Cusco USA says SC coming

[Jeff86]

Or perhaps Cusco is the branding aimed at the Japanese market and Innovate at America?

[Beyer Subaru]

Originally Posted by nonicname

so you are saying that you will go and pay twice the price for the exact same product just because it uses a JDM title (marketing crap).

Don't give me the Subaru/Toyota crap! that's a completely different story.

Whoah. That escalated quickly. I was just joking no nick.

I'm willing to pay for what ever makes me happy. It usually turns out to be some rebadged for STi part. So I am used to paying through the nose for way over priced rebadged JDM stuffs.

Will I get this SC kit just because it's JDM? Prolly not. For me it's just like the way over priced T67 kit that GrEddy/Trust offered for the GD's. If I wanted a T67 I would've gone with a comparable USDM kit.

Even here in the US Subaru will rebadge stuffs and call it their own. It's nothing new. It's not really anything to be upset about either. I look at the twins as a well needed shot to the aftermarket arm of the world. We are seeing new parts coming out daily and I hope this "marketing crap" that you are referring to gets stronger and stronger.

This is one of those parts that is exciting for me to see hit the JDM market for the JDM consumers. Not so much for us. I am amazed everyday with the things that the Japanese people create out of very little.

I will be eagerly awaiting the first zc/zn's with this kit in JDMland.

[bakerr6]

Originally Posted by Jeff86

Or perhaps Cusco is the branding aimed at the Japanese market and Innovate at America?

There's some truth to this. I think it would actually be the other way around though. i'm thinking both companies will sell the product in both places, but since we are both backwards, the cusco kit will be the more desirable here in the states with all the JDM fanboys and the innovate kit will be more desirable in the JDM market for the same reasons.

I do think both kits will sell in both markets though, with varying price ranges.

I still don't understand why people buy products just for the name

[Jeff86]

Originally Posted by bakerr6

There's some truth to this. I think it would actually be the other way around though. i'm thinking both companies will sell the product in both places, but since we are both backwards, the cusco kit will be the more desirable here in the states with all the JDM fanboys and the innovate kit will be more desirable in the JDM market for the same reasons.

I do think both kits will sell in both markets though, with varying price ranges.

I still don't understand why people buy products just for the name

Yeah I agree. By "aim" I didn't mean exclusively... just that Cusco is a Japanese company and Innovate US. I don't think it's surprising to see the kit branded different ways. Like Beyer said, the more the merrier! I'm just excited to see some action with this FI solution.

[Jeff86]

Another similar situation is the aFe/GReddy intake.

[IllusiveFRS]

I am a "fanboy" then, cause I drink the Cusco kool-AID. I am just glad we have options. I really don't get why everyone has to get their haterade on as soon as they don't agree with a brand. If I spend 8k and you spend 4k on the same thing, just pat yourself in the back and smile. This is good for the market because it creates competition. Now excuse me while I go install my Cusco coilovers that cost 3x more than your insert other brand here

[bakerr6]

Originally Posted by IllusiveFRS

I am a "fanboy" then, cause I drink the Cusco kool-AID. I am just glad we have options. I really don't get why everyone has to get their haterade on as soon as they don't agree with a brand. If I spend 8k and you spend 4k on the same thing, just pat yourself in the back and smile. This is good for the market because it creates competition. Now excuse me while I go install my Cusco coilovers that cost 3x more than your insert other brand here

I'm not hating on your brand choice at all, I am just saying that coming from a finance background, that buying a product that is essentially the same as another product on the market for an additional 30-50% doesn't make logical sense to me.

Now if both products were equally priced, I would probably go with the company that offers the better customer service.

[Celica00]

Originally Posted by IllusiveFRS

I am a "fanboy" then, cause I drink the Cusco kool-AID. I am just glad we have options. I really don't get why everyone has to get their haterade on as soon as they don't agree with a brand. If I spend 8k and you spend 4k on the same thing, just pat yourself in the back and smile. This is good for the market because it creates competition. Now excuse me while I go install my Cusco coilovers that cost 3x more than your insert other brand here

its not competition if they are in a whole different league price-wise. if you have money growing on trees then be my guest paying 3x more for the exact same thing w/ a different logo. as for me, i need to be more conservative.

[IllusiveFRS]

I agree with what you are saying about financial situations. My main reason for saying what I said is I see many people hating on the main JDM players lately because they are "overpriced" but quality has so much to play in price and I feel many FRS owners are looking for the cheapest everything, I fear this car will turn into a Autozone ride soon. Either way, stoked to see another forced induction kit on the market

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by IllusiveFRS

I agree with what you are saying about financial situations. My main reason for saying what I said is I see many people hating on the main JDM players lately because they are "overpriced" but quality has so much to play in price and I feel many FRS owners are looking for the cheapest everything, I fear this car will turn into a Autozone ride soon. Either way, stoked to see another forced induction kit on the market

I wouldn't necessarily call the JDM brands quality. Some of them are, but with many you're just paying a currency conversion and import "tax" IMO.

[OmarGC]

Originally Posted by IllusiveFRS

I agree with what you are saying about financial situations. My main reason for saying what I said is I see many people hating on the main JDM players lately because they are "overpriced" but quality has so much to play in price and I feel many FRS owners are looking for the cheapest everything, I fear this car will turn into a Autozone ride soon. Either way, stoked to see another forced induction kit on the market

Living in Japan for a decently large portion of my life, and being in the scene and racing in my teens. I can tell you a lot of the locals in Japan and myself from personal experiences over the last 8 years find the majority of Cusco products more of a bling factor over functional benefit. I'll use a bolt in Cusco cage for example... at the track or if we were out "playing" in the mountains... if someone rolled in with a Cusco cage in their car, 9 times out of 10 they were probably getting shit about their car being a show car... lol.

For these reasons is why if you're lucky enough to be able to benefit from Japan 2nd hand parts shops such as upgarage the majority of smaller Cusco bracing that you pay in excess of 300-400 bucks for you'll be able to buy within a couple months, or even few weeks for 3000-4000 yen(aprox $33-45 USD). With that in mind, I would buy Cusco cages via upgarage for about 130-220 USD (price normally varied only on the paint condition) and with a stateside friend with hookups shipping world wide I would drop off and sell other peoples "garbage" parts that most guys in America will live by... lol. Not to be an ass, but Cusco general public products are usually overpriced for the quality you get. But majority of people are brain washed into believing that no matter what, if it was made in Japan that it's automatically of higher quality, long R&D development, etc.

[OmarGC]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

I wouldn't necessarily call the JDM brands quality. Some of them are, but with many you're just paying a currency conversion and import "tax" IMO.

Even there, buying new a lot new goods are still extremely expensive... keep in mind most US vendors aren't going to really tell you what the difference is between the cost to them after import tax/custom fees and what they're going to charge you.

This just happened literally a couple weeks ago to me...

Two vendors on this board(wont disclose names)... While pricing my Work Meister S1R's. Same size, color, options... SAME EVENING


Vendor 1(one of the bigger companies for jdm wheels): Quoted me at $3360 + shipping from their tri-state area shop to my door.

Vendor 2(smaller, but not small company well known): Quoted me at $2690 straight to me + free lugs and optional center caps on them.

What they don't know is my tomodachi is an old D1SL driver that has good ties with Work Jp... So he gives em to me at his cost + about the cost of shipping from CA to IL + his favorite american foods he can't get there... I won't say how much off each vendor is off to the pricing he can get them to me for... But I honestly have no problem shopping at vendor 2 even if I can get them for substantially cheaper through my jp friends. But vendor 1 is just absurd, hope everyone shops around because there's so much greed with some of the vendors here.

[OrbitalEllipses]

There's only a few tri-state wheel vendors...

That said, JDM wheels are stupid cheap in Japan compared to here. Heard a similar story about Works actually, from a Japanese dude.

[OmarGC]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

That said, JDM wheels are stupid cheap in Japan compared to here.

I wouldn't go that far... If you don't have a connection it's sometimes better to order from America... ESP Enkei's, very high end Work's, and Volks, I would say any Ray's/Mackin Industries wheel manufacturer but you can get Gramlights for stupid cheap. lol. Also, tire prices... all the years I lived in Japan, I only bought tires from tirerack and had a local friend order me Indonesian tires we all used drift burners... If you wanted a decent Japanese made tire you'd be dropping a shit ton of coin.