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Black_Bullet - Very nice post.


In my line of work (aftermarket auto parts sales), most of my customers either want the "best" or the "cheapest". The guys that want the best stuff generally don't mind paying top dollar, and the guys that want what's cheapest don't complain when they get junk. I'm just hoping one doesn't "weed out" the other, because having a balance is nice.
 
For some parts, it is foolish to cheap out on.

For some other parts, it is foolish to spend a lot on.
 
Also most of you guys dont even realize you probably spend more money just in over building your setups or selecting the wrong/ or unneeded parts because you didnt do enough research on the best route to your goals.
Amen. Fail to plan = Plan to fail. The better defined the goals, the easier it is to get there. You have to know exactly where you want to end up before you plan your route. This can't be repeated enough. Specific, reasonable goals keep you from wasting money. When you've got solid goals, with every purchase you make, you ask yourself, "How will this get me to my goal?" Depending on how critical that part is to your goal, the more value you're likely to see in the premium parts.

DSM's are about as bargin basement prices for aftermarket parts as you can get.
Agreed. The only other platform I've seen with lower investment would be a 200-series Volvo or older. $2000 goes a loooooong way with the older TurboBricks, but there are trade-offs. If you're making 300whp in a Brick with a Volvo engine in it, you're doing really well for yourself. Also, good luck finding those hot new wheels in a 5x120 bolt pattern. In fact, DSMs have such a reputation for being cheap cars to play with Galant VR4s aren't appreciating as well as they should. People see a GVR4 and think it's just a 4-door DSM. Fact of the matter is, they aren't, but because people think they're just a 4-door Eclipse, instead of the limited production, specialty vehicles they really are, values suffer.

My goal is a 400 AWHP Rally car. 400 AWHP is a cake walk with these cars.
Keep in mind that both sanctioning bodies require AWD turbo cars to run with a turbo inlet restrictor which will significantly affect power delivery and ultimate top end. Bigger turbos aren't always the answer with a rally car. Some mild headwork, high lift-short duration cams (I'm partial to the Piper grinds), and tuning will help get more out of a smaller turbo. Remember, you want the flattest torque curve you can get. Peak power isn't as imporant as the ability to pull out of corners in whatever gear you like. Crazy Ray Peters (twincharged 1G guy) and I had been talking that an MHI-19T, while tricky to find, would offer the best compromise, given the pressure ratios and CFM we were wanting to consider with the restrictor.


Back on topic, I bet the whole reason about 90% of the people on this board who own a DSM got into them because of their reputation to be brutally fast for cheap. As more and more cheap asses pick these cars up off Craigslist and hack them into makeshift drag cars with ghetto-ass bootleg parts, the amount of aftermarket support is going to continually recede until the people who say they can make it themselves for cheaper will have to put their money where their mouths are.

While that would certainly mean a number of existing vendors shutting their doors or leaving the DSM scene completely, part of me looks forward to that day because that's how the whole thing got started. The DSM community would come full circle. It was people who had no aftermarket support for an unknown sport compact finding solutions to problems in their garages. That sort of thing takes dedication, persistence, attention to detail, and a long-haul mentality; all of which are becoming rare in the DSM community.
 
I was one of those that paid 1100 for an exhaust from apexi.

It was WAAAY too much.

But everyday I look at it and love it, every time I work on my car It is perfect.


I bought an ebay front mount and pieced together my own piping.

so much cheaper, fits perfect. I am happy as can be.


Would I go back in time and buy a cheaper exhaust knowing I can save money for almost the same thing?

Nope!

Would I go back in time and buy a name brand intercooler kit that costs double and fits perfect?

Nope!


This argument can go either way.

I am a cheap ass but I have bought quality, expensive parts.


I love both kinds of parts

This argument CANNOT go either way. The kid that started the thread bitched about QUALITY PRODUCTS BEING "OVERPRICED" WHEN COMPARED TO CHEAP ASS EBAY-STYLE BULLSH*T.

So what if SS costs alleged $10/foot? Buy your own equipment/tools, get a crapload of employees, get workers comp insurance, health insurance, shop rent, overhead costs, up-front costs, unexpected costs, returned products under warranty costs, labor costs, etc... and see how much it will cost you to make your ONE part for your car. Buy all the tools and make all the parts yourself, all by yourself. See how far you go.

No one's forcing expensive, quality items down your throats. You bought your Mesopotamian part on eBay and you're proud of it? GREAT! Enjoy it. All the power to you.

Here's a shockingly simple comparison: Cheap ass passenger car tire on sale with speed rating of 80mph and grip of an 80-year-old woman VS. quality, purpose-engineered, race-proven, season-specific tire with speed rating of 160+mph, superior compound and best grip rating available. Think about that one for a minute.

Cheap ass eBay parts = cheap tire. Quality, brand-name parts = expensive tire. What do you think is worth more?
 
I just spent over 8k dollars in one phone call at JNZ and I must say that most of my parts were name brand that I know for a fact I could have either fabbed or bought cheaper versions of. BUT what I hope I bought was the support of JNZ when I have a problem like the wrong tstat gets shipped I know that I can call them up and talk to a real person and get the problem fixed or if i have a question about tunning or an install they can help me and hopefully they dont mind helping me out. Remember we all have choices and they way you reward a company is by being loyal they ones that are horrible and rip people off wont be in business very long.
 
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