Random Thoughts - Part III The Search for Spark (No Politics)

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by weederr33

This shit popped into my head this morning during PT and I felt like going down nostalgia lane. You're welcome.

She's cute - but a little of her goes a long way with me -

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Random philosophical (?) question for the group. At the risk of sounding like an ass, how much more would you be willing pay a vendor/store/etc you like for the same product than one you are ambivalent to?

I feel like $100 is way too big a difference to ignore, but $20 is no problem. But in between is a grey area. Do you have a limit?

Needs context. I'll give or take 10-15%. Not a hard rule but I do vote with my wallet. That probably makes me a chump. Fuck it.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by NoHaveMSG

A lot of the big cruisers are 650-900lbs depending on accessories and specs.

The strange thing to me is some of these heavy motorcycles have a reverse gear. I have no idea how that works in practice.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

The strange thing to me is some of these heavy motorcycles have a reverse gear. I have no idea how that works in practice.

It works very well as it is typically geared low or speed limited just like a car. No different then walking it back, except with power assist.

Well, except maybe in the case of a Polaris Scrambler 500 ATV I used to own. It had a CVT transmission with a reverse (most ATVs have reverse). The quad had a top speed of 70MPH. In reverse it did the typical crawl. Except it had a override on the handle bars where it could go as fast backwards as it did forwards.

I loved doing reverse donuts on it.

[spcmafia]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Random philosophical (?) question for the group. At the risk of sounding like an ass, how much more would you be willing pay a vendor/store/etc you like for the same product than one you are ambivalent to?

I feel like $100 is way too big a difference to ignore, but $20 is no problem. But in between is a grey area. Do you have a limit?

Kind of agree it needs context. Car parts? $100 difference is price, probably a great deal, but you have to consider the caveats such as shipping and handling. Maybe the other store has the product for $100 more, but shipping is free. Against the one that has the discount, but shipping is not free, so you'd end up paying around the same money in the end.



The only thing that makes me wary of huge price differences is the popularity of the website or store. If a deal is too good to be true, something must be up with regards of quality or customer service.

[spcmafia]

My car just got another extension at the shop for Friday this week. But I've found my self at say, an existential crisis.



I've been driving the Mazda 3, and I gotta say, it has been nice to have a car that is a comfortable drive, quieter, spacious, AWD, and has decent MPG.



Its kind of like realizing when something considered as a "boring" car is probably not as bad. So, at the back of my mind, I keep thinking, maybe the BRZ is not a car for me anymore. Maybe the next step is to move up to a WRX, or any other performance AWD hatchback.



All of this kind of hit me harder when I went camping this past weekend, I Kayaked for the first time and I loved it. Plus all the room the Mazda had to haul my big cooler, food, and packing essentials. Would've been impossible to maneuver the woods on the BRZ.



The BRZ has been an amazing car to work on. I've learned so much and was able to experience what it is to work and build your desired car setup. But now, do I just suck it up for another year and keep it as a weekend toy, or trade it in for AWD hatchback that can be used for multipurpose activities such as camping, spirited drives, and commuting.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by spcmafia

My car just got another extension at the shop for Friday this week. But I've found my self at say, an existential crisis.



I've been driving the Mazda 3, and I gotta say, it has been nice to have a car that is a comfortable drive, quieter, spacious, AWD, and has decent MPG.



Its kind of like realizing when something considered as a "boring" car is probably not as bad. So, at the back of my mind, I keep thinking, maybe the BRZ is not a car for me anymore. Maybe the next step is to move up to a WRX, or any other performance AWD hatchback.



All of this kind of hit me harder when I went camping this past weekend, I Kayaked for the first time and I loved it. Plus all the room the Mazda had to haul my big cooler, food, and packing essentials. Would've been impossible to maneuver the woods on the BRZ.



The BRZ has been an amazing car to work on. I've learned so much and was able to experience what it is to work and build your desired car setup. But now, do I just suck it up for another year and keep it as a weekend toy, or trade it in for AWD hatchback that can be used for multipurpose activities such as camping, spirited drives, and commuting.

Just wait till you get it back and drive it before making any plans.

[spcmafia]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Just wait till you get it back and drive it before making any plans.

You're right.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Needs context. I'll give or take 10-15%. Not a hard rule but I do vote with my wallet. That probably makes me a chump. Fuck it.

Originally Posted by spcmafia

Kind of agree it needs context. Car parts? $100 difference is price, probably a great deal, but you have to consider the caveats such as shipping and handling. Maybe the other store has the product for $100 more, but shipping is free. Against the one that has the discount, but shipping is not free, so you'd end up paying around the same money in the end.

The only thing that makes me wary of huge price differences is the popularity of the website or store. If a deal is too good to be true, something must be up with regards of quality or customer service.

Ok so specific context making me think about it right now is CSG vs another parts distributor I've used where CSG is 10-15% more expensive for the same product including shipping. CSG provides a lot of information on here, for example, while the other just sells the same parts for less money (probably because they aren't in California lol). I was asking generally because it comes up a lot in other situations too. I know one site or store has something for less money, but the more expensive one has some less tangible value like more detailed information or better site map to look stuff up, or I just like the owners more. Physical location makes it easier to decide, but the Internet lets me be in multiple places at once.

I think in terms of dollars instead of percent because 10% of $20 doesn't buy me nearly as much as 10% of $500. In this specific example, I can save $70 on a $500 purchase, assuming I pay tax direct to MD which CSG doesn't withhold, by using the other vendor. It would be $40 savings if I forgot to pay sales tax to MD lol. I was looking at the differences and was thinking $40 isn't that bad, but $70 (and some inconvenience) seems like too much to ignore. It would be easier if there were a rule lol.

[spcmafia]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Ok so specific context making me think about it right now is CSG vs another parts distributor I've used where CSG is 10-15% more expensive for the same product including shipping. CSG provides a lot of information on here, for example, while the other just sells the same parts for less money (probably because they aren't in California lol). I was asking generally because it comes up a lot in other situations too. I know one site or store has something for less money, but the more expensive one has some less tangible value like more detailed information or better site map to look stuff up, or I just like the owners more. Physical location makes it easier to decide, but the Internet lets me be in multiple places at once.

I think in terms of dollars instead of percent because 10% of $20 doesn't buy me nearly as much as 10% of $500. In this specific example, I can save $70 on a $500 purchase, assuming I pay tax direct to MD which CSG doesn't withhold, by using the other vendor. It would be $40 savings if I forgot to pay sales tax to MD lol. I was looking at the differences and was thinking $40 isn't that bad, but $70 (and some inconvenience) seems like too much to ignore. It would be easier if there were a rule lol.

So yeah, when it comes to car parts, I will take as much savings as I can. But it comes down to Customer Service and shipping fees.

[Ultramaroon]

^^this

[blsfrs]

Along these lines, any suggestions on where to buy an OEM clutch kit (incl Flywheel)?

I've googled around. There a a few vendors on Amazon and Ebay.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Ok so specific context making me think about it right now is CSG vs another parts distributor I've used where CSG is 10-15% more expensive for the same product including shipping. CSG provides a lot of information on here, for example, while the other just sells the same parts for less money (probably because they aren't in California lol). I was asking generally because it comes up a lot in other situations too. I know one site or store has something for less money, but the more expensive one has some less tangible value like more detailed information or better site map to look stuff up, or I just like the owners more. Physical location makes it easier to decide, but the Internet lets me be in multiple places at once.

I think in terms of dollars instead of percent because 10% of $20 doesn't buy me nearly as much as 10% of $500. In this specific example, I can save $70 on a $500 purchase, assuming I pay tax direct to MD which CSG doesn't withhold, by using the other vendor. It would be $40 savings if I forgot to pay sales tax to MD lol. I was looking at the differences and was thinking $40 isn't that bad, but $70 (and some inconvenience) seems like too much to ignore. It would be easier if there were a rule lol.

CSG does have pretty good customer service. Mike provides a lot of good info, I don't always like how it is presented, but he does know what he is talking about. I think a lot of that comes down to a forum format but it gets old sometimes. That being said, with a part like that I wouldn't hesitate to buy elsewhere if the savings is significant enough.

When I was talking to Mike about pads after my debacle with running XP10's he did give me a bit of a deal on CSG C1's which I appreciated. Those SOB's are expensive.

When I ordered my APR wing from CSG the price changed significantly, there was a long lead time too. CSG honored the old price which was over $100 different.

For those things, I do keep buying CSG unless they don't carry what I need. I am also on the same coast which helps shipping.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by blsfrs

Along these lines, any suggestions on where to buy an OEM clutch kit (incl Flywheel)?

I've googled around. There a a few vendors on Amazon and Ebay.

I usually check Rockauto too.