A post by Cardew on small automatics, in which it's suggested that a £1,000 or so premium for an autobox is too steep, reminds me that the typical £1,000 or more for a leather interior is the same.
I once heard a guy who?d previously been a big-cheese in the motor industry say that the leather interior is a rip-off at the sort of money charged. He said go down to your local furniture supermarket and you'll see that leather sofas etc cost pretty much the same as those finished in fabric.
OK, it might cost the factory some more to match up a different interior with the intended bodyshell, but not that much. And anyway, they seem to manage it OK with paint.
So why do punters keep on paying over the top for leather? Is it because they are mainly company car drivers for whom the extra cost is not felt directly?
In fact the same ex-motor exec said that metallic paint cost less to process than non-metallic. I find that a tad hard to believe but maybe it?s so. And really, most of the options list ? like the £100 armrest ? is a rip-off, whereby option choosers subsidise their fellow buyers.
But if the market will bear it, why not? But then would the market be the same if people knew how much they were being fleeced?
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It doesn't matter what something costs, its what somebody will pay for it.
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And really, most of the options list ? like the £100 armrest ? is a rip-off, whereby option choosers subsidise their fellow buyers.
And contribute handsomely to shareholders' financial wellbeing, of course.
In the same vein, does it cost twice as much to build a top-of-range Mondeo than a Fiesta? Or four times as much to build a well specced BMW 5 than a Fiesta? I don't think so. I presume that volume sellers generate less £ profit per unit than more niche products.
Or what used to be more niche products. That'll leave BMW (3 Series outsells Mondeo) looking pretty profitable then...
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2003 Profits/Loss
BMW + 1.9 bn Euros
Ford - 899m Euros
GM - 233m Euros
VW + 1.1bn Euros.
= Some very happy BMW shareholders - also some happy owners. Guess they may be ugly but something must be right.
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What is the advantage of leather over fabric, other than appearance - easier cleaning?
A snag certainly is that when one has to sit on leather - especially black - which has been in the sun too long one can very much wish it had been cloth!
Another is that when a right hander is taken smartly there can be a disconcerting tendency for the pilot to head for the passengers side.
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Leather doesn't get hot in a modern car, like in an old one, especially the more popular cream, biscuit and frey leathers, with heat reflective glass, and efficient aircon it's no problem in the UK, I find mine no more slippery tha cloth, due to the shape of the seats. I do think they're harder to keep looking new though, and you have to worry about them more when carrying unusual objects on the seats.
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We made a big mistake in choosing leather for our seating in the salon/comedor. Too hot and sticky in summer, (needs cloth throws to stop us sticking to it), and too cold in winter - even on the Costa del Sol- needing cloth throws to stop us freezing our butts on it!
Thank goodness our car has cloth seats!
Roger.
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This thread needed reviving IMO from its premature vegetative state. There must be some more views on what must be one of the biggest cons to suck in the car-buying public!
Come on, guys. I want you to help mobilise popular opinion so that punters boycott leather. That way we'll as to bring the price of leather down, and then I can have it for about £250 (which is probably still too expensive).
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One point in favour of paying for extras is that the car may be more sellable later. May get little more for it than a bog-standard, but at least some punters may be tempted. Doesn't make it feel better to start with though.
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Biggest rip off I've come across is £250 extra for a rear wash wipe on a C5. When I bought a 2.2HDi SX I was quite horrified to see it on the options list - surely a car with a list price in excess of £17k should come with one as standard, and even then £250 for an electric motor and a wiper arm must offer a huge profit.
A nice leather interior is worth paying for IMO, but a good quality velour is far preferable to a cheap leather.
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As a non-meat eater, I'm biased anyway, so wouldn't want it.
Some of the leather must be VERY low grade, in cars. Look at the appearence of that fitted to a PT Cruiser.(& plenty others) After only a few '000 miles - compared to the cloth,it's worn so badly, you would want a price reduction for having to sit on dead animal skins!!
VB
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You are quite right Vansboy, uUnless the leather fitted is of a good quality then it seems to look pretty naff quite quickly. The Honda leather interior seems to wear ok, but I think that no leather interior wears as well as cloth.
Blue
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I've never had a problem with leather as such and I don't mind paying for it. I've had cloth and velour and found the upkeep too much effort to clean it. I like the fact that leather 'patina' is actually a good thing, nice word that for wear.
As for rip-offs. It's CD-autochangers that get me and also single CD players. Charging around £300 upwards for these is a real rip off.
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"The Honda leather interior seems to wear ok"
I must keep an eye out for those Honda cows!!.
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Another is that when a right hander is taken smartly there can be a disconcerting tendency for the pilot to head for the passengers side.
You\'ll be needing sports seats then, oh hang on that\'s another ridiculously expensive option...
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Of course, in the (good) old days it was only the chauffeur who sat on leather. Those behind the division sat on Bedford cloth.
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I prefer suede or alcantara seats - mine have 140,000 miles on them and still look great!
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Just got my first leather interior and I like it. Lots.
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I've recently got my second car with leather upholstery - Honda Accord Exec. It looks lovely, and I think it's much better than cloth trim.
My first car with leather was an Austin A60 Cambridge. I bought this secondhand a few years after leaving university. The leather was blue and had certainly worn well. It was soft and comfortable.
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