Option Package dissatisfaction

[the_saint]

Originally Posted by fbodfather

Option packages are a fact of life.

Period.

I don't like it.

You don't like it.

But if you want cars (and trucks) to be reasonably priced, this is how it will be.

We offered over 15 million build combinations in the 1997 model year on a Camaro -- to build less than 75 thousand cars.

The result -- a horrible number of part numbers to build cars that sat on dealer lots (Wait -- this car has power windows and door locks -- why doesn't it have cruise control!!?!?!?!?).....

To get the cost out of the car -- and to simplify build -- and to reduce piece costs --- we have to package things. (you think the Camaro's bad? Go look at how Honda packages their cars!)....


So - you want halo lights but don't want the 20 inch wheels? I think you can find lots of takers for the 20 inch wheels when you decide to put custom wheels on the car -- and if you order 21 inch wheels from GM, the dealer will give you credit for the 20s.........

I understand your frustration -- but I don't ever see any manufacturer getting away from this.

Let me ask you this: Would you be willing to make a decision to increase the base price of the car by over $500 to $1,000 in order to allow everyone to free-flow their options????

well thats a difficult question to answer because I don't know what the price of the car will be. if the base model v8 starts at 32k then my answer is yes i would pay an extra grand to have it my way. if the car is in the high 30's then the answer is no. my biggest problem with the packages is I fear that they may cause the price of the car to go up too high.

but at the end of the day I really don't care what packages gm sells with the car as long as I get a SS with 6spd for a great price I'm happy.


on a side note, if the SS comes with 20inch stock does that mean if someone buys the rs package will he or she be getting a different design 20inch rim on the SS.

[chadrcr]

[quote=fbodfather;98818]Option packages are a fact of life.

Period.

I don't like it.

You don't like it.

But if you want cars (and trucks) to be reasonably priced, this is how it will be.

We offered over 15 million build combinations in the 1997 model year on a Camaro -- to build less than 75 thousand cars.

The result -- a horrible number of part numbers to build cars that sat on dealer lots (Wait -- this car has power windows and door locks -- why doesn't it have cruise control!!?!?!?!?).....

To get the cost out of the car -- and to simplify build -- and to reduce piece costs --- we have to package things. (you think the Camaro's bad? Go look at how Honda packages their cars!)....


So - you want halo lights but don't want the 20 inch wheels? I think you can find lots of takers for the 20 inch wheels when you decide to put custom wheels on the car -- and if you order 21 inch wheels from GM, the dealer will give you credit for the 20s.........

I understand your frustration -- but I don't ever see any manufacturer getting away from this.

Let me ask you this: Would you be willing to make a decision to increase the base price of the car by over $500 to $1,000 in order to allow everyone to free-flow their options????[/quote]

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I would absolutely pay $500 more to be able to order exactly what I want... $1000??? IF that is 1k over the base mustang price? YES!
I agree with packaging, for the cars that are not customer orders...

[fastball]

Originally Posted by fbodfather

Option packages are a fact of life.

Period.

I don't like it.

You don't like it.

But if you want cars (and trucks) to be reasonably priced, this is how it will be.

We offered over 15 million build combinations in the 1997 model year on a Camaro -- to build less than 75 thousand cars.

The result -- a horrible number of part numbers to build cars that sat on dealer lots (Wait -- this car has power windows and door locks -- why doesn't it have cruise control!!?!?!?!?).....

To get the cost out of the car -- and to simplify build -- and to reduce piece costs --- we have to package things. (you think the Camaro's bad? Go look at how Honda packages their cars!)....


So - you want halo lights but don't want the 20 inch wheels? I think you can find lots of takers for the 20 inch wheels when you decide to put custom wheels on the car -- and if you order 21 inch wheels from GM, the dealer will give you credit for the 20s.........

I understand your frustration -- but I don't ever see any manufacturer getting away from this.

Let me ask you this: Would you be willing to make a decision to increase the base price of the car by over $500 to $1,000 in order to allow everyone to free-flow their options????

This is a simple idea that helps production costs as well as helps increase quality.....

It enables many components to be pre-fabricated prior to assembly, and ensures the details of all the components are done right. If you have every car coming down the line built slightly different, I just seem to have this picture of a scene from "Gung Ho" in my head where everyone is fighting to hit their production goal, the cars are going by too fast, and some parts (like the engine) are omitted

A few simple, easy to order option packages makes sense.

[playhard67]

Originally Posted by brantley847

If I were going to buy a silverado or tahoe then no I would not be willing to give away that 1k because (its just another ride)

I know I am preaching to the choir when I tell you this, but I may be willing to do that with THIS car....I am also fully aware that I(we) are in the minority in this. If GM does sell 100,000 next year...maybe only 5k-10k are enthusiasts, and you guys have to make a living right? My fear in all this is the SS/RS package might be out of reach, and thats a tough one to swallow. I grew up around this car, each generation has been in my family, but I have never had my hands on one...the SS has the performance I want and the RS package offers all the beauty I want..haha so it is a perfect match if I can afford it. I am an ethusiast, but I also don't make 6 digits a year.

I know in a perfect world you would be able to facilitate people who live and breathe camaro, and it is a business. I guess this is an outlet for us to vent, hah..don't take this by any means as my way of being disappointed in this product. This vehicle DROPS jaws just from video and pictures, I can't even imagine how I will feel when I see it in person or actually sit behind the wheel.

The HUD not being available till December does suck though...again with that said, you guys did a GREAT job.

Most of us on this board would pay the extra $500-$1000. But, as Brantley847 points out, we are in the minority. GM needs to sell this car to the masses and to do that, and keep the costs down, they have to pre-package.

I believe the Toyota Prius has four different optioned vehicles and that's it. No chance to add other options. I know the Prius is not the Camaro, but...

[fastball]

Originally Posted by playhard67

I believe the Toyota Prius has four different optioned vehicles and that's it. No chance to add other options. I know the Prius is not the Camaro, but...

Scott mentioned the Honda Accord:

You have LX, EX, EX-Leather

THAT'S IT! Of course, you can also choose sedan or coupe, your choice of 2 4 cylinder engines or a V6, and whether you want stick or automatic.

But as far as options go, there ARE NONE! You choose your trim level, and what comes in that trim is what you get - nothing more, nothing less. There are a few dealer installed accessories available, like maybe fog lamps or mud flaps, but stuff like CD changer, power seats, cruise, etc. is contingent only upon which trim you get, and you cannot add or delete features on any trim level.

A Honda window sticker does not have a factory "option list".

[EllwynX]

Originally Posted by fbodfather

and if you order 21 inch wheels from GM, the dealer will give you credit for the 20s.........

This is good to know. I never understood why sometimes when you add larger wheels it seems like the price doesn't account for the fact that you only need to pay for the difference between the standard and optional ones. Thanks for letting us know that. I may consider 21's now if the price is right.

Originally Posted by fbodfather

Let me ask you this: Would you be willing to make a decision to increase the base price of the car by over $500 to $1,000 in order to allow everyone to free-flow their options????

Well, if you tell me that base price, I'd gladly answer this question.


Hey, I can wish.

[mxkx250]

the last new vehicle I bought was a 2000 S10 ZR2. It had about 3 major option groups. But with package discounts they were much cheaper than al la carte ordering. I like all the goodies as much as the next person and would have ordered as many as I would be able to afford. Point I am trying to make is I got a fully loaded truck for about half or less then the options would have been added up one at a time.

[mxkx250]

Originally Posted by fbodfather
and if you order 21 inch wheels from GM, the dealer will give you credit for the 20s.........

Why would he do that since I will be taking those babies home with me to put in the corner of my garage. LOL. I have at least one extra set of wheels for each of my 4 cars.
Anyway if the dealer 21's are as hideous as the ones in the teaser performance parts spyshots from earlier this year. I'll keep the 20's. As long as they look like the concept wheels.

[gunslinger]

I am in awe. Our beloved Camaro is back and now all people are talking about is the options on the car...

I know they are important, but it has only been 3 days since the reveal and it sounds like there are a lot of unhappy people.

I think once we ALL see it in person, we are going to change our minds about minor things such as content packages...

One only needs to look at the 4th Gen Camaro following to know how big the aftermarket is going to be and how awesome the new Camaro will be.

I, for one, don't care about my HUD or HIDs while my LS3 is revving towards redline. All I care about is that next shift...

[fastball]

I went back to the window sticker of my Grandfather's 1985 Cadillac Eldorado to see all the options - and I mean, this car has just about everything you could get on a Cadillac in 1985, including 2 way memory driver's seat. I remember when he bought the car, he ordered it and it took a few months to get, but he took possession in Sept. of 1985. Here's what I found:

The only "package" was the lighting package, which consisted of delay entry and rear map lights.

Everything was listed as a sepparate option: Cruise, power reclining seats, two way memory, cassette radio with eq, rear defrost, digital instrument cluster, leather wrapped steering wheel, power mirrors.

He had his pick of each and every feature individually. Based on that, I calculated there were 16,777,216 different ways to build a Cadillac Eldorado in 1985.

And I am sure there were a few things he could have had even on top of that that would have expanded that number even moreso exponentially.

If you ask me, that is an asbolutely dizzying array of combinations to keep track of for inventory and assembly. And, since there were nowhere near 16 million Eldorados sold in 1985, it's obvious not all of the combinations were built.

Just staggering. So, I do have to agree with Scott on this.

[ROE]

need hud

[Hylton]

Originally Posted by gunslinger

I am in awe. Our beloved Camaro is back and now all people are talking about is the options on the car...

I know they are important, but it has only been 3 days since the reveal and it sounds like there are a lot of unhappy people.

I think once we ALL see it in person, we are going to change our minds about minor things such as content packages...

One only needs to look at the 4th Gen Camaro following to know how big the aftermarket is going to be and how awesome the new Camaro will be.

I, for one, don't care about my HUD or HIDs while my LS3 is revving towards redline. All I care about is that next shift...

People are just passionate about the car. By design, sports coupes are very personal. People want the Camaro to be a reflection of themselves to a certain degree and as a result, you get guys commenting on things they do not like. But so what? It's only someone expressing their view. You mentioned that you do not care about HUD but for others it might be a deal breaker. It's just opinion and preference. I don't mind someone not liking something which I love about the car because people have different taste and beliefs as to what a Camaro should be. Don't take the negative talk personally.

Hondas or Toyotas are a different animal. For the most part, those cars are utilitarian - I need a reliable car to take me from point A to point B. Who cares if the vehicle is bland looking. Just like the Honda commercial when the guy sits in the race car and looks at the Accord and says "does it come in blue?" That's pretty much the biggest decision you'll make.

[pinkcamaro10]

Originally Posted by ROE

need hud

then wait til december

[Captain Awesome]

Originally Posted by pinkcamaro10

then wait til december

Why? Why not something more reasonable, like JUNE?

Many of us don't want to / aren't able to drive our Camaros December thru May. That means if we want a HUD we can wait until 12/2009 and then buy a car we can't drive for 5 more months.

By the time I would be able to enjoy my 2010 Camaro (5/2010), it would be almost END OF MODEL YEAR for 2010 Camaro. I know a lot of enthusiasts here think like me and would then have to wait until the 2011 was out. That would be TWO MORE YEARS WAITING!!!!

What kind of logic is it to announce future options 18 months in advance of their availability?

By the way, does ANYONE here care about "parking assist"? I'm sure about 50 times more people want HUD. Why not push that option off a few years and get the HUD on the fast track?