From:	Mongoose m0ng005e@*********.com
Subject:	Vehicle Street Indexes
Date:	Thu, 11 Feb 1999 14:21:27 -0600

Ever looked at the price for a Porsche 911? That's roughly what a Westwind
is, IMHO.


++++++++++++++++

BTB, a Eurocar has a street price HIGHER than list. (Street index of
2 or 3, I think, since SI depends on list price for vehicles). That makes
no sense- a stolen Porsche, or one purchased on the gray market, is
CHEAPER than one bought at a dealer. Sure, it will lack certain niceties
(like maybe a title, emissions hardware, or matching VIN's on all the
parts...), and that could cause expensive legal problems or require
expensive "preventions"- but there is a REASON the gray market for import
auto's exists toady, and its not just those extra 5% horsepower the
non-American version gets.
What's my point? Street indexes for vehicles seem silly- many factors
go into a vehicles cost that do not affect smaller, portable items that
can move more fluidly in the market and whose value is less affected by
external factors. The GM should feel free to adjust the price to reflect
supply and demand, as well as other factors, but there's no reason all
vehicles over a certain price would sell for more "on the street" than in
a showroom.

Mongoose