OK - I'm another newbie. Sort of. I owned 2 original speedsters in the early 70's. My question is does anyone have any experience with the SAS (speciality auto sports) replicas? On the surface they appear to be a great daily driver at a reasonable price. Thanks for your help in advance.
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Can't wait to watch this thread. Have you found a used one somewhere or are you looking to order a new one?
Thanks for the search tip. I am new to forums. How would I do that?
As a matter of fact, I do have experience with a SAS (Specialty Auto-Sports) replica, having owned one for a number of years. I can certainly attest to the fact that it is a great daily driver as well as a long distance traveler. The company and builder have been much maligned on this website due to the slow output, but most owners who have stayed the course are very pleased. I certainly am.
My car has been well documented on the SAS website in that it is featured on the cover page, lists awards won, documents my trip to the west coast and Carlisle, PA the first year of ownership and has two YouTube videos with ScottDTV. The car, to say the least, has had a storied history and has brought me much pleasure and pride.
As the Byrds and the Bible tell us, to everything there is a season. My ownership of this vehicle is in the Winter season and it is softly for sale. I am encouraging serious, interested people to contact me so that we can discuss the inevitable sale and, sadly, bring this chapter of my life to a close. I have chatted to about a dozen prospects and had three offers to date and two of them were in the right ballpark, but for right now, it remains in my garage. I am looking for about a mid-thirties price point but will consider SLIGHTLY less.
I may be the loudest critic on this forum of SAS and their business practices, which I find, from my personal experience, to be negligent at best, criminal at worst. SAS owners have tried to establish a queue on their own to figure out who is waiting and for how long. The waiting list now has at least 20 buyers on it, with the longest-waiting member now in the queue for 10 years this November! This is after paying SAS $17,000. Is this a great country or what? The sad truth is that no one, except SAS, knows how many buyers are in the queue. We know of 20, but there may be 200. Not surprisingly, SAS isn't talking.
As we all witness, every few months, another disgruntled "buyer" comes on SOC, decrying the fact that he has paid SAS a deposit, and now can't get a car or even a response to a phone call or email. The last two buyers to do so on SOC weren't even listed in the queue that SAS owners established on their own, some time ago. That's why no one really knows how many buyers are actually waiting.
Interestingly enough, I was contacted some time back by another member of this site, who shall remain nameless. He asked me to tone down my criticism of SAS, not because it was inaccurate, but because he was going to offer his SAS car for sale, and my comments might cause him a drop in profit when he went to sell. So much for SOC brotherhood, eh? Underneath that "aw, shucks" exterior beats the heart of an investment banker.
Shoddy business practices are shoddy business practices... Even if the product turns out acceptable at the end.
To share that info off list at times might be necessary but I wont be muzzled to stopsharing any experience i live
...but it certainly seems that some are down right deceitful
Hoss (John Hallstrand) has the very first, and possibly the best built of the cabriolets built by SAS. I can strongly recommend his car. Based on the information from folks on this site, that is the only way I can recommend one.
Both Beck and Intermeccanica (IM) also offer Subaru-powered cars. IM cars have several suspension options and Beck is in the process of developing a whole new chassis design. You have options, but Hoss' car should be considered a very good one.
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I have never seen Hoss' car or an SAS in person. Post up some pics pls
I bought a pre-owned SAS cabriolet, and it is awesome! I was about to contact Beck to have them build me a subaru powered speedster, when a guy in Arkansas decided to sell his SAS.
I would do a lot of research before plopping down a 5-digit down payment.
If you come across one that's already built, go for it!
WNGD posted:I have never seen Hoss' car or an SAS in person. Post up some pics pls
Hello Wingd. There are plenty of pictures and two youtube videos (much better than just photos) on the SAS website. Have a look and see for yourself.
It's the red one on the home page. There is also a driving report by fellow board member Gordon Nichols as well. Lane, Danny and Marty G. have all ridden in or driven it.
Jethro posted:I bought a pre-owned SAS cabriolet, and it is awesome! I was about to contact Beck to have them build me a subaru powered speedster, when a guy in Arkansas decided to sell his SAS.
I would do a lot of research before plopping down a 5-digit down payment.
I would not even consider doing business with SAS it's just FOOLISH!
If you come across one that's already built, go for it!
Hoss's car is beautiful and completely sorted out and a great value! SAS builds are nicely done when, they get done...that about sums it up.
The one with the black top is John's SAS car. These pictures were taken waaaaaay back in 2007, but the car still looks this good. That's John (Hoss) in the picture.
And one with the top down from '09.
And at the end of the Tail of the Dragon in '07. Not only is John's car a particularly nice one, it is a gateway to a lot of fun with some very, um, "interesting" people.
A big thanks to all for the info. It sounds like the SAS cars are great but the purchasing from them leaves something to be desired. Hoss' cab looks great but I have my heart set on a speedster. Any club owners with used SAS speedsters can step in now.
What's your timeline? The Beck folks have something brewing, but it may be a bit if you're set on a mid-engined car. If all you want is water-cooled, they can help you now. Best customer service you can get.
I agree with Lane on Beck customer service.
I ordered a pair of their door pulls on Tuesday from Kevin, the owner of the company, and had them Friday.
Thanks Will and Lane. I'm in So Cal so maybe I'll make a visit to Beck
Flaco posted:Thanks Will and Lane. I'm in So Cal so maybe I'll make a visit to Beck
Beck is in Indiana so it'll be a trip. Vintage is right there in Hawaiian Gardens so you can always swing by there first.
Flaco posted:Thanks for the search tip. I am new to forums. How would I do that?
At the top right of the page, just left of your name and avatar, is a magnifier looking icon. Click on that and type in some keywords.
You might to be more specific in what it is you want and why. Maybe SAS isn't the only game in town that can handle your requests.
Thanks Lane for your endorsement. Parting with the Red Man will be a gut wrenching experience. My timeline is open and I'm in no rush. I still smile every time I step into the garage or take it on a run.
If you are so attuned, check out Intermeccanica. Used Speedsters come up once in a while, and you can't beat the quality and customer service.
And John, you will miss the Red Man...
So will a lot of us. 
Someone will get a VERY nice car if you let it go, Hoss.
