$11,500 to add a V8 + Leather

[eleanor5oh]

Is anyone else finding how leather gets lumped into a $4,000 package a bit insulting? I know ford obviously does this on purpose to force more orders, but I am a bit offended really. I know most manufacturers do this and that doesn't make it any less excusable either. What about the people that only want leather and no other options? "Tough luck to them, go spend more money" is the prevailing attitude in today's day and age. You would think by now it would be more like "Give the customer what they want" instead. This thread is just basically my commenting on how manufacturers are going in the opposite direction of 'customizing', or what is best for the customer. Are we really at a point now where adding only leather as an option would be considered "customizing"?

If I order a V6 with no options, take the cloth, MSRP is about $25,420 accordind to the configurator. Now if I just want a base GT with the leather, the GT Premium comes to $36,925. Why such the huge disparity? $11,500 really? Back in the day you could just option a different engine and leather. I don't know what the pricing used to be back in the old days to add these two things, but I bet it wasn't anywhere near 50% of the entire price of the car. If someone runs to numbers this information may be accurate, http://www.1969stang.com/pricelist.html
Going from a base v6 to a Mach 1 v8 was only a 20% upcharge in 1969.

Our big snarly V8 costs us $7,500 and gives us a 40% increase in horsepower for a 30% increase in price. The engine is certaintly brilliant, but it is by no means a value-added proposition. If you want it you are really gonna pay for it. Has Ford really run the numbers and decided that charging these huge margin option price differences is the best move? Especially on their most popular car? It certaintly isn't the best move for the consumer. A bit shocking considering the importance of the car to the company. It is clear that optioning a car is no longer the value-added proposition that it used to be.

Sponsored

 

[Five Oh Brian]

If you just want leather, buy the base model, then have a local vendor add leather. There are several vendors here in the Seattle area that will add leather for about $1000-$1500. Typically, that gets you OEM quality leather and you can even opt for two-tone or custom embroidery.

 

[B Gordon]

Not even sure exactly what your question might be.
You can get a base 6 cylinder and you can get a base Ecoboost and you can get a base GT, none of which have leather.
You can get the Ecoboost or the GT with an optional package which includes leather and a number of other features.

It is the total of all the items and features within the particular option package that costs, not simply the leather.

You seem to have blinders and are focusing on the one item that is of interest to you while ignoring all the other features involved in the package.

 

[eleanor5oh]

You clearly missed the point, which was that you are being forced to pay 4,000 for the package instead of being able to individually select the options you want. Maybe most consumers are really this blinded by simple numbers. This isnt really a question, but a discussion about marketing trends that are bad for us buyers.

I understand you can add anything aftermarket to a car, but this is about what the direct manufacturers are offering consumers.

 

[xlover]

You clearly missed the point, which was that you are being forced to pay 4,000 for the package instead of being able to individually select the options you want. Maybe most consumers are really this blinded by simple numbers.

I understand you can add anything aftermarket to a car, but this is about what the direct manufacturers are offering consumers.

cost of doing business these days packaging options allows for more efficient production, and easier dealer selling which brings down cost to customer.... if you want a la carte options Porsche is pretty much the cheapest brand that still sells like that.

also not sure why your outrage is all of a sudden cars have been trending like this for the last 5-10 years... its not 1969 anymore and its definitely not specific to the mustang or ford. if you want to be outraged you should be mad at consumers for wanting cheaper higher quality vehicles and manufacturers using economies of scale to deliver.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

You clearly missed the point, which was that you are being forced to pay 4,000 for the package instead of being able to individually select the options you want. Maybe most consumers are really this blinded by simple numbers. This isnt really a question, but a discussion about markketjng trends that are bad for us buyers.

I understand you can add anything aftermarket to a car, but this is about what the direct manufacturers are offering consumers.

Prepping a production line for a limited number of possible configurations reduces cost. If you want infinite customization, go to Porsche, where the cost of options can very often exceed the cost of the car.

The Mustang is in no way Ford's "most popular car." Mustang sales are dwarfed by Focus and Fusion sales. The Mustang is a niche vehicle aimed at niche customers. Lower volumes = lower economies of scale = more expensive options.

 

[B Gordon]

cost of doing business these days packaging options allows for more efficient production, and easier dealer selling which brings down cost to customer.... if you want a la carte options Porsche is pretty much the cheapest brand that still sells like that.

also not sure why your outrage is all of a sudden cars have been trending like this for the last 5-10 years... its not 1969 anymore and its definitely not specific to the mustang or ford. if you want to be outraged you should be mad at consumers for wanting cheaper higher quality vehicles and manufacturers using economies of scale to deliver.

Well said.
I was going to say pretty much the same thing but probably would have not said it as clearly.

My personal peeve is with the lack of built in remote garage door opener in the "well equipped" base GT cause I prefer not to need to have several remotes clipped to my visor but I am not peeved enough to be willing to pay the cost difference between a base GT and a premium GT.

 

[WUFSTANG]

You clearly missed the point, which was that you are being forced to pay 4,000 for the package instead of being able to individually select the options you want. Maybe most consumers are really this blinded by simple numbers. This isnt really a question, but a discussion about marketing trends that are bad for us buyers.

I understand you can add anything aftermarket to a car, but this is about what the direct manufacturers are offering consumers.

Maybe you should look into the pricing of a Bugatti Veyron if you want a completely customized vehicle.

 

[FiveLiterDreamer]

Going the custom leather route is actually quiet feasible our dealership even has a specific upholster we use that meets with customers and can have the interior installed before delivery. They also do custom tops for convertibles and car covers.

 

[Fox9350]

Is anyone else finding how leather gets lumped into a $4,000 package a bit insulting? I know ford obviously does this on purpose to force more orders, but I am a bit offended really. I know most manufacturers do this and that doesn't make it any less excusable either. What about the people that only want leather and no other options? "Tough luck to them, go spend more money" is the prevailing attitude in today's day and age. You would think by now it would be more like "Give the customer what they want" instead. This thread is just basically my commenting on how manufacturers are going in the opposite direction of 'customizing', or what is best for the customer. Are we really at a point now where adding only leather as an option would be considered "customizing"?

If I order a V6 with no options, take the cloth, MSRP is about $25,420 accordind to the configurator. Now if I just want a base GT with the leather, the GT Premium comes to $36,925. Why such the huge disparity? $11,500 really? Back in the day you could just option a different engine and leather. I don't know what the pricing used to be back in the old days to add these two things, but I bet it wasn't anywhere near 50% of the entire price of the car. If someone runs to numbers this information may be accurate, http://www.1969stang.com/pricelist.html
Going from a base v6 to a Mach 1 v8 was only a 20% upcharge in 1969.

Our big snarly V8 costs us $7,500 and gives us a 40% increase in horsepower for a 30% increase in price. The engine is certaintly brilliant, but it is by no means a value-added proposition. If you want it you are really gonna pay for it. Has Ford really run the numbers and decided that charging these huge margin option price differences is the best move? Especially on their most popular car? It certaintly isn't the best move for the consumer. A bit shocking considering the importance of the car to the company. It is clear that optioning a car is no longer the value-added proposition that it used to be.

I agree with your frustration on the packages that they've pretty much all moved to (years and years ago). No offense to those who ordered but personally I find the Nav packages laughable (smart phones do a fantastic job with nav)....Usually now though they package NAV with the premium audio system. Many package moonroof's with leather, etc......It's all a game to get you to spend more money.

In a perfect world, a car would be pretty customizable so you could pick most any combination of model level, color, wheels, leather, audio system, moonroof, etc. Not sure we'll see that though as they have gone into a completely different direction meant to package options you don't want with options you do and make you pay for both. And as others have stated it does help reduce costs for the manufacturer and in turn the customer to limit total possible combinations for their assembly line efficiency. It is what it is.

 

[eleanor5oh]

Maybe you should look into the pricing of a Bugatti Veyron if you want a completely customized vehicle.

Quite possibly the dumbest post ever made on the internet, I hope you were being sarcastic. 1. Wanting to option leather should not be considered customizing your car. 2. I would just pay the $4000 for the premium package instead of the $2 million for a veyron. 3. This thread is about forcing people to buy a package to get the one option they want. That has nothing to do with customizing either.

Going the custom leather route is actually quiet feasible our dealership even has a specific upholster we use that meets with customers and can have the interior installed before delivery. They also do custom tops for convertibles and car covers.

Thats great if you dont care about OEM seats or having the car match your VIN/window sticker but I personally wouldnt go that route. Not a bad option for those who wont mind though. I honestly dont see the difficulty in making leather separate. They easily could have and it would not affect their economies of scale. They just chose not to. Obvviously to force more premium sales.

To those buying premium, if it was $1500 for leather and $2500 for all the remaining features premium has, would you still bother paying $2500 for the rest? Ford seems to think you wouldn't, and I'm sure they are correct.

 

[Barrel]

I agree with your frustration on the packages that they've pretty much all moved to. No offense to those who ordered but personally I find the Nav packages laughable (smart phones do a fantastic job with nav)....Usually now though they package NAV with the premium audio system. Many package moonroof's with leather, etc......It's all a game to get you to spend more money.

In a perfect world, a car would be pretty customizable so you could pick most any combination of model level, color, wheels, leather, audio system, moonroof, etc. Not sure we'll see that though as they have gone into a completely different direction meant to package options you don't want with options you do and make you pay for both. It is what it is.

I guess the point is that there are still manuafacturers that still offer that level of customization. The downside is that it takes longer to build cars and generally needs more human input. This leads to higher costs per vehicle; I doubt anyone would like to pay for a $90k Mustang. The reality is it's a game to package things the way the majority would order a car so that you can shave cost off the production and keep the MSRP competitive with other manufacturers.

 

[TruLux]

Maybe you should look into the pricing of a Bugatti Veyron if you want a completely customized vehicle.

You can even ask for sperm whale penis leather for an extra $50k

 

[xlover]

I honestly dont see the difficulty in making leather separate. They easily could have and it would not affect their economies of scale. They just chose not to.

I dont want to be a jerk but you literally just made this up because you want it to be true....

The people at these companies that run the numbers can tell you what it will add to the cost. And there is data that will show most buyers who want leather want those other options as well. if it wasnt the case they wouldnt do it. volume manufacturers have to cater to the majority who would rather save say 1500 and get a pacakage vs the small % who wont buy if they cant get a la carte pricing. as has been mentioned before no manufacturer with pricing below porsche operates this way its not because they all want to screw you its because its more efficient in a competitive environment

I understand your frustration and the desire to vent about it, but why pretend its not true

 

[eleanor5oh]

I dont want to be a jerk but you literally just made this up because you want it to be true....

The people at these companies that run the numbers can tell you what it will add to the cost. And there is data that will show most buyers who want leather want those other options as well. if it wasnt the case they wouldnt do it. volume manufacturers have to cater to the majority who would rather save say 1500 and get a pacakage vs the small % who wont buy if they cant get a la carte pricing. as has been mentioned before no manufacturer with pricing below porsche operates this way its not because they all want to screw you its because its more efficient in a competitive environment

I understand your frustration and the desire to vent about it, but why pretend its not true

I'm not saying you are wrong, simply making observations about market trends. What does changing the interior's cloth to leather have to do with gauge cluster halo lighting, or a 8 inch center LCD screen? Sure it is obviously more efficient to lump everything into one package, but this comes at the expense of the customer's ability to pick options.
I'm simply stating giving a customer options to spec a car is less and less important now compared to previous days.

volume manufacturers have to cater to the majority who would rather save say 1500 and get a pacakage vs the small % who wont buy if they cant get a la carte pricing.

I will disgaree with this, nobody knows if getting a package saves them money, it simply just gives them more things. The profit margin on each added item to the package nobody will ever know. Ford is likely making more margin on these packages, not less.

Sponsored