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IntelliChoice Value Rating
The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.
One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.
What is a good car value?
A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.
But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?
For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.
This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)
Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.
Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.
So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.
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Article From 4Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine
2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser - More Bump, Less GrindDemello Offroad's FJ Cruiser Front Bumper / By Christian Lee / photographer: Christian Lee /
Article provided by: 4Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine
 The DeMello Offroad Toyota FJ Cruiser front bumper is a great fit on '07-and-later FJs. It features recessed light mounts and an integrated winch mount. The bumper also blends well with the factory bodylines, creating a near-factory appearance. The Toyota FJ Cruiser is quite capable in stock form, but when still equipped with the factory bumper it's limited to how many scrapes and scars the vehicle owner wants to look at after a trail run. A rock could easily punch through the bumper fascia and leave its indelible mark or even grab on and rip the whole bumper from its mounts. With a solid-steel front bumper in place, however, minor rock scrapes are simply minor rock scrapes, and FJ owners are left to think about their next trail adventure rather than how they'll carry out repairs from the last one. Weighing in at less than 90 pounds, the DeMello Offroad Toyota FJ Cruiser front bumper offers a durable yet lightweight construction. It features a 1/8-inch plate-steel shell with 1/4-inch steel frame mounts. The bumper also offers an integrated 1/4-inch plate-steel winch mount that will accommodate various winches in the 8,000- to 9,000-pound range and recessed light mounts that accommodate a set of Acro lights. The DeMello bumper follows the FJ's bodylines nicely and is a good fit overall. It is secured to the front framehorns using three factory bumper-mounting studs per side in addition to two provided 12mm bolts and washers. DeMello FJ bumpers are available in bare metal but can be finished in black powdercoat at an additional cost. A center hoop and side hoops (headlight guards) can also be added at an extra cost. We had the crew at DeMello Offroad install one of its bumpers on an '07 FJ Cruiser and were pleased with the result. The installation was completed in just over an hour, and the bumper should definitely help our confidence on the trail as we forget our worries of damaging the fragile stock bumper and instead concentrate on the obstacles ahead.  The DeMello bumper is made with 1/4-inch plate steel in all of the mounting and structural areas and offers a 1/8-inch plate-steel shell. The integrated winch mount is also 1/4-inch steel and will accommodate various winch models with a nonintegrated control box. The bumper is shown with the optional center hoop. |  |  The factory FJ bumper has a lot of plastic that can easily become damaged. The side bumpers may also inhibit use of larger-than-stock tires. A slight improvement in approach angle is also achieved through installation of the DeMello Offroad bumper. |  Jason DeMello removed the FJ grille to access the stock bumper mounting areas. Once the bolts were removed, the bumper was pulled and set aside. |  The mud guards were also removed. Jason used a razorblade to trim the plastic inner fenderwells, which typically trap mud and dirt. |  The recessed light mounts in the DeMello bumper are designed to use H1-900 Acro lights. The 3-3/4-inch-diameter Acro lamps use 55-watt halogen bulbs. |  The Acro lights were installed in the bumper prior to installation on the FJ. We wired the lights to a factory-style switch sourced from our local Toyota dealership. |  With the bumper in place on the stock bumper-mounting studs on the forward framehorns, the DeMello bumper was bolted up. It uses three studs per side along with two 12mm side bolts that thread into factory holes. This creates eight mounting bolts total securing the new bumper to the frame. |  The bumper is shown installed along with a set of Acro lights. The D-ring mounts are 1/2 inch thick. The bumper also offers provisions for mounting of the front license plate. |
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