The "Most OVER-rated wheel thread"

[aar0n.]

BTW, I was an economics major for 2 1/2yrs.... never took something outside my major those two years other than Math and History. Had a 4.0.... I understand econ

Hahaha good, you never know who you're gonna run into online so I just kept it as simplified as possible. Don't think I was trying to outsmart you or anything like that

[Han]

^ the better proucts would still cost more, duh. The price just wouldn't be a derivitive of the name it adorns. C'mon man, you know what I'm getting at.

That's a catch-22, though. A lot of the time, the name is associated with "better" products. Most of the time, the cliche phrase of "you get what you pay for" usually holds true.

But I know what you're trying to say.

[Petis]

Companies can sell their high-end prducts at a lower cast (while not shooting themselves in the foot) and still make pretty good profit margin and all while stayin in business. They stay overpriced because there is a large majority of people that relate higher prices with higher quality.

[Petis]

Ah hah! perfect example....

http://vipstylecars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24091

Not bashing my friend for asking $4k as that is hat he paid for these, and that's what, to someone, they will be worth. But essentially, they are a heavy as shit, cast wheel. Nothing deserving of the price tag other than the name they wear.

[firelizard]

Last night I was reading up on suits, and Brioni has a $43,000 hand-tailored pinstripe suit made of vicuña wool with white gold pinstripes.
Now, yes, Brionis are some of the finests suits in the world, yes vicuña wool is extremely fine and difficult to obtain, and yes white gold pinstripes are very luxurious.
BUT.
You could still buy a sub-$10,000 Brioni and pretty much anybody but the super-elite would be awed by your epic suit. If you're spending $43,000 on a suit, it's "just because", not because you'd be missing out otherwise.

I find the super-elite market both fascinating and disheartening. But everybody has a point at which they decide "it's just not worth that much to me"... luckily there are some for whom that point is much much much higher.

[Stephen]

I'm confused. Using the analogy of GM's CTS-V and a Ferrari agian, Wouldn't most agree that that car is designed with, and to evoke, passion? More so than the comparatively mass produced CTS-V?

[firelizard]

Ferrari and other high-end marques can get away with putting a premium on "passion".. others simply have not made it to that status yet.

[Petis]

I'm confused. Using the analogy of GM's CTS-V and a Ferrari agian, Wouldn't most agree that that car is designed with, and to evoke, passion? More so than the comparatively mass produced CTS-V?

He used GM and ferrari as a comparison. I was just makin the point that GM has a line of cars that are somewhat exclusive (Cadillac) and even more exclusive (their V-line). So one can obtain a high-end luxurious sprts car, that doesn't have bald eagle feathers as the padding (please understand the last bit was a joke).

[Oxer]

Id roll a Ferarri F40 any day of the week.

[Petis]

Another case pertaining to wheels...... Work goes through the exact same processes as volk when creating their forged 1-piece wheels. Why then does Volk feel the need to charge nearly twice that of Works? Are they twice the wheel?


My main point is that, price should never, ever be driven by the label, rather by the overall quality and profit/cost margins.

[Jedidiah]

Ben, you're gonna love this post lol

Plenty of companies cater to high end clients and they shouldn't be faulted for providing what the market and consumers want. Elitist or not, such is reality and it's unrealistic and ideological to think otherwise.

To relate this to macroeconomics though, the top 5% of Americans by income account for 37% of all consumer outlays. On the other hand, the bottom 80% by income account for 39.5% of all consumer outlays. That 5% is spending as much as the other 80% of the population, so the only way this can happen is with high end goods. The wealthy have a huge hand in sustaining consumer spending in the US, which is a strong figure for indicating the strength of the national economy. Like it or not, the high end market is what keeps a lot of smaller companies and businesses afloat. If the wealthy don't spend on their high end goods, the economy of the country as a whole suffers as a result.

Also, GM does makes a handful of high end cars, but at the end of the day, none of them, including the CTS-V or Corvette ZR1 can compare to any Ferrari when it comes to individuality, exclusivity, racing heritage, etc. The CTS-V and ZR1 are fast, no question about it, but they sacrifice a LOT to be that fast, whereas Ferrari (for example) does not.

Wow, managed to get a thread about overrated wheels to discussions on economics and the luxury goods market. I fail

You are right.... I loved every bit of this.

[mtm_motors]

GM = bailouts and cross-corporate architecture
no me gusta

[Jedidiah]

GM = bailouts and cross-corporate architecture
no me gusta

We just became friends.

[Petis]

^ agreed

off topic: I want to goto a GM dealership and just ask a salesman where my car is. When he questions what I'm talking about, I will hold up my past 10yrs of tax statements. lol

[firelizard]

Another case pertaining to wheels...... Work goes through the exact same processes as volk when creating their forged 1-piece wheels. Why then does Volk feel the need to charge nearly twice that of Works? Are they twice the wheel?

Mmm... Work 1-piece forged?
I'm fairly certain the only forged wheels currently produced by Work are the new Equip series.

And I also seriously doubt your prices are correct. I've priced Works and Volks and the Volks are not overpriced by anymeans, nor are they double the price of an equivalent Work wheel...