posted 12-04-2004 09:59 AM                  

....with the invention of the so called "market adjustment" Prowler pricing was way above MSRP(window sticker) in the beginning, but settled in at MSRP within a year or so....dealers continued to sell the cars at MSRP, discounts below that rarely happened and all was well with buying and selling Prowlers....there were few used Kats on the market and they usually sold at or very near MSRP also....

....flash forward to 2001...DC decided to dump Plymouth and so anything carrying that name was now distressed merchandise.....DC opened up the gates and offered an $8K rebate on any new Prowler with the Plymouth name....overnight, new Prowlers went from approximately $45K to $37K....thus the used Prowlers were forced into the low thirty thousand range where they still seem to be today.....depreciation has been relatively small on the cars before and since the massive rebate program from DC on the Plymouth models....where would the prices be today had the rebate program never existed....we will never know ???

posted 12-04-2004 10:23 AM                  

quote:

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Originally posted by tangled up in BLUE:
....flash forward to 2001...DC decided to dump Plymouth and so anything carrying that name was now distressed merchandise.....DC opened up the gates and offered an $8K rebate on any new Prowler with the Plymouth name....overnight, new Prowlers went from approximately $45K to $37K....

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-GRROWL

posted 12-04-2004 10:58 AM                  

I'm thinking that the cats in the future might hold to around 25K range. The problems - new car buyers being able to buy a new Mustang, Mazda RX8, and many other cars in that price range = new car, no miles on it, full warranty,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but still, they don't have a CAT.

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Call 911 - there is a Prowler in my garage....
Y2K Silver Millennium Edition and '01 Orange Rolex Edition

posted 12-04-2004 07:27 PM                  

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2000 Black Peal/Purple flake .
..TGF hardtop... Larry Lord Wonder Bar...Front & Rear splash guards... Inside Trim kit...K&N Cold Air System...Removed Sunvisers...Rear Bumper Shimmers...Bola exhaust...Prowler Pro Headers...Pro Gears...TGF Door panels...Larry Lord Hinge Protectors...Real Rod Air patrol...Real Rod Transmission Cooler Cover...HID headlight's...Real Rod Chrome Door & Carpet Protectors...Stellar 300 watt sound...Tom Mills light kit...Chrome grill....Real Rod Weekender...41,000 miles of smiles & no tickets.....

posted 12-05-2004 05:16 AM                  

quote:

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Originally posted by tangled up in BLUE:
....
....flash forward to 2001...DC decided to dump Plymouth and so anything carrying that name was now distressed merchandise.....DC opened up the gates and offered an $8K rebate on any new Prowler with the Plymouth name....overnight, new Prowlers went from approximately $45K to $37K.....where would the prices be today had the rebate program never existed....we will never know ???

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This is the first I've learned of the Prowler rebate program that may have inordinately depressed prices.

However inovative and competent the Prowler design and build has been...it seems that just about every decison about marketing the car was a disaster (for maker and
buyers)?

posted 12-05-2004 07:52 AM                  

quote:

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Originally posted by ed monahan:
This was for "leftover" Plymouths after they changed to Chrysler. That was the only "rebate".

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Ed - I believe there was another rebate to the dealers, after the production run of the Prowler was ended in February of 2002. First probably going for 2001 models still in stock, and later on I'm sure DC kicked out some bucks back for leftover 2002's still on floor plan. At one time after 9-11-01,,,as the economy swept downward, I recall several dealers selling the new Mulhollands and golds for $35,700,,,which had to be a figure adjusted by rebates to entice sales and move these units out of stock.

posted 12-05-2004 02:06 PM                  

If he represents the current thinking on the Continent about the dollar dropping a lot more and soon, this may become a self fulfilling prophecy as the foreign consumer holds off purchasing our good and services thinking everything will become still cheaper. The trade deficit becomes still larger, the bucks falls still further and interest rates go quite a bit higher.

It could happen easy enough but for the moment this is all known and already priced into the financial markets. If a guy had real conviction about it, he could play the currency market, on margin no less, make a bundle, and buy whatever car he wished off the profit.

posted 12-05-2004 02:22 PM                    

should have gone on my instincts...

posted 12-06-2004 11:19 AM                    

For one, this is a toy car. This is not your typical family of four sedan that most would buy as primary transportation and while most of us can, most folks can't afford a 2nd or 3rd toy car to just sit for the weekends.

Second, the economy back then was faultering and the first thing most folks give up or don't buy are toys.

Third, 9/11 really drove point two home and probably caused folks who could have bought one to rethink it (I know alot of folks that were set to close on homes backed out because of 9/11, not sure why, but it was a fact).

Fourth, market saturation. Those that wanted one, had one (or most did anyway) which is why even after heavy discounting quite a number of dealerships still had new ones (some still do).

Fifth, you either get it our you don't. While folks in here like the design, alot of folks aren't all that crazy about it. We've had 4 and the wife wasn't crazy about any of them. She knew I liked them but, she couldn't figure out why.