[MuchMoore]

So essentially what everyone is saying...is that price is more important than fitment, country of origin, brand, or rarity/exclusivity?

[AV9]

Originally Posted by MuchMoore

So essentially what everyone is saying...is that price is more important than fitment, country of origin, brand, or rarity/exclusivity?

perhaps...although fitment is usually not an issue if you've done your research properly...and in the end, you saved a couple hundred, maybe more.

[GregL]

I paid CAD$1000 to buy a painted ACS front lip. Had I waited, or rather known that reps would be on the market soon thereafter I could have saved 75%. Not too long ago I went with a rep M3 trunk spoiler though and to be honest am hard pressed to tell the difference.

[JayKay335i]

The real aftermarket companies charge ridiculous prices for mass produced plastic. Theres no reason to buy real when the reps are high quality.

[E92-Lighting]

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

The real aftermarket companies charge ridiculous prices for mass produced plastic. Theres no reason to buy real when the reps are high quality.

+1

[Spydeputy]

price and some better stuff out there now.

[cn555ic]

After markets are marked up far less than the really shit...Plus these days aftermarket parts are made of quality materials and paint....

[Saintor]

I chose carefully my replicas and I don't have bad experience so far, saving $$$$.

[SV Concepts III]

Originally Posted by MuchMoore

So essentially what everyone is saying...is that price is more important than fitment, country of origin, brand, or rarity/exclusivity?

To some yes, and that's perfectly okay. When we source products, price is not the first consideration. We are after a part that lives up to your expectations in terms of fit, finish and quality. I really think there is something to be said for paying for parts that are authentic and designed for your car.

[MuchMoore]

Originally Posted by Nick@Jlevi SW

To some yes, and that's perfectly okay. When we source products, price is not the first consideration. We are after a part that lives up to your expectations in terms of fit, finish and quality. I really think there is something to be said for paying for parts that are authentic and designed for your car.

Thats kind of what I was thinking, but I guess that is kind of going away with the prevelance of reps and ripoffs.

Interesting stuff, for sure.

[ohaywood]

There is no real reason to buy a real ACS roof spoiler, for example, when you still achieve the same look either way, and unless some ACS nut examines it from up close, nobody can tell that its not authentic. It's stupid to pay heaps of money for something that is meant to improve the look of your car; in the end, no one cares if you're "reppin'" real ACS aftermarket parts. It's not about that.

Of course, this is all assuming that the replicas at least fit right, etc. So, "good" replicas.

[MuchMoore]

So...everyone here would buy the Chinese X5 if we could get them? They look the same, and the fitment is decent...but the price is less.

http://wot.motortrend.com/6303381/au...ban/index.html

[mike-y]

I wouldn't even buy a real X5.

[JayKay335i]

Originally Posted by mike-y

I wouldn't even buy a real X5.

+1



There was a day when aftermarket parts were reasonably priced and everybody had some fun adding a few HP and making their cars look nice. The people selling lips for $1k are assholes in my opinion. Like I said before, its just another mass produced part. There is no reason to charge that much except that they know some people will pay it for the real deal. I dont care who makes my parts. I buy based on quality. Many of the reps are just as good as the real counterparts these days. And hey, look at some of the big name companies, still making parts that fit like crap and making you pay out the nose for them.

[MassBimmer]

Have you been paying attention to the economy?? People are scared for their jobs and aren't about to shell out loads of cash for the "real thing".

[AV9]

Originally Posted by MuchMoore

So...everyone here would buy the Chinese X5 if we could get them? They look the same, and the fitment is decent...but the price is less.

http://wot.motortrend.com/6303381/au...ban/index.html

you can't compare a fake car to a fake lip...

[Psylight]

Take Vorsteiner for example. They are grossly overpriced. Yes I rock some VRS products, 3 to be exact. Dont get me wrong, their products look awesome indeed. But being a first hand customer, I get to see that the fitment is not what they claim to be as "perfection redefined".

[ellipsis212]

Originally Posted by roadkillrob

The real stuff has gotten out of control pricewise, it doesn't cost the manufacturer any more to make it than a product for a Honda, but because it is going on a BMW, they charge 3 times more than if it is going on a Honda.

[tintivilus]

Originally Posted by MuchMoore

So essentially what everyone is saying...is that price is more important than fitment, country of origin, brand, or rarity/exclusivity?

Of course not. What most people are saying is that country of origin, brand, and rarity/exlusivity don't matter at all.

Personally, I don't see any value at all in claimed country of origin. Most of the time it isn't what a brand's marketing would lead you to believe, anyway. Brand doesn't really matter either; seems like they've all had enough misses that you have to evaluate each product individually, so why not investigate cheaper options as well?

As for "rarity/exclusivity"... if somebody's making replicas, the original is no longer rare or exclusive. What difference does it make if your rare/exclusive lip cost you $2K when it looks the same as the $500 one next to you in the parking lot.

When I'm looking for parts I care about two things, in this order:

1) fitment/performance
2) price

If a "knockoff" has comparable quality to the "original" then it's a waste of money not to get it. Capitalism at its finest

[snareman]

I just ordered a set of aftermarket 260 M3 wheels. The OEM ones won't fit non M cars. Also, going along with everyone else - the OEM ones are $5000 and the aftermarket ones are $800. Even if the OEM ones fit, I'm not sure I could justify it.