How much would you pay for a molded reproduction FJ40 floor mat?

How much would you pay for a molded reproduction FJ40 floor mat?

  • I will pay $400 to $450 for a mat with OEM pattern, original color, and thicker material

    Votes: 43 53.8%

  • I will pay $300 to $350 for a mat with OEM pattern, original color, but thinner material

    Votes: 9 11.3%

  • I will pay $300 to $350 for a mat with OEM pattern, thicker material but gray instead of black color

    Votes: 15 18.8%

  • Too much dough dude! I will buy a generic 2 piece mat instead

    Votes: 13 16.3%
  • Total voters
    80
  • Poll closed .

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Racer65

Racer65

10 Year
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Threads
121
Messages
3,199
Location
Palo Alto, CA
Would like to get a sense of what kind of price point and compromises folks find to be the most acceptable with a reproduction FJ40 floor mat. Please make your choice in the poll (if the poll is not visible on your mobile device, please check back in on your PC).
 
Last edited:
I think 150 is the sweet spot.
And the glue on toyota piece should be included in that price.
But, I know it's gonna be a lot more. .. ; )
What's the timeline?
 
Maybe I'm delusional but I figured it would be about twice what folks are paying for repro dash pads which if I'm not mistaken is around $200.

I honestly don't want to pay $400 for a repro floor mat for my 78' but in all likelihood would. It's about 6 months between now and December. That gives me 6 months to save up for my Xmas present to myself!
 
No one really WANTS to spend a lot of money on something for our trucks, but Racer65 does make top quality products that will last as long or longer than the originals, and you will be hard pressed to tell the difference from an OEM part. He does try to produce items at the lowest cost possible and is not gouging us at all. We all appreciate our vendors that produce for us the products we can no longer purchase new!

Thank you Racer65 for taking this project on!!

Skip
 
fj401978 said:
No one really WANTS to spend a lot of money on something for our trucks, but Racer65 does make top quality products that will last as long or longer than the originals, and you will be hard pressed to tell the difference from an OEM part. He does try to produce items at the lowest cost possible and is not gouging us at all. We all appreciate our vendors that produce for us the products we can no longer purchase new!

Thank you Racer65 for taking this project on!!

Skip
Click to expand...

Thanks @fj401978 for the kind comments. It is more compelling when a third party says it, but he expressed exactly my motivations. This objective is make this happen in a way that is tolerable to your bank account, and to mine. By normal business economics judgement it's very difficult to make a business case for this piece, and I highly doubt any company will do it. As I posted in the Unobtainium thread, keep in mind Toyota originally sold the mat for close to $500 in 1980's dollars, and they got that price point despite having the benefit of mass production.

One way to save on cost is to buy the same material in bulk for both the '78 and earlier version of the mat as well as the '79 and later version. However, as you know the colors are different. To pick one color between black and gray, it has to be gray because the later cars have additional mat material under the seat so it has to match. The '78 and earlier cars just have the front mat. Not sure how many of you guys have seen it, but the overseas models also have a brown color mat (e.g. in the LX model).

In any case, that's one way to cut cost. The other way is to use thinner material. OEM mat is about 2mm. The thinner material would be 1.5mm. Half a mm isn't that noticeable, but in percentage terms it's a notable difference. The thick material is 3.0mm, so it exceeds OEM spec.
 
I would prefer the thicker material and in black. I paid $150 for used headrests so $350+ isn't horribly out of line.

Any way to post a swatch of the '79 grey vs. the black and maybe even the darker grey of the seats of the earlier models? It appears the '79 grey is definitely lighter in color.

Thanks for pursuing this huge, high risk project Racer! Would totally understand if you didn't end up doing it. Lot of money at risk at the volumes you have to produce to get a "reasonable" price.
 
This is a tough call - I have a strong preference for black, since my interior will not be stock, and will most likely be black. I also have a V8 so the shifter would be To decide between 3mm and 1.5mm I'd need to get an idea regarding durability of the thinner material. I'd probably pay $400-$450 for the thicker mat, or $300-$350 for the thinner mat, depending on which was offered.

My concern is that $300-$350 is still a pretty significant investment. I'd be hesitant to pay it if the thinner matt couldn't stand the test of time. If a thicker matt costs 25% more than a thin one, but lasts 150% longer, I'd consider it money well spent. If the thinner mat could take stand up to punishment almost as well as a thicker one, why go the extra mile (or millimeter, in this case). Does that make sense?

In short, I'm voting for the thick, black mat, but if the thin matt is still pretty rugged, I'd love to spend less!

As for color - black matches virtually everything. I think that, if you had to pick one, you'd please more customers with a black mat than a gray one. Since my truck is a hodgepodge of years, colors, and vehicles I don't think it would be a deal breaker, but I'd strongly vote black.

Either way, I'm fully confident that if you determine the juice is worth the squeeze, in this case, you will produce a quality product. Thanks for putting in the effort!
 
most of us have seen fleabay prices for factory original in pristine condition and every other condition in between ... we have someone willing to make and supply what will be a good product (based on my purchases from the individual) ... I for one will bite the bullet because the opportunity is now ...
:cheers:
 
Thanks for the inputs. Keep 'em coming!

I just added a fourth option to the poll response. It won't hurt my feelings if you pick that one. I just want to know what you think.
 
Last edited:
Racer65 said:
Thanks for the inputs. Keep 'em coming!

I just added a forth option to the poll response. It won't hurt my feelings if you pick that one. I just want to know what you think.
Click to expand...


there are lots of options re 2 piece generic, including homemade ... my opinion remains the same ...
 
Both the thinner and thicker mat will be made of modern day PVC material, so it has inherent advantages over the original foam material. Take a close look at your OEM mat. It's foam in the middle sandwiched by 2 surface layers. The design is a recipe for deterioration. You can buy the cleanest OEM mat for $1000 on eBay and you won't be able to eat the cake you just bought.

The thicker mat should be the last mat you'll ever need. It has some additional advantages in that it has a firmer shape, and is less susceptible to moving around. This subtle point is more relevant for those of you without the shifter cut-out in the middle, because the shifter boot actually helps to anchor the mat.
 
Last edited:
Racer,

Admittingly I am biased because I have the 79+ truck, but I am in for anything you can do to make it work with the late model FJ40's. Personally without the shifter holes cut to allow for the H55F conversion using the 60 transmission top plate.

-Geoff
 
If anyone has a RHD with an OEM floor mat, please weigh in on what the difference is, if any. It appears to shifter holes are the same. It'd be nice if the same mold can work for both, even if some trimming is involved.
 
Racer65 said:
One way to save on cost is to buy the same material in bulk for both the '78 and earlier version of the mat as well as the '79 and later version. However, as you know the colors are different. To pick one color between black and gray, it has to be gray because the later cars have additional mat material under the seat so it has to match. The '78 and earlier cars just have the front mat. Not sure how many of you guys have seen it, but the overseas models also have a brown color mat (e.g. in the LX model).
Click to expand...

While I'm biased because I have a '74 and would only be interested in a black mat, you may want to reconsider the "it has to be gray" thinking if economics require you to only produce the mat in one color. There were many more pre-'79 FJ40s sold in the U.S. and my guess is that your market for black mats is likely to be proportionally larger than for gray ones.

While I'd have to see the final product before committing, I'd probably pay $400 for a quality black mat. For me, no logo = no purchase. Without the logo (even if it must be "user installed"), it isn't a reproduction of the OEM mat -- just another aftermarket mat.
 
I dropped over $300 on a purchase I regret. PVC / flimsy / thin. Probably not going to spend $350 for a "Thinner" offering. Thanks, I know your products are top notch and your effort here is noteworthy.

photo(178).webp
 
GregRay said:
While I'm biased because I have a '74 and would only be interested in a black mat, you may want to reconsider the "it has to be gray" thinking if economics require you to only produce the mat in one color. There were many more pre-'79 FJ40s sold in the U.S. and my guess is that your market for black mats is likely to be proportionally larger than for gray ones.

While I'd have to see the final product before committing, I'd probably pay $400 for a quality black mat. For me, no logo = no purchase. Without the logo (even if it must be "user installed"), it isn't a reproduction of the OEM mat -- just another aftermarket mat.
Click to expand...

Logo issue has been thoroughly evaluated. It's Toyota copyrighted and illegal to copy, on par with fake Gucci handbags and Rolex watches. The workaround is to give you a separate piece to glue on at home. I just can't do it for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom