Apples to oranges, but what makes you think I don't think the park pass price is ridiculous, also? I rarely pay over $150 for a weekly vehicle rental, so to pay more than double that is crazy. Disney one-day park hoppers start at $169 on a "cheap" day and we are paying $199 for Christmas Eve, so the mark-up isn't as inflated as that of the rental car. Rental car prices are never standardized, fluctuating daily and sometimes hourly; the price I am paying, which is double what I'd normally pay, is an arbitrarily chosen price based on anticipated market. True, Disney tickets also are, to some extent, but at least that price is set. (However, one of the reasons we visit Disney less often is the change in ticket structure. We were 2-3 times-a-year visitors when tickets were the same price for every day of the year, and the ticket you bought was good forever, until the # of days were used up.)
For the record, we haven't purchased the Universal tickets yet. We are waiting to see if we think it's really worth the $400 investment, or if we'd choose to add to the Disney ticket or not do that second park day at all, depending on how our wallet is feeling as the trip is closer. Only reason we bought the Disney tickets already is for the PH benefits. EVERYTHING else on this vacation, so far, can be cancelled for no charge/full reimbursement, including the airfare, just in cases!