SAS Position Available At Discount

douglas, nick campo in the detroit area has the best deal going on his beck, if you are still after a car. bill

tmpusfugit. That's not a problem. $20,000 down and you can have it in 3 years. If you want it in 4 years, you will have to put $25,000 down.

... what with inflation, and all.

Troy,

Will you take a check on my Somali Checking account? My uncle in Nigera will vouch for me. Or would you consider a trade on some guarenteed water front property in Louisiana? With oil rights of course....

There is NO way on gods green earth I would pay someone $20 large to hope to have a car built within three years unless his name was Chip Foose.

Heck he can do it in seven days.......;-)

Sounds alot like the social security model to me. I hope y'all enjoy retirement... the way I understand it in 45 years when I retire there wont be any money left.

there will be plenty. Printing more insures that. It just won't buy much.

Paul - Sorry I missed meeting up with you and Dale on Sunday. Stuck on I95N returning from taking son to college (or I'd be retired now). Wash Post in May 2009 predicted that SS would be in red in 2037 --- I guess good news is that Medicare will be in red by 2017 so you won't be able to afford drugs to stay alive much less food 20 years earlier. Heck by then retirement will be 82 years old and a cardboard coffin will be an added job perk. As a retired federal employee I get a tremendous cut (via windfall elimination) in what I can draw from SS even though I have been forced to contribute - I used to say I'd only get gas money but even that is eroding.

Didn't that guy from SAS do a like a 3 year stretch in the 'casa grande' for money laundering & embezzlement??

Let me nip this one quickly. Steve at SAS has never spent a day in the local pokey or the big house for any offense. When contractual disputes have arisen, they have been settled by agreement.

This is not to say that customers have not attempted to bring legal action against him and he has flirted occasionally with the local authorities, but there has never been a trial of any sort. I don't recall anyone ever saying that assembling cars was an easy business. Just read some of the threads on this forum. I would expect when you have been doing it for 30 years, someone may occasionally become unhappy.

It has been my observation that folks often try to use the court system to punish someone they are unhappy with, not because there was a breach of contract, but perhaps they had to wait longer than expected or for other reasons. As we have also seen on this forum, there are two sides to most stories and the builders do not often comment as they are in a no-win situation.

I am told that the initiator of this thread has or is about to receive a full refund of his payment. Am I missing something here?

Charles, some of what you say is true, but you must admit that giving anyone 15 large and waiting for a return on that money for 3 years is a little fishy...Kinda makes one wonder what that money is actually doing for that length of time....

As to what transpired between the originator of this thread and SAS
is only known to them and most likely what we are being fed is a bunch of B.S.

It's too bad Steve cannot surround himself with the right people that are needed to expand production and deliver a car in timely fashion (6 months or less).

the important issue is just that. It is between the seller and the buyer. Negative dispersions based on speculation are BS and always will be. The fact that some will forkover 17 large on a bet of delivery, while foolishness to some, is sensible to others. For while longer, this is still AMERICA.

Vince, I am not one of those forum members that comments on the various business models used by the builders and do not take the same position as many on the upfront money. I have looked at the SAS business model and frankly do not find it that far out of line with other custom builders that build somewhat unique cars. SAS does not build on spec as does say VS and perhaps JPS. Beck uses a partial build strategy. IM uses a mixed strategy depending on whether the car is standard or special. My IM is standard. I would describe Tomm

Marty, I agree with your perspective but as we all know it is just not going to happen. I have beat on Steve for too many years without a significant increase in capability. I can only say that during this period he has narrowed his focus to primarily 356A replicas. I am not sure whether it

Charles, you left out the locating, shipment and purchase of the donor cars, wiring harness', sensors and payment to the 3rd party fiber-glassers that make the body. Also you forgot to mention the new innovations SAS as incorporated, power brakes, larger fuel cell and power windows for Speedsters. The new coil over shock suspension necessitated a redesign of the chassis which resulted in more leg room to accommodate a lot taller people than you and I, 6'4" I believe was the estimated figure. I understand that's there's an exotic Italian car builder that takes orders on factory built cars which take four years to build and requires a heftier down payment than SAS, but who am I to bitch about someone else's wait-times and down payments?

OK, I give up....apparently there are folks who do not think this is all a little far fetched...I stand corrected...I thought I needed to mention how rediculous it all sounded, but since some of you seem to think this is more normal than outlandish, I will lighten up on ol Steve....

I sometimes wake up in the morning feeling like I was in a war during the night and need to get medicated just to get thru the next day. I celebrate just waking up... I find it presumptious to plan even months ahead let alone years...Oh, and I have no idea what I may want to drive in a few years. I guess I'm the flake here....
Go figure....

As Vince mentioned (and I agree) at our age planning three years ahead is a bit of a gamble. Having said that, I also think that people should be able to spend their money as they wish. Each to their own.

Vince I am truly proud of your rebuttal. To each their own to construe their own rational. Personally speaking, I'm not into loaning a substantial sum of money to a company for a couple of years. ~Alan

Well at this point I will give a few impressions and thoughts as I now own a Reproduction 356 Speedster and have owned several real 356 Porsches.

First while I think some forward thinking is needed but keeping something simple is a big key here. If I want complicated I have a 2007 Passat. The dealer fixes that car.

My feeling is any of the water cooled cars are a way to solve a smog issue problem and along the way add a few creature comforts like AC but you give up the pure aspect of a Speedster in the first place. The originals were a stripped down version of A 356 that were begging to be raced and have fun with. People knew they were NOT sonething to run in foul weather or worry about a working heater.

As far as a business model SAS has IMHO fools for customers. For example if there are six customers in the que at $20 large to start the owner has $120K of other peoples money at all times at a minimum. The guy cant't deliver more than two a year? Ok so he has to buy a wrecked Subaru for parts. I'm in the junk business how many do you need? I used to hand lamanate fiberglass race car bodies. That was slow work. Chopper gun a body with a good mold it should take a day or two tops to build the major parts. Ok a day or two to cure and then lamanate the inners and outers. Build a frame? He should have a jig and if not he is an idiot!

Charles I don't know you and you sound like a reasonable person but can you really tell me that 3 years is NOT a long time to wait? Three years is 6240 hours based on a 40 hour week. With even the smallest of a production line there is NO way it should take three years to complete. Even if you only work two days a week that is 2496 hours. God bless the guys that do wait for SAS and I hope they get a car that is half as much fun as my new IM-6.

When it comes to a Speedster it is the driver/owners choice of what he/she wants or needs. For me it is all about keeping things simple. Water cooled? No thanks I prefer old school air cooled but with a extra pair of cylinders.

Cheers!

Time for a beer!

As my good friend, Scott, says:

FIDO

F*ck It Drive On

Ah Terry, words to live by.

How is this not a ponzi scheme?

I read that bernie madoff is on the SAS waiting list:}

I want to personally thank Dave, Bob and all the other SOC members that are so concerned what I do with my money and time. I am deeply touched that you feel so strongly about my welfare. Little did I realize how much you care when I drive around in my Ponzi 356. I will try to be wary in case my car may go poof and disappear in the myriad of mystery and misdealing of SAS. Has I known that a company that advertises on this site and has only been in business for the past 35 years was so devious I would have bought a Soltice or Sky and put the rest of my money in Pontiac stocks.

Nolan, don't mention it, out here on the Best Coast, we just figure anywhere East of Bakersfield, people are just a little backwards...
That includes Bakersfield of course...

That especially includes Bakersfield.......

Isn't Bakersfield known as "Nashville West"??

Vince, you and the rest of the west coast gang better keep an eye out for these guys.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/19661/california+great+white+shark+population+on+the+rise+scientist+says/

Thanks Marty, now you know why surfing is the most dangerous sport in the world. It's the only one which you can eaten alive!

Quit picking on Vince, 17K for a donar Subaru in advance and the car won't be ready for 3 years is quite frankly rediculous, but obviously there are people out there that buy into the theory, frankly anytime someone asks for large bills up front with a three year waiting period is kind of fishy, basically you are funding someone else's car that is being built at the time, that is not cool.

Now leave Vince alone, he is the greatest guy you will ever meet, don't let his looks fool you (the horns)! And btw-he is not fat, he is fluffy :) hehe.

Thank you Jennifer....These people don't understand how "in shape" I am....I'll have you know ROUND is a shape...

Nolan! WHAT? You live in Florida and don't consider alligator wrasselin' a sport? One where you can be eaten? You are never gonna' make a true southern redneck gentleman at this rate....

vince is "fluffy" and loves beehives, oh boy.

Hey, a Great White vs a Florida Gator? No contest, my money's on the fish.

Jennifer; why am I the bad guy? I put my money down and got exactly what I ordered as have over 20 other people not counting the VW powered Speedster produced by the ONLY builder displayed on this site. So I had to wait, so what? That's no body's business but mine. I didn't blink an eye when Vince bought a 50 plus year old car for 50 big ones, nor does it matter to me someone else paid over 90 grand for an IM with Porsche running gears or had major issue with a JPS Coupe. I served my country for over 40 years and earned my money to do as I wish. So unless you've been screwed by SAS or have any vested interest in my affairs and that of other SAS buyers let this subject die. I am getting tired of people "kicking my dog" around.

Nolan, my brutha! All the more reason for you to trailer that bad-boy SAS to SOC Pismo next year and kick some a$$ with your 'good' foot!

...I'm just saying...8-)

Nolan...Fluffy here, This thread isn't dying that quickly because it is so hard to believe the circumstances...Jennifer obviously agrees with what I said all along, perhaps she just joined in recently, and thought I was being picked on...She's my bud, we stick up for each other....Which is one of the reasons I got started on this thread to begin with. This all sounds like a big Ponzi scheme to me, take a big down, use it now for whatever because you got 3 years to play with, or even use it to generate much more money....Who knows what it is being used for. It is a ligitimate question.....

I decided to quit, since there were some who actually don't mind waiting 3 years or what the money is used for...
The question was raised, answered and now everyone can make up their own mind....I'm done...........

Oh, almost forgot, What car did I buy that is 50 years old and cost me 50 large....If you are refering to my T-bird, I paid 30 Large and with only minor tweeking, drove it to Morro Bay and back, and yes, the guys were able to leave me in their dust, but I made it.....
The 30 Large is a deal, look at the car in my files....
Oh, and it's REAL....

Isn't that the point? Nolan, Jim, et al, are free to make their own choices. Sounds like a great idea to me, any way you look at it.

Bob

yep, don't like my people being picked on, he is my bud, and yes I did come in late to the convo.

Nolan- don't get you panties in a wad, it just sounds like an iffy deal, I can appreciate that you served your country etc., but not sure what that has to do with this conversation. There are many many good things that I have done, but I don't feel the need to share them here to make a point. We were all just expressing our thoughts, like we always do. BTW- how did you get in on this, I thought the question/conversation was started by Douglas?

END OF CONVERSATION, now lets hug and make up :)

U GUYS ARE FUNNY