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      10-21-2007, 03:19 AM   #98
swamp2
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Drives: E92 M3
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: San Diego, CA USA

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Yes and no

Quote:
Originally Posted by ruff View Post
Keto, do you understand BMW's business model? It's like going to the movies. Hit a matinee and avoid the snack bar and the price of a movie is reasonable. Go at prime time, clean out the snack bar, gain 5 pounds, and blow a remarkable large sum of of money for a movie that you figure out the plot line 5 minutes into it. Movie theaters make all their money from the snack bar. BMW, Porsche, Kia make all their money with options. Porsche's business model does not rip you off with their options. Porschephiles rip themselves off by buying unecessary options. Remember, Porsche cars are sports cars. It is Porshephiles who try to turn their sports cars into sport/GTs with comfort options. Porsche is only happy to oblige them. IMO, the ceramic brakes for 8k are a rip off, they save weight but don't improve braking performance that much over the excellent standard brakes. The Porsche stepchild, 60k Cayman S, doesn't need a single option or upgrade to hit the track on a regular baisis. Can the same be said for any U.S. spec M car?
You have it all mostly right until the end. Problems: margins on options or not Porsche has the highest margins in the industry. Their margins are merely fantastic on the base price (meaning bad value for us) and out of this world when you add options.

Futhermore, M cars do not need a single opton to hit the track on a regular basis. Can you name an option on the new M3 "required" or that makes it faster on the track with a skilled driver (other than M-DCT, which is not available yet and Cup+ on 19s - likely only available in EU)?
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