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Showing 1 of 3 conversations about:
trevorsellers7
4
Dec 23, 2015
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I wish they did mustangs or hondas cause there are much more of them + they all modify the crap out of their cars.
LxJLthr
451
Dec 24, 2015
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trevorsellers7IMHO People are not looking at this from the business perspective of things; it is not just what's popular, but what actually makes logistical sense to use as a jumping off point. I can see why MD used Corvette and not Miata, FR-S/BRZ, Honda, Subaru, etc which have been suggested throughout this category.
For example, Miatas are plentiful but dirt cheap. Availability of DIY solutions and second part parts is ridiculously plentiful. IMHO Very few, if any, owners will wait 6-8 weeks for a brand new part especially given the "just-in-time-for-racing" modification nature of hobbyist. Latest ND model would make the most sense, but those are just now rolling off the line.
FR-S/BRZ is still a very new niche product. There <100,000 on the road with a very uncertain future since the Toyota/Subaru partnership dissolved. In comparison, there have been 1.6M+ Corvettes produced with GM announcing 3x greater production in the coming year.
Honda is well...Honda...Older models fall along side the Miata explanation and newer generation models have never caught on as much as their older siblings. IIRK new Type-R will be a turbo 4-banger that might rekindle the fire, but that's again very new and niche.
You also have to take into account owner demographic, availability of disposable income and community support. Don't forget that MD was banned on Head-Fi for a while...even though they are tripping over themselves praising their recent Fostex, AKG, etc collaborations.
So taking everything into consideration, I can understand going with Corvettes as a starting point. For the record, I am excited for this category and want MD to have stuff available for as many makes/models as possible.
For example, Miatas are plentiful but dirt cheap. Availability of DIY solutions and second part parts is ridiculously plentiful. IMHO Very few, if any, owners will wait 6-8 weeks for a brand new part especially given the "just-in-time-for-racing" modification nature of hobbyist. Latest ND model would make the most sense, but those are just now rolling off the line.
FR-S/BRZ is still a very new niche product. There <100,000 on the road with a very uncertain future since the Toyota/Subaru partnership dissolved. In comparison, there have been 1.6M+ Corvettes produced with GM announcing 3x greater production in the coming year.
Honda is well...Honda...Older models fall along side the Miata explanation and newer generation models have never caught on as much as their older siblings. IIRK new Type-R will be a turbo 4-banger that might rekindle the fire, but that's again very new and niche.
You also have to take into account owner demographic, availability of disposable income and community support. Don't forget that MD was banned on Head-Fi for a while...even though they are tripping over themselves praising their recent Fostex, AKG, etc collaborations.
So taking everything into consideration, I can understand going with Corvettes as a starting point. For the record, I am excited for this category and want MD to have stuff available for as many makes/models as possible.
Tigole
464
Dec 25, 2015
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LxJLthrAlthough 1.6m+ Corvettes have been built, that spans a 60+ year history, so how many do you think are still on the road ? How many 50s, 60s, 70s, or even 80s model Corvettes do you see on the road ? And even then, how many of the generations share parts ?
Over a million Miatas have been sold in its 26 year history. And of those, 700k+ were NA/NB generations (1989-1997, 1999-2005), which share the same platform and have very interchangeable parts--suspension, strut bars, roll bars, etc. It's a popular platform for tracking as it handles well, is fun to drive, and consumables are cheap. I still see plenty of NAs and NBs on the road every day, and not every owner wants to buy used parts or no-name stuff from Ebay. With that many, I'm sure there's a sizable market for quality mods and maintenance items. The NA is also becoming a classic. Even for owners that don't track their cars, they'd want to keep them looking good. Plastics fade and crack under sun exposure; rubber seals dry out, harden, and leak; soft tops wear out and rip, etc.--all things that need to be replaced over time.
Over a million Miatas have been sold in its 26 year history. And of those, 700k+ were NA/NB generations (1989-1997, 1999-2005), which share the same platform and have very interchangeable parts--suspension, strut bars, roll bars, etc. It's a popular platform for tracking as it handles well, is fun to drive, and consumables are cheap. I still see plenty of NAs and NBs on the road every day, and not every owner wants to buy used parts or no-name stuff from Ebay. With that many, I'm sure there's a sizable market for quality mods and maintenance items. The NA is also becoming a classic. Even for owners that don't track their cars, they'd want to keep them looking good. Plastics fade and crack under sun exposure; rubber seals dry out, harden, and leak; soft tops wear out and rip, etc.--all things that need to be replaced over time.
LxJLthr
451
Dec 26, 2015
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TigoleAlright let's stick with old Miatas example....So how many of those 700k NA/NB cost more than a few thousand dollars right now? What % of those actually continued to be cared for and/or restored (as compared to 1st & 2nd gen Corvette)? Out of those cars how many are owned by someone with an actual disposable income and not as a first budget sports/hooning car? How many existing forums and vendors already hold group buys or offer discounts (since there is already huge communities and followings)?
And I highly doubt MD is interested in being our local NAPA parts store. Their business model seems to be bringing interesting, unique and collaboration items to the community (where obviously the price and margins need to be enough to cover the effort). That's why most items are on a higher end of scale. No median NA/NB owner will pay $550 for sway bars (unless they are mad tight JDM import) or wait 6 weeks for $5 savings on a gasket kit.
For the record, I have owned 3 myself; 1.6 NA, 1.8 NA, and NB. All three were autocross and tracked with SCCA and NASA. So even being a Miata fanboi I am saying it might not the be best jumping off point. IMHO That's an over saturated market with existing economies of scale. I just do not see large enough margins in old Miatas for MD...and NDs are too new for aftermarket.
I have no idea which, if any, of these criteria were considered by MD. For all we know they might simply like American muscle better and hate rice rockets LMAO But my point, is that people don't seem to be thinking about this from a business perspective, which is counter intuitive from a pure consumer one.
And I highly doubt MD is interested in being our local NAPA parts store. Their business model seems to be bringing interesting, unique and collaboration items to the community (where obviously the price and margins need to be enough to cover the effort). That's why most items are on a higher end of scale. No median NA/NB owner will pay $550 for sway bars (unless they are mad tight JDM import) or wait 6 weeks for $5 savings on a gasket kit.
For the record, I have owned 3 myself; 1.6 NA, 1.8 NA, and NB. All three were autocross and tracked with SCCA and NASA. So even being a Miata fanboi I am saying it might not the be best jumping off point. IMHO That's an over saturated market with existing economies of scale. I just do not see large enough margins in old Miatas for MD...and NDs are too new for aftermarket.
I have no idea which, if any, of these criteria were considered by MD. For all we know they might simply like American muscle better and hate rice rockets LMAO But my point, is that people don't seem to be thinking about this from a business perspective, which is counter intuitive from a pure consumer one.
Oligarchy
18
Dec 29, 2015
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LxJLthrI don't think Corvette was the bset option to go with, Mustang, Camaro, or Challenger would have been better as a younger audience owns them and they sell a lot more units and people tend to modify those a lot more. The demographic here isn't 50 year olds that just bought a C7
LxJLthr
451
Dec 30, 2015
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OligarchyPersonally, I agree with your suggestions. Out of all the alternatives those do make better sense. But we can only speculate unless MD further clarifies their business planning. Regardless, I am all for an automotive community!
MikeMD
1100
Jan 7, 2016
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LxJLthrHey LxJLthr, you've given some great suggestions across the various drops. Thanks for keeping everything steered in a positive direction (pun intended ;)). If other Makes were introduced, what would you like to see?
trevorsellers7
4
Jul 16, 2016
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MikeMDMustangs and car accessories (which you already do the accessories part)
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