I recently noticed a significant jump in price with Vintage Motor Cars in Hawaiian Gardens. JPS has a unique process and pricing which is far less expensive, and a better quality car. Anyone want to share or elaborate as to why you think the prices have gone up so much . Last year, the shop in Hawaiian Gardens kept their prices around the same as JPS, not anymore.. Your thoughts?
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A thing is worth what the seller and buyer agree that it's worth. As Greg has people lined up 2 years deep, the price was bound to rise. It's how capitalism works.
I suppose. Still a big gap between competitors. I remember my first speedster with Kirk, it cost me $18,500 before taxes in 2004. Then again, the original speedsters went from $65,000 in 2004 to over $350,000 now.
Yep, supply and demand. Also, I think most on here would disagree with JPS building a better quality car than VMC. However, I have heard many stories which definitely make it sound like ordering a JPS is a “unique” process.
I will preface my statement by saying that I own Cloud 9 Classics and I am the East Coast Dealer for Greg at Vintage Motorcars of CA. I have also bought/sold/driven cars from most all of the current builders including Intermeccanica, Beck, Vintage Speedster ( the original owned by Kirk), and JPS.
As to your question to why the prices have gone up so much here is my opinion. First, demand has risen significantly. As a result wait times for new builds have gotten significantly longer. As a result, this has caused prices on used Speedsters to rise to the point where we have seen used Speedsters selling for more then a new build. In some cases, significantly more. Next, builders like Greg have chosen to raise their quality with better quality parts, better quality paint and body, and more standard options like 4 wheel disc brakes, heated, seats, external oil coolers, electronic ignition, Vintage 190 wheels etc. The cost to build these has risen particularly in California. Just the cost of paint alone has risen significantly in recent years Greg's cars are being prepped for paint with more time and care then I believe most of the older builds from various companies resulting in extremely straight bodies with top notch body panel fit.
My belief is that Greg's car were simply under priced during his first few years building Speedsters as he felt he needed to stay in line with the old Vintage Speedster pricing even though he was taking the quality up several notches. I think he has proven that his quality warrants a higher price and customers seem to agree. Gregs current build price is right in line with the quality of his product and quite frankly maybe still a little low.
By the way, the same thing is happening in the Shelby Cobra Replica market and the classic car market in general has been extremely strong, causing prices to be on the rise in almost every category.
@JF356 I am not sure what you are basing your statement on when you say JPS has a unique process and better quality car. I will let others give their opinions but I have not yet owned a JPS build that comes close to the quality of car that Greg and his team is putting out. I have seen some of the JPS cars coming out of Brazil and they do not come close to the quality of the cars produced by the craftsman at Vintage Motorcars of CA. I believe the team at Beck is putting out a very nice quality car and has the same philosophy as Greg when it comes to their high level of integrity and service.
Last, the experience of having a custom built car like a 356 Speedster should be a positive experience from start to finish and the buyer should feel like they are dealing with a true professional that can not only advise them on the best options and choices but will also treat them with the respect and appreciation they deserve. Again, I will let others give their opinions and there are plenty of previous posts of people who have had dealings with various builders. I have full confidence that Greg appreciates and respects his customers and does his absolute best to build the best car possible at what is still a very reasonable price point. You can imagine the challenges that Covid presented to the builders of these cars in the past year and I have seen Greg hustle and work crazy hours to do his best to keep his build times as short as possible given the circumstances without sacrificing quality.
With all of that said, if anyone is considering a new build or would like to know about any used Speedsters that might come in, feel free to call me at 770-359-8400.
You tell him, Roy. Nicely done.
@JF356 posted:I recently noticed a significant jump in price with Vintage Motor Cars in Hawaiian Gardens. JPS has a unique process and pricing which is far less expensive, and a better quality car. Anyone want to share or elaborate as to why you think the prices have gone up so much . Last year, the shop in Hawaiian Gardens kept their prices around the same as JPS, not anymore.. Your thoughts?
So dealing with John "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Steele is now a FEATURE?
Better quality car? Exactly what mushrooms are you ingesting, fella?
If you want to believe all that, I know a guy in Tennessee who will gladly
take your money.
Roy, You hit the nail on the head... kudos ~ BTW come to Carlisle in May !
Wow.... One of the most forthright posts I've seen on ANY forum in a long time.
Thanks for that honest input, Roy.
@Alan Merklin I will see if I can make that happen. Thank you.
@JF356- If you've never dealt with the man, please do some reading here about people's dealings with Mr. Steele- according to (quite) a few, Danny's "Dr. Jeckyl/Mr. Hyde description of the man is pretty bang on, and the shortcomings they're left to deal with after delivery are scary, and sometimes even downright dangerous. I'll be the first to admit that I've never met or dealt with the man, but from what I've read here (a couple of the experiences from people I've met and trust) I wouldn't let him build me a car.
If you have dealt with him and it's been positive, great- that just doesn't seem to be the norm.
@RoyP- Well said and informative, Roy- thank you for taking the time to comment.
@DannyP- I love the way you just call 'em like you see 'em, bud! 
@DannyP BRAVO! you are correct sir!.....some of the boys here are aware of my story....after some effort & $$$ & time on my part replacing some cheap & a few WORN OUT 50 YR OLD PARTS parts and wiring shortcuts and attention to the details as well as a few custom touches...my JPS car is now nicely sorted out & on par IMHO with a vintage car...which are truly awesome as well....but, those that know 1st hand are fully aware of the personality disorder of Dr. Jekyll or Mr. hyde AKA one john joy steele....my 2 year adventure left a very FOUL taste in my mouth and nearly threw in the towel a few times....greg is a super guy & john boy? not so much...i'll say it again...do your own research & let the BUYER beware
I know both guys very well, i have a personal relationship with both, but its been probably 4 years since i seen either one. I was just putting a post to get some feedback .
Buyers, especially new to these types of cars should be on this list and immerse themselves in the I info before choosing a builder but hindsight is always 20-20
@JF356 after my experience (during construction and after receiving my car) with trying to get him to warranty obvious flaws in my car......thankfully he has just become a painful memory....he really should do something else for a living if he can not treat his customers in a business like fashion...again just IMHO
JF356 posted:I know both guys very well, i have a personal relationship with both, but its been probably 4 years since i seen either one. I was just putting a post to get some feedback .
Do you still have your red 911?
JF356 posted:I suppose. Still a big gap between competitors. I remember my first speedster with Kirk, it cost me $18,500 before taxes in 2004. Then again, the original speedsters went from $65,000 in 2004 to over $350,000 now.
So the price differential is becoming wider.
Like with my Spyder: Even at $70k it's 97 percent of the look, 98 percent of the feel and 120 percent of the performance—for 2 percent of the expense.
I would be nice to fit in one ;0 )
There is something fishy about this post.
1) Brand new member login from southern California, yet says they bought a speedster in 2004 and knows all the manufacturers personally. Did I mention that they are a brand new member who has never posted here before?
2) Clearly promoting JPS. I'm fairly sure "unique process and pricing which is far less expensive, and a better quality car", isn't a statement most of us are willing to back. Anyone who has evaluated the cars coming out of Vintage Motorcars that Greg is producing, would be very hard pressed to call a JPS "better quality".
3) After this first post, the user deactivates their account.
It just doesn't make sense that a long-time owner joins for the first time and doesn't introduce themself or share anything. They knew the correct price for a speedster in 2004, that isn't newbie knowledge. My gut reaction is that we are being trolled, perhaps by a pawn for one of the manufacturers.
-=theron
Based on what has been stated here I would guess JPS's pipeline may have run dry.
All I can say guys is I bought a previously owned JPS Speedster about 4 months ago with 1900 miles. It was built in 2018. Had a few minor problems. Mostly fuel related for sitting for months and the previous owner did nothing for it. I have spoken to John Steel more than several times. He has been helpful and accommodating. This is certainly not my first post.
All I can state is that I bought a JPS Speedster and it caught on fire on my fist test drive, after delivery and burned to the ground. I have now ordered from Roy at Cloud 9
@TNT posted:All I can state is that I bought a JPS Speedster and it caught on fire on my fist test drive, after delivery and burned to the ground. I have now ordered from Roy at Cloud 9
I'm really sorry, man. I wish your story was unique. It's not.
Wow, that really sucks. Sorry for your troubles.
I've seen this before. Unsecured fuel hose getting sucked into the fan behind the shroud. Tom Dewalt's coupe came that way from JPS. I caught it after it got cut but before completely through.
A couple clamps to the firewall is all it would take to prevent this unfortunate event.
@TNT i saw the photos of your car...such a shame....i would say that some of us that have a history with dr jekyll would like details of the story and its aftermath...enquiring minds need to know...feel free to PM me if you like and i'll share my stories some of which have been documented here
JF356 posted:I recently noticed a significant jump in price with MercedesBenz Cars. Yugo has a unique process and pricing which is far less expensive, and a better quality car. Anyone want to share or elaborate as to why you think the prices have gone up so much?.....
There, I fixed it.
