Replicas are bad and you should feel bad for suggesting this! :D

Seriously though if that diffuser was stamped "Rays" there'd be a field day when someone made a similar one out of FRP. Okay, sorry, didn't mean to turn this into another one of those threads.. Back to your normally scheduled topic.

Someone out there realizes that there is a demand for lower cost parts in the aftermarket and we'll see something soon. I can't imagine any less, really.

Still, they are not selling it at a loss even after hedging...

I think you're on the right track there, and it's no real surprise. I also realize it costs more to produce/warehouse/ship replacement parts than it does the whole car. Sometimes OEM replacement parts are warehoused for years, even a decade or more after a car goes out of production and that costs money.

I suppose when talking about OEM "parts" I expect to be price gouged. Someone posted that the chrome fender trim/grill is nothing but double sided 3M tape that goes on top of the stock trim...something like this shouldn't cost a lot of $$$ (regardless of YEN/USD conversion). I am not complaining because at the end of the day you're either going to fork it over or you're not. I just wanted to see if anyone else felt the same way. I plan on doing mods to this car but looks like it's going to be a very slow journey {:?o)

yeah, i believe regulations require car makers to keep producing replacement parts for 10 years after the last model year vehicle.

that's why s2000 hardtops are selling at such a premium right now.

Sometimes though you are forced to fork it over (like in the case mentioned above with a broken headlight/tail light) and then I get redder than than the color of my car!

That is what insurance is for. If you can't afford replacement of broken headlights, get insurance with lower deductible.

Its not a matter of being able to afford it, its a matter of value for the money.

I would also argue that the very reason the replacement parts cost what they do is because of insurance, but that borders on a political discussion, so I'll leave it at that.

:happy0180:

When it comes to "accessories", it is always expensive. That is the stuff producing most profit margin. Selling a Nikon camera can be 30 some point margin, a camera bag can mark up 3 times! How much those audiophile speaker cables can cost? Or HDMI wires for the TV? How about that iPad cover cost $60 when the iPad is $499? The list goes on and on...:drool:

I knew there would be backlash when I said this. What I meant was not that they should make an exact replica of the part (because I hate that $#!t, too!), but rather a functional piece that looks similar. If Subaru were charging $750 for a functional diffuser I wouldn't scoff at it, but the fact that it's a tiny little strip of plastic:

http://www.aj-racing.com/ajpwr/ZC6/70R1.jpg

Bonkers!

Also, as for the chrome fender trim, you could spend $110 for a kit of Alsa Ghost Chrome paint (base coat, chrome paint, clear coat), and have plenty left over to paint all those cheapo-deapo silver interior pieces to make them look like real metal, too! That's at least what I plan on doing. In case anyone wants to do the same:

http://www.alsacorp.com/products/kil...hostchrome.htm

I know everyone (or almost everyone) loves JDM stuff and I do too, but to be practical it is super expensive to buy and ship/import these things to the US. Better value can be had by buying parts engineered, designed, and built in the US by companies like Perrin, Grimmspeed, Carsmo, 5Axis, etc...

No backlash from me. That was sarcasm. ;)

^This... seriously, it doesn't matter what car it is, it's universally expensive!!!!

Go buy an $800 AR-15 and then realize you want the "proper" flashlight mounted to it...$400-$600 for the flashlight and $100-$200 for the mount.

there's also the whole "BRAND NEW CAR" factor to consider too

parts will get cheaper over time

plus the Yen is really strong on the dollar (which makes you wonder why we can still get the cars for this cheap, tbh)