Price vs. Performance: What do you choose?

I am a firm believer in 'you get what you pay for'. As such, I try to maximize quality by moving up the market.

I, personally, am an 'upper-middle' kind of guy. I believe the most value is in the top half of any market in terms of product quality and relative 'value'. I will never buy the cheapest and I will never buy the most expensive of anything.

I start at the middle and move up from there till I find the product that offers the best quality 'value'.

funny how so many people chose "quality" yet all we ever hear about around here is "price".

A_Bowers said:

Here is a wrench to toss in the gears.....Ferrari more expensive right.......they have also been lighting themselves on fire and burning to the ground like nobodys business.

More expensive doesnt always mean better.

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Quality and Reliability are NOT the same.

Reliability, at most, is just one of many components that make up a products Total Quality. This is the very reason VW has been rated Highest Total Quality for 3 years running...

http://rumors.automobilemag.com/vol...olet-volt-ranked-top-mid-size-car-165983.html

'Best' is relative. Ferrari makes some of the 'best' cars in the World, even though a Scion tC is more reliable...

For me, best = total quality. All encompassing. And quality = 'niceness'. When you say something is 'nice' that is usually a testament to its total or overall quality.

That is a NICE watch.
That is a NICE computer.
That is a NICE TV.
That is NICE shirt.
That is a NICE stereo.
Those are NICE shoes.

None of those have to do with reliability/durability but how 'quality' the product is.

For some reason this concept is lost on most people when it comes to cars. No other consumer product in the consumer market is more evaluated in terms of totality or total/overall quality based solely on reliability than with cars.

2013R said:

funny how so many people chose "quality" yet all we ever hear about around here is "price".

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Many people in any market segment will try to maximize quality for a given price point.

There are still some people who just want the cheapest of things though. Which I can't even understand.

2013R said:

funny how so many people chose "quality" yet all we ever hear about around here is "price".

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Buying the most expensive does not mean quality. Look at monster cable. A digital cable is a digital cable.

While I haven't bought anything for my GTI yet, I know from my past cars that I'm willing to pay a little more for a product based on the quality/performance of the part vs. an ebay one. I guess you could consider me a brand snob in that sense, but I know the "big name" has spent the money on the R&D to make a solid product.

C4L said:

Many people in any market segment will try to maximize quality for a given price point.

There are still some people who just want the cheapest of things though. Which I can't even understand.

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True. I always hear crap about my summer wheels and exhuast and yet most PM's I get are about them lol

C4L said:

Many people in any market segment will try to maximize quality for a given price point.

There are still some people who just want the cheapest of things though. Which I can't even understand.

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This right here is about the best answer I have seen.

Well put Sir

Muskie said:

Buying the most expensive does not mean quality. Look at monster cable. A digital cable is a digital cable.

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It could provide intrinsic value as well. Buying from a name brand could provide brand quality and the equity that brand has.

In the end you are always getting something, whether tangible or intangible. If that difference isn't worth it to you, then that is fine. But that doesn't mean that difference isn't there.

This is specifically how goods are priced in the consumer marketplace. If the consumer saw no value in the more expensive product, they wouldn't buy it, and the product wouldn't exist. The market, in the end, determines the price of goods.

I can promise you there are more people buying $20 Monster Cable optical audio cables from Best Buy than there are people buying $5 toslink cables from Monoprice.

i mostly buy Monster cable. that doesnt mean i walk into Best Buy to buy it. I find it online and pay half price. Probably, the same price the cheaper cables would be at Best Buy...

I would never compromise quality if something were cheaper. If I had a limited budget now and couldn't afford a quality part, I'd rather wait to come up with that money than buy a worse part now. In reality, you get what you payed for.

A sad part about this is like was said earlier, belittlement because you own and/or like a different brand than I do is rampant. Not just in this forum (though this place is extremely judgmental and harsh) but everywhere. Another issue that brand x may have been bad in the past, but has made great strides to become better, and has done so, but no one will forgive their past blunders. Why? I gave VW another chance after owning one that was a lemon, and honestly it has not been all hearts and rainbows.

We all strive for the perfect blend of affordability compromised with performance, in any product. I'm always willing to pay more for quality, but only if it is backed up with consumer reviews. Like Tommy Boy said, I can shit in a box, slap a guarantee on it and sell it. You think the guarantee fairy will come down and make you feel all cozy, but you're still left with a guaranteed piece of shit. Consumer reviews make that piece of shit into diamonds. We all want a guaranteed diamond. R&D certainly can help.

Does top level matter? Not at all. Some features, while 'nice to have' aren't necessary and come with other products, such as nav. For me, why spend around a grand for something that my phone does for free? I don't buy things to impress people. I buy more for functionality. If I did want to impress people, I would not be driving a GTI. Outside of this forum, it is not viewed as the best car ever made.

Also, I don't care what the name on the product is, as long as it performs as expected and didn't break the bank. I will stick with one brand so long as its good, but have no issue with having different brands of same product in my household/vehicle. When it doesn't perform as expected, then I care what the name is. As consumers, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

A_Bowers said:

Not to derail the thread, but I don't need a car to get laid .

They do look good when they aren't engulfed in flames.

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C4L said:

I am a firm believer in 'you get what you pay for'. As such, I try to maximize quality by moving up the market.

I start at the middle and move up from there till I find the product that offers the best quality 'value'.

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Well said.

Expensive Materials =/= Quality. Its a fake image OEMs want you to believe.

I've seen a torn apart Ferrari, terrible terrible quality, amazing materials.

Furthermore, I think this discussion is great. I'm glad to see people understand the TRUE definition of quality.