VS or BS

I had a bad experience with them as well. Ordered a interier kit and over half the carpet pieces had glue on them ... their solution just rub some gas on the spots, that's all they would do (if I retuned them at my expense). Did that work yes but not a I'm sorry or any thought to a discount on any furure orders. Plus I ordered two other pieces that where not at all as avertised which I could return at my expense as well.

I called them three time to order door handles, With out them even returning my call NOT ONCE. I finally got ahold of someone and they were rude to me . The handles showed up in about 10 days  But they are nice quality and work well. Its a shame that they can't get it together when it comes to customer service

I'm certainly not an apologist for VS,,, (having been burnt on ordered parts over two years ago)...but I think we have to cut them some slack.

 

With the volume of replicas being turned out at Hawaiian Gardens it's to be expected that some will have mismatched components, missing components, lousy paint jobs, hubcaps that fall off, misaligned tranny shifters, etc...Kirk and Mary can't be expected to be on top of every little detail, and apparently the parts ordering desk has been neglected too.

 

But then...on the positive side... it gives us the opportunity to roll up our sleeves, pull out the John Muir Manual and experience the satisfaction of bonding with our replicas by 'sorting' them out.

 

 

  

Hey Carl, I totally understand mistakes happen, it's just how they are handled is a different story. I'm not looking for anything FREE but don't tell me it's my fault because you have a misprinted price on your website then charge me more, then say my pitted bumper guards were the best they could find on the shelves so that's what I get. That's just bad business
End rant

First.  No vendor is perfect.  In this case, what you may not know is that Mary has been very sick and in and out of the hospital for the past several months.  I really think that needs to be taken into consideration here.
Vintage's main business is that of a manufacturer, not a parts supplier.  They aren't giving parts away for free, but they aren't making a bundle on the parts they provide us with either.  I'm very glad that they are willing to continue to provide us with parts.  Additionally, Vintage has been sold, so they are going through a transition period right now.
I've had some communication with Jason, the new owner and he has been posting on the list, so I am sure he will see this thread.  He has publicly stated that he plans to correct some of the "issues" that Vintage is experiencing and that he plans to be very involved with our community.
Vintage is a good company and I have faith that they will correct the things that need to be corrected and continue to support our hobby and community.

MG Magic (Miami and CA) still carries some Speedster parts too. No bargains other than the few tonneaus and tops listed by JBTrades on ebay.  No bumper overriders listed but fiberglass bumpers without trim are a pricey $195 each.  

Troy,

Mary was not sick when I dealt with them and I had the same poor service.  That being said, I have had good results with Kathy and Horace.  My experience was all bad dealing with Kirk

I paid for a banjo wheel and never got it.  What I did get was a used, scratched Nardi knockoff that I would have gotten without paying anything. I was told I would get nothing back. What is the excuse for that.  If you think I am not being charitable enough, ask Todd Rimers or Jerry Freeman about there experiences.

I had to send a hood handle back that looked like it was made on a Monday morning someplace on China.  I did get another and also ordered seats and other trim bits and they were just great.  That being said, I was promised a part form Sierra Madre for not inconsiderable money and waited about 6 weeks to be told finally that they were having problems with the manufacturer.  I was not happy to have my money taken and no part.  I finally went to Beck.  Shipped right out and also purchased repro gauges and such from them.  Good people to deal with.  Try them out as well.

Frank

I've had nothing but jaw-dropping great service from Beck.  Never dealt with VS.

I have dealt with both VS and Special Editions (Beck)....  Special Editions, while slightly more expensive, has an edge in quality, and customer service...   They have never let me down whether I was working on my Beck Spyder, or the CMC... Cudos to Kevin and Carey Hines..

Well, I guess I'd better say how great Intermeccanica is, but everyone knows that already.

 

 

Realistically, these companies are builders of specialty automobiles; they are not necessarily sellers of parts, and I think that has to be considered.  Parts sellers will devote one hundred percent to getting that order ready and shipped.  I imagine the manufacturers do that when they have spare time.

x2 Leon...x2!

 

BTW, can anyone explain why 'Intermmecanica' is spelled with 2 C's ?

INTERMECCANICA...3 "c"s Carl. One "m"

Rich just explained it...or clarified it, that is.

 

 

Originally started in Turin, Italy by Frank Reisner, it was "Construzione Automobili Intermeccanica".

yea, I should have said "double C's"...but you knew that didn't you!

I don't know how to pronounce those double consonants.

It's an Italian thing.  I have talked to Kevin about buying a used Beck and about buying some parts and I was very impressed both times with how much time he was willing to spend helping me.

Living just 20 miles from VS factory I've seen their shop. VS does not specialize in parts, just building. Getting parts from them is just a special service; we are lucky at that. Also, some of you may have heard Kirk was under serious medical care last year. I pray that this new arrangement at VS works out, because Kirk really needs good help and needs to take care of his health or else . . . .?

 I probably have bought more in parts from VS than most have combined here for my 35 speedster projects. ( some parts orders were large enough to be shipped on pallets.)

Yes I too have had some parts issues however, VS is not in the parts business but provides parts as a service....Kirk has always made good on all orders. It was once told to me that when ordering parts and if super busy Kirk answers the phone, hang up and call back to get Cathy or Mary on the phone :~)

Nah, the women MAY charge you double for parts that sell in pair.  It was resolved within a week though...

The fellow's name at Vintage-Motorcar.com now involved with VS is "Justin" (not Jason, but as you will read in a second I could have gotten the name that close too, but.........). Small world story: I bought my 2004 Mini Cooper S from him when he used to work at Mini here in Scottsdale. I had nothing but a good experience with him.

 

My limited experience with Kirk and Mary? Bought a top bow and hardware from them a few months ago and transaction and shipping was as smooth as silk. 

Any of us who have visited Vintage Speedsters know that it's a pretty small shop and everyone is always busy doing something worthwhile - Nobody's sitting around idle.

 

Understanding that, and the fact that they truly are a builder and not a parts supplier, should set some expectations for the rest of us.  Everyone has good and bad days.  Catch someone there on a day when the fenders hit the fan and you may not have the best experience asking them for something that they have to do special work to address.

 

Catch them on a good day when things are humming and the coffee maker is perking and your experience may be a lot different.  We've all read on here about the issues they both (Mary and Kirk) have been having and I truly hope that things are improving so that they can slow down.  I was in that awful position once and really appreciated it when others cut me a little slack.

 

That said, though, there is obviously a demand out here for Speedster parts that could be addressed by the new owner of Vintage (Justin) and written up on here as to who should be contacted and how to order parts so as not to disrupt the apple cart of the rest of the business. He may already have done this and I missed it and, if so, it bears repeating.  What's the best way to order parts from Vintage so that everyone's happy?

 

I hope that happens - we certainly don't want to lose a valuable parts source!

It's a question of priorities.  Beck is a much smaller shop and makes it a priority to give great response on parts.  Whether there's adequate margins in this, I don't know, but this support leads to customer loyalty, customer endorsement, and, hopefully more vehicle sales.

It's a different model.  If you want to get service on a suit, you go to a men's clothing store & pay for if.  If you want to go cheap, you head to target.

Nether is right or wrong, just different.

I'm clearly a full-service customer and greatly appreciate the support.

The problem is when people expect men's store support & target prices.

I haven't compared Beck vs VS part prices, but I doubt that there's a big gap.  SE chooses the full-service, long-term relationship approach...and it's working for me.

Yup it's Justin.  I work with a Jason and a Justin and I always get them mixed up.  It is Justin and he intends to fix these problems.

I find the exact same thing with Intermeccanica, Tom.

 

 

I just spoke to Kirk about VS being sold and it has NOT, just an offer was made but no hand shake at this time. Business building cars will continue as normal.

Well that is certainly interesting!

Ive ordered a lot of parts for my car.  Vintage has never made a mistake and inhave received parts in a vey short time.  BUT!!  These cars are not cheap to maintain and you shouldn't be cheap when buying parts. I recommend Sierra Madre Collection or Stoddard. quality parts,  prices aren't bad and Sierra Madre has never ever refused a return..    Or even better ask on this sight people may have extra stuff laying around

 

Troy,

     I find it now interesting myself. I look at the Vintage-Motorcar site and one of the gallery photos has a speedster with VS emblem. Next, the site webmaster is dated 2014. Next interesting is the FAQ section has so very close the same details as VS site . . . . almost wording is ferbadum. Except, they state starting in 1988 with the same number of builds as VS. Look at it very carefully the FAQ could be close enough to be the same. And if one goes to the contact us section, the address show Phoenix vs the web map just next to it show Compton. Crazy I say?????

Teby, these cars could not be cheaper to maintain as far as cool weekend toys go.  Compare them to almost anything else fun and cool and they are a fraction of the cost.  Insurance and registration in California are insanely cheap IMO.  I am the king of tightwads and ended up here instead of with an NSX or Lotus which I also "Lurked" over for years.

Mr lurker.    

You have a good point. I'm a bit of a tight wad too But even though they may be relatively inexpesive you really don't want to apply or use cheap parts on your car.  Tight wad or not  you must always remember  "a penny saved is a dollar spent".  If you buy a cheaply made part more than likely you'll have to replace it sooner rather than later thus spending more money in the long run!!  

 

In closing, I'd sure hate to have my car sitting in the garage on a nice weekend due to a cheap part I purchased. 

 

happy saturday. Headed out in my car for a nice breakfast and a little drive 

 

 

Agreed about the quality parts.