In article >, Michael Johnson, PE wrote:

> In the end no one is holding a gun to a buyers head and forcing him to
> pay a given price. You know who really sets the price? It's the buyer.
> If no one is willing to pay the dealer's asking price then they will
> eventually lower the it until the car sells. It's a real simple concept.

Absence of a gun to your head is not the definition of a free market.

> The reason the prices are silly right now is there are a few people
> willing to pay what I consider and outrageous price for the few
> available cars.

Didn't I just finish writing that?

> Once the dealers wade through these buyers and the cars
> aren't moving at the current prices they will have to lower the price to
> get off the inventory.

Maybe.


>>> You are absolutely right, the buyers set the price, not the
>>> dealers. If any one of us had a vintage GT500 we would sell it for the
>>> highest price we could get and not a penny lower.

>> New in production cars are not collector items. There are no more vintage
>> GT500s being made. There X surviors and that's it. There are Y people
>> that want them. Apples and oranges.

> And there will ultimately be a limited number of GT500s.

There will ultimately be a limited number of Foci, just as there are a
limited number of Tempos and Pintos.

> A vintage
> GT500 falls under the same supply and demand forces as a 2007 GT500.

No it doesn't by the very fact the 2007 GT500 is in production. There
will never be another '67 GT500, only less.

> If
> Ford made GT500s like they make Fusions what do you think the price
> would be?

MSRP or less just like every practically other production new vehicle on the
market.

> You and I are no different from Ford. We all will take the
> highest price for whatever item we are selling.

I would weigh permantly ****ing off customers and getting customers to
look at vehicles from other manufacturers into the equation. I would
consider those long term losses to be more important than the short term
gain. But hey, I am not chairman of Ford as it loses billions every
quarter. The short term thinking seems to be working out well for them
don't you think?

> I don't fault the
> dealer for getting the highest price they can command. It is the way
> capitalism works.

Yes, capitalism in practice is rarely free market. It's about
manipulating markets and creating monopolies really.

> I will be ****ed off at Ford if they don't produce
> the number of units they have stated.

Which is exactly what will happen as people end up buying something else
because Ford dealers wanted an extra 20 grand.

> If they don't there is a good
> chance I will not be a Ford only buyer anymore. That is how I will make
> my statement on the matter.

Then we are in agreement.