Originally Posted by LantanaTX
Your desired color combo is rare and often will cost more if you can even find it. As far as the first two protypes not getting much of a break at $300 you failed to consider that these two guys are not paying for installation, testing and dyno time. Nor is anyone paying for Corky to fly to El Paso to meet DJ and bring the car back to San Antonio.
Just to be clear everyone. Two prototypes with full dyno results information will be available to you before you have paid anything other than the deposit. Someone also stated Kleemann as a cost. There is no cost from Kleemann. Kleemann is simply there to consult with Corky with helpful information that is specific to the Mercedes engine.
Corky went into this with a goal of trying to produce a kit for around $3500. He has now committed to $3600 so I would say he did came pretty darn close. Someone else might have hit the mark by cutting corners but Corky does not cut corners and is proud of what he produces. I dare anyone to find someone who Corky has cheated after all these years in business. I have not met a smarter or nicer person in the automotive industry. He has been willing to spend more time on the phone with me than I ever expect. Ask him a question and be prepared for the most complete and thorough answer you have ever received from anyone.
Bottom line here is that the only problem I see here is that he came in a $100 dollars over the target price. Should this be the deal killer? Corky said he is flexible and will work with each of you individually if needed to make the timing work for you. I also think that if you want to make sure of a price that won't go up, I would highly encourage everyone to be part of the first 10-12. He has stated that he intends for the kits to be available in the future as orders come in. However, there will be no availability for anyone if we can't get the first batch done.
While it's true that the Limited I was in the hunt for was a rare bird, the prices of ALL Limiteds have increased. To wit, insurance gave me $3,000 more for my car (with no additional credit for mods) than I paid for it
two years ago, based simply on average market price. That puts it squarely in the SRT range. But I digress.
I don't think anyone has beef with Corky making a profit. If he charged $4K per kit, that's $6K less than the Kleemann kit that is obsolete, so it's still a bargain. I think the bulk of the alarm came from needing so much $$$ so fast, from ALL parties. Not hard to connect the dots on the list of "demands" from BEGi -- All kits must be 60% prepaid. All kits are started at once. No kits are started till all deposits are received.
I feel that BEGi's accountants are speaking through Corky, as the demands don't sound like they came from the guy that I have spent hours on the phone with. I have a great deal of respect for Corky, and I believe in this project. Furthermore, there is no better pool of talent to be wading in than the ones you guys are already in. If anyone can get this off the ground, it's Corky.
That being said, I stand by my initial beliefs that it's not the target MSRP that has everyone up in arms, but rather the timeframe in which it's due and the conditions that must be met prior to the project even starting. My loyalty to the members on this forum caused my rant... Perhaps instead of the pep-rally for mass funding that would put many members in a financial bind, there needs to be a revision in the terms? Just a thought. Again, I'm no salesman, I'm a tech agent in my day job.
I completely removed my post from last night, so as not to color the debate. I sincerely wish you all the best of luck in getting this worked out on terms that satisfy all parties.
Happy boosting,