And still more foolish spending...

[tangomonster]

The Atlanta newspaper had an article about the newest hot consumer item: performance tires and custom wheels for people with no credit or who are cash-strapped: renting them, eventually leading to owning them at double the cash purchase price. Two stores, Rent-n-Roll and Rimco offer this. The president of one says that "ego is fueling the buying spree. We want to feel good about the way we look and don't want to wait for it or save for it. We just want it."

Costs can range from $1000 to $2500, but one customer paid almost $19K to have a Hummer outfitted with tires and 28", 3 piece rims. A third of the customers are women! The average customer has an annual household income of $45K but is still financially stretched. One customer who was interviewed spent $2300, "hundreds more than he makes in a month" and will have to pay significantly more if he doesn't pay it off in 120 days (the store's same as cash period). He spent this so that his 8 year old Durango could have gleaming new wheels.

Obviously these people are not striving for FIRE!

 

[FinanceDude]

The Atlanta newspaper had an article about the newest hot consumer item: performance tires and custom wheels for people with no credit or who are cash-strapped: renting them, eventually leading to owning them at double the cash purchase price. Two stores, Rent-n-Roll and Rimco offer this. The president of one says that "ego is fueling the buying spree. We want to feel good about the way we look and don't want to wait for it or save for it. We just want it."

Costs can range from $1000 to $2500, but one customer paid almost $19K to have a Hummer outfitted with tires and 28", 3 piece rims. A third of the customers are women! The average customer has an annual household income of $45K but is still financially stretched. One customer who was interviewed spent $2300, "hundreds more than he makes in a month" and will have to pay significantly more if he doesn't pay it off in 120 days (the store's same as cash period). He spent this so that his 8 year old Durango could have gleaming new wheels.

Obviously these people are not striving for FIRE!

Not to mention folks are being shot over their rims................

 

[ladelfina]

My sister got an MBA from Pepperdine several years back. She was almost about to go into business with a classmate that had examined this market and saw exactly this "unfulfilled need"!!! In LA, with the car-pimping culture, it was not a stretch. She ended up having 2 kids instead so we'll never know how rich she could have become off of this...

There's something about wheels that is just bizarre and inexplicable. On a new car site they often offer a dozen options... all hundreds and hundreds of $ extra. WHY I remember also my old business partner one day found his several-y.o. Honda Civic wheel-less! Someone had decided they really had to have his (std.) alloy wheels.

I do like seeing the spinny things, though I would never put them on a car of mine. I also liked the (short-lived) fad in my old neighborhood of the neon-lit undercarriage. Made the cars look like they were floating on cushions of colored light.

 

[Nords]

The Atlanta newspaper had an article about the newest hot consumer item: performance tires and custom wheels for people with no credit or who are cash-strapped: renting them, eventually leading to owning them at double the cash purchase price. Two stores, Rent-n-Roll and Rimco offer this. The president of one says that "ego is fueling the buying spree. We want to feel good about the way we look and don't want to wait for it or save for it. We just want it."

The stock of Superior Industries International (SUP), a leading manufacturer of alloy wheels, is up over 30% plus dividends in nine months...

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

ok i have to admit i bought my first set of chrome bullet-spoked 18-inch wheels to carry the new white stang vertible gt but in my defense they look fabulous.

with totally cute little mustangs at their hubs, they were a $1650 add-on to the invoice of a ~$34k car and my total bill came in at a few hundred $s under what i expected & would have been willing to pay.

so now i know how it feels to drive a ride with wheels more expensive than the car. oh, wait, i guess i still don't get that feeling.

 

[dumpster56]

I never thought they did much for the look of a car, then again I drive cars until the wheels fall off. 275K on a volvo 240 1990 model.

 

[MasterBlaster]

When soccer moms and scout masters are driving SUVs with "Dubs" on them the cool trend setting crowd wants nothing to do with it anymore.

This large wheel trend is soooo over. Most people just don't know it yet.

 

[TromboneAl]

Couldn't you get the ones that keep spinning after the car stops?

 

[HFWR]

What ever happened to "baby moons" and "chrome reverse"... O0

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Couldn't you get the ones that keep spinning after the car stops?

i would have but that option only came as a package deal with the sound system that makes the car panels vibrate.

 

[bright eyed]

there were health warnings that went out in CA cuz kids were getting their fingers cut off on those silly spinners...sheesh!

 

[JPatrick]

ok i have to admit i bought my first set of chrome bullet-spoked 18-inch wheels to carry the new white stang vertible gt but in my defense they look fabulous.

with totally cute little mustangs at their hubs, they were a $1650 add-on to the invoice of a ~$34k car and my total bill came in at a few hundred $s under what i expected & would have been willing to pay.

so now i know how it feels to drive a ride with wheels more expensive than the car. oh, wait, i guess i still don't get that feeling.

All that and still stripeless----sigh