[MAXXFJ]

I guess I just need to vent, but the cost of upgrading the FJ is nuts, with the exception of the 3" lifts out there (I think those prices are real good). Bumpers for 1,000+,a crappy little bar that screws onto the stock bumper that holds 2 light's $300(they call it a "BAJA prerunner" or something. What a load of crap. I wanted to buy a bandi mount for my CB antenna (did not know at the time bandi was a member here) & posted "how do I order one", I got quick reply's from a few guy's telling me bandi no longer makes them himself, & that he let All Pro take over the production. OK good enough, I go to All Pro to order & see $50 for the mount. I'm not cheap but $50, I don't think so. I think I can go to Radio Shack & get a mount & make it work just as good for $10. No disrespect to bandi, I think it's a great product & still want one. I'll bet bandi was making them & letting them go for basicly the cost of shipping, thats what's so great about this forum,everyone helps out the other guy, wish I was onboard when he started, nothing like hand made craftsmanship. But anyway I just can't help but notice how expensive it is to Mod. the FJ. Am I just being a retard? Am I just being a cry baby?:mecryr:soapbox:Sorry to waste your time with this one- just wanted to complain I guess....

 

[Air2air]

Can't understand people who do that modding crap

 

[DominicG]

Someone has to make a buck.

 

[fj6high]

I guess I just need to vent, but the cost of upgrading the FJ is nuts, with the exception of the 3" lifts out there (I think those prices are real good). Bumpers for 1,000+,a crappy little bar that screws onto the stock bumper that holds 2 light's $300(they call it a "BAJA prerunner" or something. What a load of crap. I wanted to buy a bandi mount for my CB antenna (did not know at the time bandi was a member here) & posted "how do I order one", I got quick reply's from a few guy's telling me bandi no longer makes them himself, & that he let All Pro take over the production. OK good enough, I go to All Pro to order & see $50 for the mount. I'm not cheap but $50, I don't think so. I think I can go to Radio Shack & get a mount & make it work just as good for $10. No disrespect to bandi, I think it's a great product & still want one. I'll bet bandi was making them & letting them go for basicly the cost of shipping, thats what's so great about this forum,everyone helps out the other guy, wish I was onboard when he started, nothing like hand made craftsmanship. But anyway I just can't help but notice how expensive it is to Mod. the FJ. Am I just being a retard? Am I just being a cry baby?:mecryr:soapbox:Sorry to waste your time with this one- just wanted to complain I guess....

Face it, Your a whiner!!! If you have the time and all the resources to make your own mods then you can most likely afford to buy them also! I feel the same as you, I just know the cost of doing buisness these days and if we don't make money and a profit we would'nt be in buisness. There's just so many goodies out there I want to get for my rig, It's driving me insane that I don't have enough cash to mod as I want. Well I guess I vented too and just as much a Whiner as everybody else! Chill out have a cold one :cheers: all good things will come in time! of course at a cost$$$$:bigthumb:

 

[Mtbcoach]

If you go back to the early threads of the Bandi Mount, you will find that he was "giving them away" and the reason he decided to sell the design to All-Pro. He simply couldn't keep up with the demand while producing them out of his private shop. If you like the Radio Shack mount, buy it. I like the Bandi Mount and was glad to pay for it, one of the most clever uses for an unusable space I've seen.

Do like he did, get a welder, grinder and some other misc tools and go to town. You can see what the man behind Lucrum has come up with, others have fab'd their own bumpers also. I'm to busy, lazy and lucky enough to have a wife that allows me to spend WAY too much on my rig. If I was younger and had the time, I would love to be able to fab up some of my own "mods" instead of having to fork over the hard earned cash.

But, you can easily get bumpers for less than the prices you are quoting but yes, its an expensive sport. And, even though you get them one, once you get out and "use" them, you will have to repair/replace them as needed...

 

[thugasaur]

do like dominicG and I wait to buy used! and if you want a bandi mount watch the want to sell pages bandis go up for sale more often than not

now that being said if you need help just ask and local guys to you will almost always try to come through and also watch group buys i hope that helps!

 

[MIGZ]

You have to pay to play. If you can't afford the game find a new one.

Nothing related to motor sports is cheap NOTHING I learned this early on and you will NEVER make your money back on mods. Consider all the money you spend on mods as disposable cash. By the time you choose to sell what you have something twice as good has been release and at a cheaper price.

 

[SwiCago]

You have to pay to play. If you can't afford the game find a new one.

x2 .. got to pay the price to be the boss :cheers:

 

[Cashnutz73]

My ATV mechanic told me long time ago that the only thing cheap about motorcycles & ATVs was the owners. That applies to FJs too.

 

[mtrent3450]

My buddy just finished building a set of rock rails for his JK. It took him atleast 12 hours of work plus tube, gas for the welder, and electricity for the welder. They turned out nice but not as nice as my Demello sliders. There is a reason that parts cost as much as they do. The r and d is a big part. I wish parts were cheaper and more readily availible but most of the people making parts are small shops. One plus is the quality. These small shops like Demello, AllPro, and Lucrum really care about the product and customers. When all else fails keep an eye on the for sale section and you can pick up a deal.

 

[MAXXFJ]

OK, OK, I know, Didn't think anyone would even read this stupid post anyway. Just wanted to blow off some steam.I know everyone's got to make a buck some where down the road. I even fired off a PM to Jonb from all-pro. It's morning now & I'm over it. Still don't know if I'll buy or make(most likely buy). I just want the damn CB & Scanner in the FJ. I'm in the process of making an overhead consloe for them out of the Tahoe console.No one makes an overhead console big enough for this kind of stuff,It ain't pretty,but it works fine with both units(CB & Scanner) & also holds the GPS & radar detector.Hmmmmm......I wonder if ALL-PRO would be intrested in looking at my prototype???? Just a thought, Thanks & Sorry to be such a Pu**y....MAXXFJ

 

[1911]

I'll bet bandi was making them & letting them go for basicly the cost of shipping

??? Huh?

Out of curiousity, what do you do for a living? Do you do it for free, without getting paid anything for it?

 

[SKINUM]

I understand exactly what your saying. The prices charged for these products is outrageous considering what is put into them. However, it's all about supply and demand. We just keep demanding even at the high prices. So, it's gonna stay this way.

 

[Ordoman]

IMHO, I don't think there are many prices for mods that are out of line.

They seem expensive to the buyers because they are just buying. There is R&D, cost of materials, labor, in some cases rent, lots of overhead, mouths to feed, ...

The vendors are vendors, they may be nice people, but they are in it to make a living, not to be your friends. There has to be a profit margin.

I tried a couple of business ventures myself, which didn't work out partly because of me, but mostly because people weren't willing to pay the cost they thought was out of line.

There are vendors that are just looking to capitalize on the market and make a quick buck, but they disappear after a while. The ones that hang around generally make quality stuff, which just keeps getting better. They deserve our support if we want quality products.

 

[NCFJ]

As stated above it is pure economics, suppy and demand. But there are other ways to get around it. Buy a welder, buy a couple grinders, a tube bender, the list goes on. I like working with metal so the time I take to make things such as sliders, custom air dam support and light bracket, 2" front receiver is fun forme and saves me money. Bumpers and some armor are in the works.

Bottom line is, you can come here and whine about it, or get off your but and go out in the shop and make something yourself.

 

[mikesfj]

If you think stuff for the FJ is expensive, try upgrading a Porsche 911 (my project car). Just replacement parts alone are spendy. It keeps me out of the bars and away from the casino though.

 

[MIGZ]

The reason the prices are where they are is b/c we pay the asking price. If nobody bought $1500 bumpers then they would bring down the retail price and make less profit.

 

[voodoocrew]

I think every-friking-thing we buy is overpriced, but people do like making money$$$$$$$

 

[Flying Brick]

do like dominicG and I wait to buy used! and if you want a bandi mount watch the want to sell pages bandis go up for sale more often than not

now that being said if you need help just ask and local guys to you will almost always try to come through and also watch group buys i hope that helps!

Buying used is how I got my rock rails and Demello Mounts. Got the rails for $150 and the Demello mounts for $50. Saved a lot of money this way. Plus the rails were just going to get scratched up anyway no need for shiny new ones.
I have noticed though looking through magazines bumpers and light bars for a Jeep or other more common vehicles are much cheaper. I would assume its do to them selling more and for a longer period of time. Hopefully over time there will be many more choices, competition and lower prices.

 

[ksheffield]

Hmm, pay the retail prices for the mods, or spend the money on turning a personal garage into a metal fab shop, draw up the plans, buy the materials, go to my job, get home dog tired, play in the shop, realize I need something else in materials for my home-built mod but the parts place is closed, wait another day, repeat same scenario a handful of times, and a few months later my mod is built. Now onto the installation ...

I'm not trying to knock anyone who fabs their own mods. I'm jealous, I'd love to have that know-how. But for me, I don't have a garage, much less the toolset to install much of what I'd add to my rig in the first place. I think I'll take the time to find the reputable vendors, research exactly what I need, find the best deal I can with the customer service to go with the price, and go from there.

I think there's no such thing as a cheap hobby anymore. My firsts were photography and cycling. Now add the FJ and wheeling too. I have a wish list totaling $25,000, so I'm pretty much dedicating this year to finding freelance work to pay for the things I want.

I don't have the cash to get everything all at once, and I'm not about to rack up massive credit card debt to get them either. With a bone stock rig, I've done more than I ever expected. The mods I want will help me continue on those runs and perhaps do them a little better than before.

Until I can pay for those mods, there are plenty of trails in Northern Nevada that allow me to have fun with the the rig I'm wheeling now.