Justin
I agree with you. Besides the one I traded with you, I have purchased on
from the source mentioned here. It has the additional advantage of being a
160 degree stat - good for summer use.
Rick
-----Original Message-----
From: jmwagner <jmwagner@greenheart.com>
To: Tony Rhodes <ARhodes@compuserve.com>
Cc: M. W. Jordan, Jr. <mw_jordan@mindspring.com>;
INTERNET:triumphs@autox.team.net <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Date: Tuesday, August 04, 1998 2:56 PM
Subject: Re: TR3 skirted thermostat
>
>> Hey, thanks for this info. I hope I am not in need of a new 'stat, but
>> your conversation had gotten me thinking. It would appear at first
>> glance to be fairly easy to retrofit a skirt to a standard 'stat. I am
>> not at all sure that it would end up costing LESS than the $27 price
>> you mentioned. The cost of production would be much less, but with
>> a middle-man or two, the price would double or quadruple. I guess
>> that the $27 item might cost less than $7 to produce. It would be
>> hard to beat that. I hope I am wrong about the marketing issues,
>> but I bet my mark-up estimate is conservative.
>
>Skirted thermostats are extremely rare... and sell for as much as $50.00
>WHEN they're found on some shelf somewhere....A small company desides to
put
>some man hours into designing a new skirted thermostat... utilizing an
>existing thermostat... They bothered to go into some small production of
>them... and to put some man hours into marketing them... at least... to get
>the word out... and now field phone calls, e-mails, and snail mail
>information requests... more man hours... and they pack and ship
product...
>when an order comes through.... and they undoubtedly guarrantee them...
>and, occasionally... one will come back... and they'll eat it... cost,
>labor, and all... So they try to sell them... at a price... that will help
>them recoupe their costs... so that they can go on to produce other needed
>parts for jaguars and Triumphs... etc....
>
>In the vintage car arena... there's always someone asking "Hey, why doesn't
>someone produce this?" or "that?".... and there's a big round of
applause
>when someone does... but then it's often followed by second-guessing
their
>mark-up...
>
>You can buy a thermostat for $7.00... and you'll put hours into modifying
>it... you'll probably screw up your first effort... and you'll buy another
>one... maybe you'll call in a favor with a friend, to do some welding...
or
>maybe you'll pay some guy... or you'll do it yourself... in the end...
>you'll have your thermostat... and you can glow with the pride of having
>done it yourself. Meanwhile... the company that produced the skirted
>thermostats has one sitting on a shelf... not-purchased...
>
>As they consider possible plans to make that rare NLS
>dooo-hickey-wooober-diggy.... for the TR.... the owner of the
>company says... "You know.... a professor in the business school of my
>college once said, 'Few people continuously hit their head on a wall
because
>it feels good when they stop.'"
>
>
>So they skip plans for the vintage market and start making "wooober-diggys"
>for MIATAS....
>
>
>...just my 2 cents....
>
>
>--Justin
>
>
>
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