Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 15:00:22 -0400
Reply-To: ian Butler <ian@BLUEMOON.HPLX.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: ian Butler <ian@BLUEMOON.HPLX.NET>
Subject: Re: VW obscene parts pricing
In-Reply-To: <F224NDN4CxpAOAkK5Lq00000104@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
On Wed, 4 Sep 2002, Jfp w/3 WBXs wrote:
> Hi Clive,
>
> The current astronomical VW parts pricing includes the obscene cost of
> paying the "Royal" VW elite executives starting with their "Pope" or CEO. As
> their consumption crazy saleries and stock options swirl higher and higher,
> the parts prices of VW cars manufactured well before they were hired are
> forced to bear this economic load. However the greedy, self-serving VW
> "Royal executives" simply thumb their noses at the working proletariat using
> thier products and demand higher parts prices to maintain their extravagant,
> executive life style. The Executive leadership of VW GMBH is hardly
> different from the criminals at ENRON !!!!!!!!!!!!! OFF with their heads!!!
>
> Regards, John
Or, it could be that parts are worth cash. Let's not forget the dealer
takes their cut, too..
Even IBM, one of the most responsible megacorps, has outlandish prices for
old things. I remember pricing an original-equipment hard drive for an old
server, 320MB, that ran well over a thousand dollars. When a company is
that proud of a part, you have to ask yourself whether it's going to be
worth it to bend over forwards and just purchase it, or find another,
cheaper source.
A dealer once put it to me this way, when I was searching for parts for my
1977 Rabbit. "First, even though that car was $3500 new, parts still cost
what they would for a new car, or more if they're rare. And second, the
fact that you can find parts for a (then) 20-year-old car at all is a
testament to Volkswagen's philosophy; domestic manufacturers stop making
parts for old cars after ten years, and you just can't get them after
they're gone." I've kept it in mind, and remember that junkyards are my
friend if the dealer wants to ream me.
Holy cow.. one example, last year I was driving a 1986 Audi with a digital
dash. Except it was broken when I got it, and I had to replace it.. You
think $200 is pricey for a mechanical speedometer? Try $1500! I got it
from a reputable junkyard for $400. Why so expensive? Because they never
broke, and they were top-of-the-line technology in their day, and they were
only used on a few models, and it's for a car that hasn't been imported for
fifteen years (and wasn't very popular to begin with.) $1500 is better than
NLA; I didn't have to junk the car just because of a speedometer.
Okay, that post was entirely too long. Ah well. :)
ian Butler / ian@hplx.net
'87 Syncro GL, '88 Scirocco 16v
(and the former car in question, '86 Audi Coupe GT)
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