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> prevents you from paying for it via a monthly subscription And why in tarnation would I pay monthly for something that has a fixed cost to the manufacturer?

sokoloff 4y ago
I would happily pay $10/mo for 5 months a year for the 4 years I expected to own the car rather than $250-500 to buy heated seats. I don’t care about someone else’s costs; I care about the value I get and the price I’m asked to pay. If someone else makes a profit because they structure the deal smartly, good for them.
- kelnos 4y ago
  The problem is that you're still paying some subset of that $250-500 (in addition to the subscription fee), because in order to offer the subscription option to anyone, they have to include the hardware in every car, even if a particular owner decided not to buy the subscription. The carmaker has to defray that cost somehow, and that means every car gets a little bit more expensive up front, regardless of whether or not you pay for the subscription. Also I wouldn't be surprised if you're not permitted to buy the subscription on a month-by-month basis, and instead have to buy it in 6-month or 12-month chunks. Maybe some carmakers don't do this, but they can, and some will.
  - leetcrew 4y ago
    I really doubt the per-unit hardware cost to install heated seats is anywhere near what they cost to option. it's not a complex technology, and plenty of cheap cars come with them standard. the manufacturer might even break even on the additional parts cost by only making one kind of seat. or they might make up for it by increasing the margin in some other option that you may or may not choose. who knows?
    - sokoloff 4y ago
      Supporting your point: Two-seat aftermarket kits are around $50. I installed one (driver’s side only) in our CR-V and it’s well-worth the time to do so in New England. (If your seat-floorpan bolts aren't too rusty, it was a leisurely 60-90 minute job and would be 30-45 minutes to do the second one.)
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- pessimizer 4y ago
  Doesn't seem wise. a) spend $250-500 to buy heated seats, which you will sell in 4 years with some portion of that $250-500 as a premium added to the sale price of the car, or b) spend $200 (and the overhead on managing the bill for 4 years) on heated seat rent, and in four years you can sell the option to someone else to pay $10/mo, assuming the company decides to allow that option to be transferred rather than refuse in order to damage the sales of lightly used vehicles.
nordsieck 4y ago
> And why in tarnation would I pay monthly for something that has a fixed cost to the manufacturer? There is a broad equivalence between capex and opex. I find subscriptions distasteful, but I can still acknowledge that, depending on the price, they may be reasonable compared to ownership.
- raverbashing 4y ago
  This makes sense when the cost of the product is much higher than what you're able to afford. Like leasing a car But paying a monthly fee for heated seats is just ridiculous.

sokoloff 4y ago

I would happily pay $10/mo for 5 months a year for the 4 years I expected to own the car rather than $250-500 to buy heated seats. I don’t care about someone else’s costs; I care about the value I get and the price I’m asked to pay. If someone else makes a profit because they structure the deal smartly, good for them.

kelnos 4y ago
The problem is that you're still paying some subset of that $250-500 (in addition to the subscription fee), because in order to offer the subscription option to anyone, they have to include the hardware in every car, even if a particular owner decided not to buy the subscription. The carmaker has to defray that cost somehow, and that means every car gets a little bit more expensive up front, regardless of whether or not you pay for the subscription. Also I wouldn't be surprised if you're not permitted to buy the subscription on a month-by-month basis, and instead have to buy it in 6-month or 12-month chunks. Maybe some carmakers don't do this, but they can, and some will.
- leetcrew 4y ago
  I really doubt the per-unit hardware cost to install heated seats is anywhere near what they cost to option. it's not a complex technology, and plenty of cheap cars come with them standard. the manufacturer might even break even on the additional parts cost by only making one kind of seat. or they might make up for it by increasing the margin in some other option that you may or may not choose. who knows?
  - sokoloff 4y ago
    Supporting your point: Two-seat aftermarket kits are around $50. I installed one (driver’s side only) in our CR-V and it’s well-worth the time to do so in New England. (If your seat-floorpan bolts aren't too rusty, it was a leisurely 60-90 minute job and would be 30-45 minutes to do the second one.)
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
pessimizer 4y ago
Doesn't seem wise. a) spend $250-500 to buy heated seats, which you will sell in 4 years with some portion of that $250-500 as a premium added to the sale price of the car, or b) spend $200 (and the overhead on managing the bill for 4 years) on heated seat rent, and in four years you can sell the option to someone else to pay $10/mo, assuming the company decides to allow that option to be transferred rather than refuse in order to damage the sales of lightly used vehicles.

nordsieck 4y ago

> And why in tarnation would I pay monthly for something that has a fixed cost to the manufacturer? There is a broad equivalence between capex and opex. I find subscriptions distasteful, but I can still acknowledge that, depending on the price, they may be reasonable compared to ownership.

raverbashing 4y ago
This makes sense when the cost of the product is much higher than what you're able to afford. Like leasing a car But paying a monthly fee for heated seats is just ridiculous.