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"It's more like this, paying 35k for an 09 model while being charged 40k for an 08 model, now does that make sense???"
Rather, it's more like paying 35k for an 09 model while being charged 40k for an 88 model.
Vintage models that aren't produced anymore do cost more. However, just as vintage cars are still "supported", so is XP. Nobody is forced to buy a new car every year as new models are produced; but with every year comes the discontinuation of the old. I can still drive my '88 Corolla -- it's still "supported" by repair shops and the like, but in no way is Toyota forced to reproduce it. XP is still supported by Microsoft (for now, at least), but in no way should they be forced to keep producing it.
People aren't forced to change. Even if Microsoft eventually stops producing XP, it will still be widely available. That's the big difference between cars and Windows XP, as many people have been stating. But many people, I would suspect, aren't thinking about the car as if it were a computer. Just as you eventually have to replace or upgrade old parts in a car, so do you have to at least upgrade the internals of your computer if you want it to run newer software. I remember when I tried to upgrade my computer that had Windows 98 to XP (Note that I hadn't upgraded to Windows 2000 between then). I had originally bought this computer with Windows 95 installed. Well, by XP I had had enough. But I'm getting too far into this. The point is, you can't expect a computer from 2001 or before, to be able to run a new operating system, six or seven or eight years later, very well.
Regarding the "extra charge" for XP, I think RoboDan explains it very well above: "The system would likely come with Vista Home Basic. To upgrade to Vista Business it would cost ~$60. Windows XP Professional is the "equivalent" to Vista Business, not to Vista Home Basic. MS was still selling XP legally, and maintained its MSRP. The customer chose of her own free will to purchase the equivalent of Vista Business to be installed on the product purchased. The choice was not forced upon her."
This is verified by going onto Lenovo's site and customizing a computer. The downgrade to XP Professional is the same price as Vista Business. Lenovo even says that you're buying "Genuine Windows Vista Business with Windows XP Professional Downgrade." Even if you don't want Vista, you still have to buy the operating system.