Now that I've gotten deeper into the Maxima market, I'm starting to notice a few things that bother me and make me question the wisdom of sinking so much money into producing products for Maximas. I'm not pointing fingers at anyone in particular. I've talked to some other vendors who deal with Maximas and they all share my concerns so at least I'm not alone. Here's what's been getting to me lately.

1.) People here seem to feel that a Maxima is the end all of quality cars, it's so much better than a Civic, etc. That since the Maxima costs more, and it's a near luxury car that it's in a higher class. This is all true. But why is it that when it comes time to modify the car, so many people cheap out?

For example, Custommaxima sells my dash kits for ~$170. Did you know that retail on those kits is $300. My price to my other dealers is $165 so basically you guys buy it for wholesale price. And yet people complain that his prices are too high and that JT has lower prices. If you guys knew anything about dash kits, you'd know that the kits JT sells are of a lower quality and they are cheaper to make. Did you know that JT actually approached my friend who manufacturers the kits I sell about supplying them? Hmm, why is that? Maybe because the quality just isnt' there with their supplier. I know who their supplier is, and everyone in the industry knows about their issues. I've sold so many replacement pieces to people who bought the JT kit because the fit and finish on their kits is not so good.

If you want quality, you have to pay for it. It's that simple. The only reason you guys even get my kit for the price is because Greg is a friend of mine and because he buys so many at once. If you knew how little I make on the kits, you'd be surprised. We're both just trying to help you guys out and yet all we do is get complaints. At times, I've sold the kits at my cost to Greg and made no money at all for the time I put into it. And yet people don't seem to appreciate this fact. All they want is the cheapest price.

I sell dash kits all day long to Civic/Integra/Accord/Eclipse owners all day long at full price. They don't seem to mind paying for quality, why do Maxima owners seem to not want to? You're the ones driving "near luxury" cars, they're driving econo cars.

2.) People emailing me asking for price breaks on the body kits/fenders I'm getting produced. I will price them accordingly. I'm not here to scam people, nor am I a charity. I will price them at what I need to in order to be profitable and no amount of complaining is going to change that. Funny thing is the people who email me wanting me to sell the kits for $400 are the exact same people who will never be able to buy one. If you guys want me to produce a nice kit with exceptional quality, then it's going to cost a little more than if I were to just crank them out like Sarona does. My price is actually going to be lower than theirs and yet people want it to be even cheaper.

I'm bothered because I worry that these people are going to drive down the prices of the product so it's no longer profitable. I've invested a lot of time and money into this market and I would hate to take a loss for trying to support you guys. It boils down to this. If you want companies to produce quality products for Maximas, it's not going to be cheap. Quality costs money. So either be willing to pay for it, or live with crappy parts. It's that simple. It's impossible to produce a part that costs half as much as another company's and has the same quality.

I can produce dash kits for less than what they cost now, but the quality will be terrible. All I have to do is tell the maker to crank up the speed on the machine, and voila, instant 30% discount on all kits. But they're going to be crappy. Same deal with body kits. I can sell you guys a kit for $400 just like the Honda guys get. But it's going to be paper thin and fit like crap. If that's what you guys want, no problem. Otherwise, stop complaining about the price.

 

Since it is somewhat on topic. Do you have brushed aluminum dash kits for 5th gen (2k1) 5spds?

 

Yes, we do. Email me at sales@ap-signworks.com if interested. Thanks.

 

People who buy maximas are people who dont want to spend alot of money on a quality product. I meen thats what a maxima is right.. A cheaper quality product. If maxima people weren't cheap, they would have bought either an infiniti or a BMW or an Acura or whatever. That explains the cheapness of maxima people.

 

I don't know Shadow but that was pretty well said.

 

my question to people is if you care so much for your car and you pay good money for it why not pay the good money on the part.. ?

BY NO MEANS am i suggesting buying all stillen or cattman or whomever else, i am just saying do research on the product you want to buy, and if the cheap price is of same quality of the expensive one pay the cheaper..

It's like getting a B-pipe made at a muffler shop.. It may be in stainless steel, but it wont be madrel bent and therefore wont perform like that of stillen or courtesy nissan.. SO WHY SKIMP OUT??

i used to be like a lot of people on this org and buy whatever was cheapest.. and i came to a realization awhile back its not worth it.. no i do my research.

This is why i spent $1800.00 on rims and tires instead of $1200.00 on knockoffs that will eventually crack.
This is why i spent $1800.00 on a fast bag kit from southwest autoworks and not $1100.00 for a cheap fast bag kit that will not handle day to day driving conditions or time..
This is why i spent about 4g's to have my stereo redone, so that i can have the quality and not have to replace fuses or have blown channels like i had on old amps.

and we all owe greg and jeff (custommaxima and shadow respectively) a great thanks for all that they have done for us. it's about time we give something back, even if it is a simple phone call saying "thanks for you time and hard work, the dash kit (example) worked out great!!".. yeah they may not call or email back, but i am sure they would care!

 

Shadow, good point!
I don't have a lot of cash, but I don't believe in going cheap either.

To thebigsadler: Wish I had your kind of loot!

 

Shadow, i agree with you completelly. If i were not unemployeed right now, i would order some stuff from you which are on my list.

However i would make some suggestion for you. Make 2 kits, one excellent quality and priced accordingly, another kit which is much lower quality and priced accordingly too. So people will have 2 choices: buy crap for cheap, or buy quality for higher price? Doesn't it sound right to you? thats what we covered it in mye conomics class, on how to survive in tight competitions, where you make same product but diff quality to satisfy 2 markets: cheap and expensive

 

wouldn't that bring the integrity of his business down. if people want a crappy cheap kit let them go elsewhere.

 

as i stated before, shadow could have 2 options showed to buyer with full disclosure which one is hi quality and which is not, and they would be priced accordingly. So buyer will have a full understanding what he will be getting for his $$$$.

isn't it easy and clear? i am sure it will not damage shadow integrity as long he gives buyer option to pick either crap or quality.

 

The problem with that idea is that people will always buy the cheap stuff and then complain about the quality. There's no way around morons like that. I am considering something similar to it though, but in a way where my name doesn't get dragged down. I want to be known as a quality company, not a crappy one. And no matter how much I try to warn people, there will always be those who associate me with a bad product if i sell it.

 

This is why I will never try to sell maxima products on here. Everyone is a stickler. And Greg selling everything at cost doesn't help either.

 

I think you summed it up pretty well Jeff....now get working on those dash kits for 3rd gens

 

i agree with you shadow...

i have two parts from my kit i have to replace..that was my fault though... and i have the fake carbon fiber not the real stuff.. i should have spent the extra money and bought it off of you instead off of ebay

 

i used to go cheepie when i bought stuff and i paid for what i got, stuff Kinda fit, rattled, blew out, blah. Now that i have my new car and i've learned everything will be the highest quality stuff i can find for a reasonable price and make sure the car is perfect. my 6-spd is my new baby and i'm NOT gonna franken car this one.

 

Good points. I think many of us here on the board have noticed that a lot of people are cheap. Or, they just want to see what they can get for nothing. I don't think that these people would try to ask for such a low price if they went to a retail store in person. So, they do it here and hide behind a keyboard. I try to buy quality, name brand products. And while I might be paying more up front, I am also buying piece of mind, r&d and ultimately quality. But, we have to remember that a lot of the people on this board are in high school or in college and not in the working world where they have the means to fund their Maxima upgrades. So with that said I can somewhat understand why many are so cheap, almost to the point of trying to rip sellers off. It isn't fair to sellers or vendors but that shouldn't be a representitive of the whole here on the board. I think some will read what you have written and have a greater appreciation for what you provide to our community, I know I do. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing you around the A-T-L.

Eric.

 

i am in college and i just spent $7000.00 on the car..no job

 

Very well said.

 

Don't let a coupla bad seeds ruin the growth of your maxima project. I've stopped all plans for my bodykit and impatiently await your new developments. It sure beats the route of getting my friends shop custom a kit with the quality I expect and alot less expensive. I purchased your diamond plate mats - I'm in Canada and it came out to almost $300 canadian after border fee's. I love them and love hearing compliments about them. Think they're worth every dollar, you don't hear me complaining. So to all the people complaining - at least wait till the you see the finish product before asking for cheaper prices.

 

Very well said.

But the truth here is, I think most people pick price. I mean how many people have tried to get group deals on things just to save a few dollars, but then you have to wait twice as long?

How many people here have a non-mandrel bent Y-pipe even though they know that it's not as good as a mandrel bent Y-pipe?

There are those that want a quality product and are willing to pay, and then there are those that just want something that works.