Ugh this is obnixious

[Raven 10+ year member]

Well, it's my own opinion that in recent times amps are taking a turn for the better. Alpine amps have improved (At the unfortunate expense of their HU lines), IA and RE have come out with amplifiers, Aura makes awesome amps, Kicker hasn't swayed a bit in build quality (IMO). There are tons of good companies making good amplifiers, but since they aren't in cardomain or Ikesound we just don't know where to look anymore.

 

[Incriminator 10+ year member]

as a manufacture, we get all this feedback from each dealer, as what they see from consumers these days..how many people do you see walk into car stereo stores, or even new car dealers and say Give me the best you have, I'll pay for it, because it's the best you have....ever haggle on a price? Ever? If so, then you can admit your part of the majority.

you have to be price competitive in any market, but you still have to make it as best you can, yet affordable to everyone, or you will become extinct..period.

Agreed and Agreed!! I'll drop by and see you at CES!

Nick

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

I disagree with the above. SOme manufacturers are both profitable and price thier products out of "joe everybody's" reach. Porshe/Ferrari does it with cars, Rolex and Cartier with watches, Berkshire Hathaway in the financial industry. I have a hard time believing any of the above companies will go down the tubes any time soon.

 

[JonJT 10+ year member]

I disagree with the above. SOme manufacturers are both profitable and price thier products out of "joe everybody's" reach. Porshe/Ferrari does it with cars, Rolex and Cartier with watches, Berkshire Hathaway in the financial industry. I have a hard time believing any of the above companies will go down the tubes any time soon.

Yes, doing this is fine, but it limits your growth to encompase ONLY the niche market that you cover. To use yor example, look what porsche did. They created a "truck" going against their principals that they held for decades. The Cayenne ate away at their sports car sales and now they company is a legit truck company and has lost some of it's "cache" because of it. I don't see porsche as highly as I did 10 years ago (albiet it I was only 7 10 years ago). Amp companies do this and the same thing happens to them. US amps for example, no one ever thought they would introduce an entry line, but they did and now, along with other reasons, many for US amps followers don't buy US amps anymore.

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

At the same token, look at WD-40...they market to nearly everyone and only gorw at a ho-hum 4-5%.

I do agree with the US AMPS thing. But since they did, I was able to afford one.

 

[JonJT 10+ year member]

WD-40? WD-40 doesn't carry the cache of any porsche, I don't think you can really inject products that don't invoke any feeling into this conversation. WD-40 is a lubricant, no one is a WD-40 fanboi.

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

What I am pointing out is the higher growth in the porshe's and berkshire hathaways than by the wd-40s. Lowering costs may make a more marketable product to the masses, but does not necessarily lead to profitability (and isn't that the goal of a firm, to make $) Furthermore, there is a limit to cutting costs. If you cut them enough, you won't even have a product. Morningstar has an excellent publication on valuation of companies, these same principles are also guides for a how a business should be run. Simply reducing costs by moving to china is the same as putting a cap in an audio system. Just a temporary band-aid. I would never drive a honda, nissan, toyota, but how come they can be profitable using a US labor force, whereas many US companies have to move overseas.

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

Bike,The problem is that eventhough Honda builds cars over here, they still own assects or market share that once was American. By purchasing a Honda vechile you are feeding a machine that is buying up US companies and ideas. Something not good for the US economy in the end. I once saw a History channel special about how Japanese big business is buying up so much US industry.

GM owning plants in Canada and Mexico is great for GM, an american company. GM pays less for the same work so GM saves mroe money. Money is then sent into the Canadian and Mexican economy, but it's minimal. GM also gains entry into markets in Mexico and Canada, by placing their plants closer to dealerships in these countries. In the end, money always flows back to america. Now, this does remove jobs from US citizens, so in the end it may or may not be good for the US economy. I'm not qualified to make the comparison.

I think this is what shoudl be said.

My wife and I really don't give a rat's *** about where the corporate profits for american honda go- as long as I get my paychecks and have good reliable cars to drive. If keeping Japan from buying American companies was really important, the American companies wouldn't sell, but they just want the $$$ now whereas Japan wants the long term $$$

 

[JonJT 10+ year member]

My wife and I really don't give a rat's *** about where the corporate profits for american honda go- as long as I get my paychecks and have good reliable cars to drive. If keeping Japan from buying American companies was really important, the American companies wouldn't sell, but they just want the $$$ now whereas Japan wants the long term $$$

Not caring is fine for the short term, but we should really take note of whats happening as a country. It isn't good if all the assets in your country are owned by corporations in foreign lands.

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

Wether I buy a Honda or not has no bearing on corporate America selling out to Japan. I would buy an American car if they chose to build one that is competitive with a Honda in reliablility, price, styling, and fit and finish- and I am sure the big 3 could they just choose to stick with the 1960's buisness model of disposable cars. FYI I work in the service dept. of a Honda store, but our company also has Chevy, Cadillac, Ford, Subaru, and Toyota.

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

I kinda disagree here. Cars of the 60s were built pretty well. I have one and it runs as good as new, because of proper care. I haven't seen any 70s hondas driving around however. The big 3 decline began in the 70s...very serious lack of quality control because of their big ego from the soaring 60s.

 

[Polecat 5,000+ posts]

Agreed and Agreed!! I'll drop by and see you at CES!
Nick

hey Nick, I'm not going to CES this year, luckily they let me bow out //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif...SBN?

 

[Polecat 5,000+ posts]

I disagree with the above. SOme manufacturers are both profitable and price thier products out of "joe everybody's" reach. Porshe/Ferrari does it with cars, Rolex and Cartier with watches, Berkshire Hathaway in the financial industry. I have a hard time believing any of the above companies will go down the tubes any time soon.

true, but there is a clientele for such items, or they would be out of business. Look at Lamborghini for instance, on some of the upper elite cars, you would have had to own 2-3 models already to even get on the list to buy this new model. But, they have a list of people looking to buy them...same as new harley's, sometimes you need to place and order to get one, a year from now. There is a clientele for upper 'non Joe' items, none which I can afford neither. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[Polecat 5,000+ posts]

I kinda disagree here. Cars of the 60s were built pretty well. I have one and it runs as good as new, because of proper care. I haven't seen any 70s hondas driving around however. The big 3 decline began in the 70s...very serious lack of quality control because of their big ego from the soaring 60s.

I agree 100%...love the older cars, muscle cars are my favorite. But when I had my older truck, with the carb'd SBC in the cold of winder, and the carb would freeze up, yuk...no heater, double yuk...but now I have a new Tahoe, heated everything and fuel injection, remote start, technology at it's finest... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[bimma85 5,000+ posts]

Whether I deny or agree about Honda's quality record is irrelevant here. What I am getting at is that its a freakin rice burner and part of the reason why our economy is sooooo ****ed up. I will buy domestic vehicles always and anything else domestic I possibly can. Just like Ralph (Gnfanatic) said earlier they may be building and assembling them here and thats fine that the UAW gets some of the work but the bottom line is that most of the money that Honda makes off the cars goes back with them in Japan and STAYS there. I'm not going to be a part of that.......not when I can help it by buying an American car.

so you don't buy any products made overseas then? everything you own is made here by a domestic company? bullshit....shut up //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif. Do you have any idea how many mexicans work here and send all the money back to mexico? We had better get rid of all of them too, huh?

Why exactly in an accord a rice burner? It's a hell of a lot cheaper in the long run than owning many many american cars. Our economy is foked up because people drive hondas? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif