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Post by dixinormus on Oct 26, 2019 4:50:48 GMT
I think I read somewhere recently that a brand new BMW 320d now has a retail price somewhere north of GBP 35 grand..?! How did that happen?!
Yet at the more modest end of the market prices seem to be getting ever lower in my eyes. I can get a brand new Focus 1.5 auto for £16k, and VW & Toyota will get very close to this price with a new Golf or a Corolla 2.0 auto.
How on earth can the BMW cost more than twice the price?!
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Avant
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Post by Avant on Oct 26, 2019 8:49:17 GMT
An example of the First and Only Law of Economics = the right price is what some other poor sap will pay.
The difference isn't quite as great as that, as you're comparing the list price of a 3-series with a heavily discounted Focus: also if you lease or buy via PCP, the gap will be narrower because the BMW will hold its value better. But yes, people will pay for the name and the perception of quality.
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Post by Humph on Oct 26, 2019 10:03:39 GMT
Quality is an interesting topic. So many ways to define it. In the case of cars, expected longevity could be one factor and comfort, practicality, ease of use, reliability etc are often the scales used.
No one could deny that a Ferrari was a quality car, but equally, it wouldn't be a lot of use for the money. A Focus might reasonably be regarded as lower in quality, but would be far more useful both in actual, and in particular, value for money terms.
A premium quality pair of shoes will easily be outlasted by a cheap pair of wellies if subjected to a particular type of use, but the shoes would still be perceived as being of higher quality.
Brands ( not just car brands ) rely almost entirely on perception. Not to say that there isn't some correlation between price and quality, of course there is, but as is alluded to by the opening post, that relationship is not entirely a linear function of price.
I still maintain that Fords more or less hit the sweet spot when it comes to the best use of your cash when related to what you get for it, but almost because of that, they don't have as much appeal to those who apply, consciously or subliminally, wider sociological filters to their purchase decisions.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2019 23:28:16 GMT
It's funny but when it comes to shirts, I have always found that designer brands wash less well, look shabby more quickly and wear out more quickly. One of my favourite business shirts is a C&A item bought at least 15 years ago and worn about once every two or three weeks. It still looks perfectly reasonable for a day in the office.
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Post by dixinormus on Oct 27, 2019 8:23:02 GMT
Similar parallel with the cars, Esp. I find the basic Corolla on the rental fleets here so competent that I can’t really see the need for the more expensive car at twice the price. Alloys, aircon, satnav and cruise control as standard on the Ford or the Toyota... what else do I really need?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2019 11:49:53 GMT
Very true. I do keep asking myself why I sold my S-Max when it did everything I needed and more - probably more than my Merc other than performance (and given the comparative ages and mileages more reliable).
The Merc was a dream purchase, not to be repeated I suspect. Glad I have it, but as I have said before, for at least 95% of the time (if not the miles) a small electric car with a range of 150 miles in winter would suit me perfectly.
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