really?! it cost that much to manufacture a muffler!

[jake wells]

i tired of being ripped by performance parts company's really its that much! just some welded steel with some packing and metal baffles stuffed in them. OH and lets not forget carbs it doesn't cost 300 to make one let alone rebuild one!

im tired of big corps ripping us off on a part that probably cost 30 to make not 100.00.

sorry for my rant

[BruthaMan]

Research and development.

Real Estate - Building(s).

Expensive state of the art machinery.

Advertising.

Product distribution and storage channels.

Cost of materials.

Labor.

Profit margin.

These are all "real world" costs that are factored into a product's cost. As individuals, perhaps not familiar with business, it can be difficult sometimes to imagine costs associated with developing a product. They have to get it right, the first time, and that means a lot of research and development time...costs that add up significantly, that are recovered over the long cycle of a product's life.

Lest we not forget, businesses are in business to make a profit, not break even. Millions can be spent on up front costs, long before the first dollar are made. That's the risk. Profit is the reward for getting it right.

[grinch4om]

parts are not that expensive. I was looking at wheel prices last night, told my wife that a particular wheel I bought new in 1980 was $99, it now is $149 and is still a popular wheel. This is amazing. I paid $100 many times for headers in the 80's, seen prices today?

[MONTEZ]

Originally Posted by grinch4om

parts are not that expensive. I was looking at wheel prices last night, told my wife that a particular wheel I bought new in 1980 was $99, it now is $149 and is still a popular wheel. This is amazing. I paid $100 many times for headers in the 80's, seen prices today?

Yeah but you also have to remember that was 30 years ago. Inflation (or should I say deflation of the dollar) takes it's toll on the price of everything. The dollar is weaker than it has been since the depresion, so naturally it's gonna take more of them to buy the same thing you bought in the 80's. Also you can't forget that minimum wage in the 80's was like $2ish. So now it cost at least $5 an hour more to make that same part.

[N2TRUX]

Two words- "Product Liability" You need to factor in all of the above mentioned costs, then double it due to insurance required for "Product Liability"

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by grinch4om

parts are not that expensive. I was looking at wheel prices last night, told my wife that a particular wheel I bought new in 1980 was $99, it now is $149 and is still a popular wheel. This is amazing. I paid $100 many times for headers in the 80's, seen prices today?

I agree, plus many things are far cheaper than they were 20 years ago. I was just thinking about how much money I spent on a CD player for my Chevelle back in 1990. It cost me $550. The one I just put in my K20 last summer only cost me $130 and it is far better quality & does much more than the old $550 one.

[TeXaS 86 C10]

make your own muffler then

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by TeXaS 86 C10

make your own muffler then

Then multiply how many hours it takes you start to finish by about $75/hour. Shouldn't take too long to weld some steel with some packing and some metal baffles stuffed in them.

[glock35ipsc]

Oh, FWIW, I just installed some great sounding Summit house brand turbo mufflers that were about $28 apiece. I know I cant build them for that!

[Adams74Chevy]

Originally Posted by TeXaS 86 C10

make your own muffler then

My father once told me he and his buddies made a muffler for his Mercury w/ flathead V8 when he was in he Navy back in the '50s. They made the case out of a large spent artillery type shell, I forget the rest of the details...I'll have to pick his brain about that again sometime.

[glock35ipsc]

^^^ That would be a very cool conversation piece!

[cdowns]

Originally Posted by Adams74Chevy

My father once told me he and his buddies made a muffler for his Mercury w/ flathead V8 when he was in he Navy back in the '50s. They made the case out of a large spent artillery type shell, I forget the rest of the details...I'll have to pick his brain about that again sometime.

i saw that done a few times when i was real young// they really made a cool noise due to the brass resonance of the shell casings// i had a few with brass yubing dections

[Hubscrub]

my buddy made a muffler kinda like a flow at work out of stainless, but i would just buy some

[cableguy0]

The only reason to go into business is to make money. Its supply and demand. If nobody wanted it the price would drop. As long as theres a demand a premium price will be had. It costs millions and millions in just equipment to make stuff on a large scale. Plus you gotta pay people to work there then theres the electric bill and the R&D costs. We get stuff pretty cheap considering. Volume is the only way to actually turn a decent profit at this point and time. Said and done the manufacturers make a lot less than you would think. Generally the retailer will make more per unit than the manufacturer does. You gotta pay to play.

[iroc12valve]

you think we have it bad because for $100 you get a polished magnaflow stainless steel muffler that will not rust,will sound great and even add a few ponies,

now lets look at how it is for those with a new car- $215 for a stock replacement that adds nothing performance wise and will rust out again in 3 years

and as far as carbs 300 for a carb is reasonable but 1100 for a dominator is where i draw the line

[mongoose]

Originally Posted by TeXaS 86 C10

make your own muffler then

been there done that..

[sparkydog]

Industrial products typically have at least one layer of distribution between the OEM and the consumer. Retail products (like car parts) probably have at least 2 layers or more of distribution.

I've been in OEM manufacturing my whole life so I know the costs and markups well. The general rule of thumb I use is "cost to make" x3 or x4 = wholesale price.

So if I am looking at the price of something new and I divide by 3 or 4 - depending on the situation - then if that number seems reasonable I feel OK buying it. If the number seems way high then I assume I am getting ripped off and I don't buy it. A $100 or lower price for a muffler seems reasonable (because that means cost to make of $25-ish). Above that doesn't.