LONG RANT-
I"m going to leave this right here because it's my thread, and well... my opinion. (and we all know what they say about opinions)
It's been just over 2 years since I made one of the best decisions of my life, to purchase a Land Cruiser.
Not only has it enabled me and my family to check out places I wouldn't have had the privilege of visiting, but I've also met some of the most amazing people (even happened today) because of my Cruiser.
However, one thing that bothers me, (and to be honest it's probably because I also see it in my profession), is people that want to be compete and udder cheapskates and try to nickel and dime every vendor they come across.
While I realize most of us can't afford to spend frivolously, (myself included) and many of us work on our rigs because we can't afford to pay Slee (or the stealership) to do all the work, I think it's important to understand a few things;
1. All of us drive a vehicle that, when new, probably cost in excess of 50k+.
Regardless if you spent 2k, 10k, or 20k for your 80Series the original price far exceeded whatever you paid. You can't think a vehicle that listed for over 50k+ is going to require the same maintenance of a vehicle that listed for 14k (such as my 95 22re)
2. Your rig is a technological masterpiece!
It takes handwork, and hard earned cash to keep a 20+ year old rig doing the things we want, period. No way around it. You want to do all the work yourself? GREAT! You need to pay someone to do it? (yeah, sometimes me too) But I don't bitch about the price as my rig isn't a corolla, it's a mother fu**ing Land Cruiser.
I once heard a young guy arguing with an employee at a very reputable Cruiser shop over a $200 tab....while at the same time another customer was dropping off his new 200 series with 6 miles on the odometer to have 30k of work done to it..... see the difference? Why should that shop even want to work on an 80 when their being driven by penny pinching dip shi*s when a 200 series guy doesn't even ask what the price is going to be... Point being, if the shop tells me parts, labor, is XXX dollars and they stand behind their work, I pay the man his money and thank him for his time, which is exactly what I would expect of someone if they were using me for my expertise.
3. We have AMAZING people in our community that have committed themselves to supplying us with parts, creating masterpieces of armor, keeping us safer, more comfortable, and overall just supporting an extremely small community.
I know for a FACT that most of Land Cruiser vendors around here, and locally, have made far more money in their previous lives. Some as welders, engineers, and fabricators in other industries. They feed their families, pay their mortgages, and save for retirement through their businesses, which...news flash, IS NOT A NON-PROFIT. So again, if you want that new fangled widget that a MUD member just fabbed up, you can pay the man what he asks, or not. But don't make yourself sound like an idiot by haggling over the price, or posting that it's not worth it, it's too expensive, etc., it only makes you look stupid.
In summation, I hate seeing people bitch about price of a one off custom pieces of armor, or bitching about the price of a part, or complaining about crappy gas mileage, or how much it cost to have work done on their rig. You drive a freakin Land Cruiser so sack the fu** up and quit complaining, you're making my ears hurt.
