Jetblast
Well-Known Member
Drove up to the swap meet from Northern Kentucky this morning, was planning on going with the Tri-state Mopar Club but late start.
Pretty good show lot of sellers but not much in the way of good deals at least not for stuff I needed. Did score a couple of good items an original 4 speed console insert and a Hemi scoop from VPN Fiberglass for my 65 Coronet. Insert was $60. which I was good with considering I had not been able to find one, and the scoop was $150., which is the selling price but saved the shipping. Looks like a nice piece but haven't checked the fit yet.
Of course, all of the dealers were allowed to go in and buy up whatever parts they wanted so it was basically retail day for the masses. Makes going to the meets almost useless anymore. The only thing that the used parts guys had left was the stuff that they've were selling retail, glad I didn't need much .
Anyone getting the feeling that the day of the true muscle era and people like those of you reading this is waning. I wonder when those of us who are in the, say that 30 years old and up bracket, either die or figure out they don't have the discretionary funds to support a classic car habit what will happen . It amazes me now that many of the vendors that want us to buy their products act like they are doing us a favor by selling to us. I have been trying to buy an item from one particular vendor that I thought would be a nice addition to the Coronet build I am doing. I had a couple of questions about it and emails went unanswered thought maybe I had said something to make them angry but when I called it was just missed, OK no problem. So I asked him for an invoice so I could place an order, more than $.2200., and when I finally did get a list, the main item was $200. more than the price on their website and another item was $40. more than I was quoted, the one quoted was not the one needed. When I asked about the $200. difference, I was told that it was wrong on the website and had been for a long while but he was just not an internet guy so, oh well.
So I am a small business owner and one of the main interfaces with the potential clients these days is my website, and so is his. I know that if I told someone that prices I had on my website were off by more than 10% and I just didn't change them because I "am not an internet guy" , I would be out a client, and so is he
So my big question in all of this is, is business for classic car parts vendors so good that we have to put up with lousy service and poor attitudes?
For me, this all boils down to whether I have a stock 18 spline transmission or a nifty overdrive, stock it is for me . I thought it might make the car more drivable over longer distances, but I will get over it.
Maybe if we decided to stop buying when the seller really doesn't care, or at least acts like they don't care ,maybe things would change.
Pretty good show lot of sellers but not much in the way of good deals at least not for stuff I needed. Did score a couple of good items an original 4 speed console insert and a Hemi scoop from VPN Fiberglass for my 65 Coronet. Insert was $60. which I was good with considering I had not been able to find one, and the scoop was $150., which is the selling price but saved the shipping. Looks like a nice piece but haven't checked the fit yet.
Of course, all of the dealers were allowed to go in and buy up whatever parts they wanted so it was basically retail day for the masses. Makes going to the meets almost useless anymore. The only thing that the used parts guys had left was the stuff that they've were selling retail, glad I didn't need much .
Anyone getting the feeling that the day of the true muscle era and people like those of you reading this is waning. I wonder when those of us who are in the, say that 30 years old and up bracket, either die or figure out they don't have the discretionary funds to support a classic car habit what will happen . It amazes me now that many of the vendors that want us to buy their products act like they are doing us a favor by selling to us. I have been trying to buy an item from one particular vendor that I thought would be a nice addition to the Coronet build I am doing. I had a couple of questions about it and emails went unanswered thought maybe I had said something to make them angry but when I called it was just missed, OK no problem. So I asked him for an invoice so I could place an order, more than $.2200., and when I finally did get a list, the main item was $200. more than the price on their website and another item was $40. more than I was quoted, the one quoted was not the one needed. When I asked about the $200. difference, I was told that it was wrong on the website and had been for a long while but he was just not an internet guy so, oh well.
So I am a small business owner and one of the main interfaces with the potential clients these days is my website, and so is his. I know that if I told someone that prices I had on my website were off by more than 10% and I just didn't change them because I "am not an internet guy" , I would be out a client, and so is he
So my big question in all of this is, is business for classic car parts vendors so good that we have to put up with lousy service and poor attitudes?
For me, this all boils down to whether I have a stock 18 spline transmission or a nifty overdrive, stock it is for me . I thought it might make the car more drivable over longer distances, but I will get over it.
Maybe if we decided to stop buying when the seller really doesn't care, or at least acts like they don't care ,maybe things would change.
