carrying a full car load of my possessions that I wouldn't want to leave anywhere unattended.
I'm trying to decide what was crazier. The ferry to Stockholm or the ferry to Tallin. hmm. Both were terrifying in that I couldn't get off and the scariest, drunkest people were about 60 years old!