hi Orangepop,
the original rails you get for $1800+ will include the replacement cover strips (finishers) with the slots/holes cut out to fit the brackets through. The cheaper copy ones ($400 - 500 ish) will not include those finishers, and you will need to cut your own holes in the existing finishers, some come with a template for the holes. Not a big deal if you want to keep them on all the time, but will look a bit odd if you remove the rails and the finishers with holes are left on show. (but you may be able to get replacement finishers a lot cheaper than the $ difference between the original and copy rails) With the rails you can fit cross bars at varying positions along the length of the rails. If you go just for the cross-bars without the rails you will be limited to just the positions of the holes in the roof, and you will still need to cut your own holes in the finishers.
If you go with the rails, you should be able to get cross bars from Thule or similar to suit.
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