Is it me or is everything MTB becoming ridiculously expensive!!!

[smtkelly]

The 911 might have whistles the cayman isnt spec'd with but the foundations are the same. Maybe a fairer example is the cost of the coloured seat belts on the same model.

I was into my porsches owned 4 of them its why I used the example. I met people at People Manthey (I had beers with Olaf once), Porsche club rat for a while and the historic rally guys at Tuthill. After a while you start to see the hype from the value. Bore out a cayman engine to 911 CC, pop in an LSD you get a comparable GT3 speeds on track at a better price point. It's been true for years with the 944's etc from the club racing.

 

[RustyMTB]

You also get an engine in the right place.?

That's pricing as part of the marketing mix, as any 1st year business undergraduate would tell you. You can use pricing along with other bells & whistles to raise the desirability of anything. It's been pointed out on here a few times, a Fiat 500 does the same thing as a Porsche 911 but the multiples the 911 costs over the Fiat isn't all about the engineering that goes into it, far from it.

 

[CjP]

isnt the boxster the entry level?
I know I’d rather have a cayman either way...

The Boxster is not a real Porsche. It’s more VAG than Porsche. It’s the Audi TTs ugly fraternal twin sister.

 

[jbrown15]

I come from the Motocross world, my 12 year son races so I'm use to doing top end rebuilds at 20-25hrs. New clutches around the same time, zero warranties because they are competition close course race bikes. Rebuilding complete motors around 50hrs with new cranks, tires, sprockets and chains. The list goes on and on, not to mention one or two new bikes a year.....lol

So for me ebikes feel like a cheap fun hobby.....lol

 

[RustyMTB]

The Boxster is not a real Porsche. It’s more VAG than Porsche. It’s the Audi TTs ugly fraternal twin sister.

Something I learned owning a Cayman, a LOT of common parts, sensors, thermostats, senders etc. bolted on under the skin can be had at about half the cost/Porsche tax by looking up parts in the Skoda catalogue & phoning your local Fabia dealer.

'I'd like a vacuum line please'
'Sure, can I have the registration please?'
'Um..., it's a Cayman'
'Right, we get that a lot, sir.'

Regrettably, MTB's by comparison are a bit of a non starter by comparison with more or less a small handful of big suppliers for everything expensive you'll find on your bikes.

 

[R120]

Problem with cars is that out in the real world the stats only tell half the story. Pretty sure the new Yaris GR4 would run rings around any supercar on most UK roads (just as how in the past an Evo or Scobby would), but of course buying a fancy car is as much about the appreciation of ownership as the drive itself. These days if you are remotely into driving fast track days are the only real option, and what works for those is.a different ball game to street cars.

Personally if you are looking to buy a fun car, I find most of the modern cars too isolated from the driving experience, too cosseted - now this is great for general driving, but I look back to cars of an older vintage if I want something that fun to drive - they may not be as fast, but the experience is so much more visceral, and the buzz higher for me at least as a result.

I guess on comparison to MTB is that having fun the most fun on your bike is also about having the right tool for the job - how many people buy full on Enduro rigs when actually they might have more fun and be faster on a sorted trail bike?

My local riding in the Surrey Hills you see lots of people (me included) on big travel enduro bikes, when actually the most fun/best suited bikes for round here are trail bikes.

I was talking to the guys at Pedal and Spoke, which is the local SC dealer just after the Megatower was launched, and they where expecting to shift loads of them, despite the Hightower or Bronson being more suited to the local riding, simply because it was the biggest, baddest, and latest bike in the range.

Theres a lot to be said for having something, be it a bike, car motorbike or whatever, that you have the abilities to safely push to its limits, vs something that you won't even touch the edges of its capabilities, in terms of the fun you will get from it.

 

[RustyMTB]

True enough. It's never lost on me as I sweep by the kids down the skatepark on my super duper carbon fibre, trail bike, dripping in Hope bling that the kids on their £150 Carreras are all doing stoppies & manuals that I could never match.

 

[R120]

Part of growing up though is that you hopefully get the financial ability to realise those childhood dreams - I was once one of those kids in a shitty skatepark on a 4th hand bike shaped object, and the bikes I dreamed of owning back then still very much influence the bikes I buy now.

 

[CjP]

Like my bike, I would rather drive something on the upper end of performance for those times that performance is needed.
If I had the money I would be happy to drive this around the streets everyday. It’s art on 4 wheels.

but instead I drive this

 

[RustyMTB]

Part of growing up though is that you get the financial ability to realise those childhood dreams - I was once one of those kids in a shitty skatepark on a 4th hand bike shaped object, and the bikes I dreamed of owning back then still very much influence the bikes I buy now.

No argument from me on that score, there's a reason I drove a shitty Mini at 17 & a Porsche at 45. The thing is is not what you have but what you can do with it - on that score, I think we're on the same page, especially when you mention people on enduro super wheels pottering about the Surrey hills.

 

[R120]

Like my bike, I would rather drive something on the upper end of performance for those times that performance is needed.
If I had the money I would be happy to drive this around the streets everyday. It’s art on 4 wheels.
View attachment 54605
but instead I drive this
View attachment 54606

Are we brothers from another mother?

 

[R120]

With cars I have now reached the point where I just buy the best tool for the job, whereas with bikes I am still very much in the if its shiny I must buy it camp ?‍

 

[CjP]

With cars I have now reached the point where I just buy the best tool for the job, whereas with bikes I am still very much in the if its shiny I must buy it camp ?‍

We must be brothers then because I also buy my bikes because they are pretty. I then modify them to make them ride awesome! Best of both worlds!

 

[CjP]

roll eyes.

Not heard that one for a few years, or the other one "it's a poor man's 911".
Views traditionally uttered by folk who had never actually owned a Porsche in their lives, real or otherwise.
But perhaps they might have watched a John Cadogan video on the internet. ?‍ who knows.

I would be interested in understanding how your personal Porsche ownership experiences have drawn you to this conclusion?

Having being lucky enough to have owned four Porsche over the years (including a 911 turbo and C4S), I can only provide a humble personal opinion of the equally humble Porsche Boxster and Cayman that is somewhat different (providing it has a flat 6 ).

Of course Porsche source everyday parts from the VAG shelves, and it's no different between a Boxster and a 911 in that regard.
And of course they try and extract maximum $$$$ from every transaction, from well-healed punters that dig the scene (just like emtb's).
That's why Porsche went from being broke in the 90's, to being the most profitable car company in the world per unit. Chapeau Porsche

Porsche (as well as Spesh, Santa Cruz and Trek et al) are not charities, here for our benefit. Thankfully we all have choice...

I’ll be honest, I was referring to the earlier models which I didn’t find very appealing. The latest offering is not a bad looker at all.
Still I like my Porsche’s with Turbo’s and while I have never owned one I have driven a few and they are superb driving cars. I enjoy fast cars and NA just doesn’t cut it for me.

 

[CjP]

There is nothing sweeter than wringing the neck of a NA flat six, even in a sweet handling basic Boxster.
But whatever you drive, best of luck, enjoy

Now, where are the keys.

Yes I agree with you as far as Porches go, my first Porsche drive was a plain old boring ‘01 NA 911. Man it could steer though.
Then was a highly modified turbo 930, that was just ridiculous and I loved it.
I would kill to drive a GT2rs but no one is stupid enough to lend me one.

Back to bikes though, man are they expensive! ?

Ps I would exploit the hell out of that GT2rs

 

[smtkelly]

Bikes are cheaper to run... but I've only lost money on 1 of these






Current road climate with speed traps etc means on the road this far more of hoot (if only they hadn't used that auto clutch). I only sold it because the roof leaked and we had our first child;

 

[RustyMTB]

I just reverted to type with mine.

 

[Pigin]

the roof leaked and we had our first child;

WHAT!!! I thought you got them from under the gooseberry bush! ?‍

 

[R120]

Can you get the bike in without taking the front wheel off ?

 

[NULevo]

Bikes are cheaper to run... but I've only lost money on 1 of these

View attachment 54618
View attachment 54619
View attachment 54617
View attachment 54620

Current road climate with speed traps etc means on the road this far more of hoot (if only they hadn't used that auto clutch). I only sold it because the roof leaked and we had our first child;
View attachment 54621

Stunning motors @smtkelly, That Carrera looks amazing.

I had one of the last Brabus Roadsters and it was amazing, like a roller skate, but like yours the roof leaked and MB bought it back. Used the refund and sale of my old car and bought a Boxster which I have to this day, I absolutely love it.

SHMBO got me the roof for a birthday and I got a set of winter wheels/tyres. I cant imagine swapping it for anything else for the foreseeable, it does everything I want of it while being great to drive, It even carries the Levo for short journeys.

 

[NULevo]

I just reverted to type with mine.

View attachment 54622

Love it - cant beat a good 'tinker'

 

[The EMF]

Like my bike, I would rather drive something on the upper end of performance for those times that performance is needed.
If I had the money I would be happy to drive this around the streets everyday. It’s art on 4 wheels.
View attachment 54605
but instead I drive this
View attachment 54606

A fart on four wheels ??

 

[CjP]

A fart on four wheels ??

I hope your talking about the smart car and not the Porsche? ?
It’’s so small when I do drop one in there it’s a fart on 4 wheels

 

[The EMF]

I hope your talking about the smart car and not the Porsche? ?
It’’s so small when I do drop one in there it’s a fart on 4 wheels

Defo not the Porsche........

 

[The EMF]

Defo not the Porsche........

My Golf SV is the most uninteresting, anonymous, bland slab of a car that I’ve ever owned.....but I don’t care what the grandsons bring into it, spill on it and generally abuse it because it does a job.......it’s got a tow bar to carry my Ebike, loads of room for my stuff for a day in the hills, I know it won’t get nicked and it tells me not to forget my phone, I wish bit would tell me not to forget my glasses ?

 

[Nicho]

I just reverted to type with mine.

View attachment 54622

Handy carrying a spare engine inside the car!

 

[Pivot]

Buy once... cry once... then enjoy it until wheels fall off
Well, easier said than done, with all the shiny objects on the market!
My wife once asked me: "Do you want to be the richest man in the cemetery?"
It was a good question and we decided to have more fun!

 

[Vfour800]

As the post seems to have been Hijacked for bike carriers here's mine. Not quite as quick as a Cayman but not far off ?

 

[Rostle32]

WTAF people???!!!!! Do you lot not think that bike makers don’t view these feckin forums ???? 911s, Audi rs3,4,6s wank rover svr’s , Lambos to carry a Emtb , if you own ( rent) One of these , don’t moan about the price of a pissy 10k eeb ??????

 

[Labrador29]

I've always said mtbs cars are expensive, but they shouldn't be costing more than an entire street of houses in the Midlands...

Buy a cheaper bike.

I've always said mtbs cars are expensive, but they shouldn't be costing more than an entire street of houses in the Midlands...

Buy a cheaper bike.

Beautiful machine Gary, I have always admired McLarens, but I will add this Lamborghini to my dream list, and garage wall.