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Would love to hear both personal recommdations as well as cautionary tales. Who are the vendors that support us and deserve our support? I'll start.
Vendors I Love:
Auto Foreign Services
This isn’t going to surprise anyone. Quality products and a quality person. If you need it and Eric offers it, you should buy it. ‘Nuff said.
Autobahn Interiors
Tony is the man. Always great work and understands that Porsche guys like us care about authenticity.
AppBiz
Weird name. But (limited) good stuff at fair prices and Bob is always willing to talk about your needs (and talk, and talk).
Gaudin Porsche
When I need factory parts, I always buy from Gaudin. Deep discounts from dealer prices and the manager, Mark, is a really good guy.
AASE Sales
I sometimes visit their site just to treasure hunt.
Billmark Plating
Yellow plating of my misc. parts, nuts and bolts and charges by the pound.
Moreland Hose
Custom AC hoses. They can do anything and do it quickly and cheap.
GTS Classics
Big fan of their aftermarket seats and few people try as hard to help you as Stefan does.
PMB Performance.
The caliper masters. What will we do if they ever go away?
Vendors I Hate:
Griffiths AC
The Internet is rampant with stories about Charlie Griffith and his terrible customer service and petty attitude. It’s too bad, really, because they sell some great stuff. But Charlie is prick(ly) by any measure.
Auto Atlanta
This one is just weird. Their communication is terrible. Nothing on their website that I can’t buy elsewhere yet they behave as if you should be grateful they’re willing to let you buy from them. Ugh.
North Hollywood Speedometer
I’m not usually that price sensitive. But these guys are charging roughly a billion dollars per gauge now. I’m out.
On the Fence:
Sierra Madre
Lots of unsavory and off-putting stories about the owner (I have some of my own). But I’m sometimes forced to buy from them when they’re the only vendor for something obscure that I really need. Service is fine but I hate spending money with a company owned by someone I don’t respect. Maybe I should buy it?
Weidman’s Wheels
Harvey is an artist. But I, and a lot of others, won’t use him. His customer service is so bad it’s become a running joke behind his back (even with his friends). He once had a set of my wheels for almost 2 years and ignored at least a dozen of my emails and calls during that time - and then called me irate when I happened to mention it in a friendly and joking manner. People used to be afraid to speak the truth when he was the only option for Fuchs restoration. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case.
Pelican Parts
I appreciate that they work hard to be part of the community, and their forums have helped me build a lot of cars, but it’s hard to buy from them when so much of their inventory is just bought from the dealer and marked up.
Stoddard
This one might be personal. As an ecommerce professional, their site actually offends me. I mean, who can’t quote you shipping before you pay these days? I do buy from them, but only as a last resort.
Vendors I Love:
Auto Foreign Services
This isn’t going to surprise anyone. Quality products and a quality person. If you need it and Eric offers it, you should buy it. ‘Nuff said.
Autobahn Interiors
Tony is the man. Always great work and understands that Porsche guys like us care about authenticity.
AppBiz
Weird name. But (limited) good stuff at fair prices and Bob is always willing to talk about your needs (and talk, and talk).
Gaudin Porsche
When I need factory parts, I always buy from Gaudin. Deep discounts from dealer prices and the manager, Mark, is a really good guy.
AASE Sales
I sometimes visit their site just to treasure hunt.
Billmark Plating
Yellow plating of my misc. parts, nuts and bolts and charges by the pound.
Moreland Hose
Custom AC hoses. They can do anything and do it quickly and cheap.
GTS Classics
Big fan of their aftermarket seats and few people try as hard to help you as Stefan does.
PMB Performance.
The caliper masters. What will we do if they ever go away?
Vendors I Hate:
Griffiths AC
The Internet is rampant with stories about Charlie Griffith and his terrible customer service and petty attitude. It’s too bad, really, because they sell some great stuff. But Charlie is prick(ly) by any measure.
Auto Atlanta
This one is just weird. Their communication is terrible. Nothing on their website that I can’t buy elsewhere yet they behave as if you should be grateful they’re willing to let you buy from them. Ugh.
North Hollywood Speedometer
I’m not usually that price sensitive. But these guys are charging roughly a billion dollars per gauge now. I’m out.
On the Fence:
Sierra Madre
Lots of unsavory and off-putting stories about the owner (I have some of my own). But I’m sometimes forced to buy from them when they’re the only vendor for something obscure that I really need. Service is fine but I hate spending money with a company owned by someone I don’t respect. Maybe I should buy it?
Weidman’s Wheels
Harvey is an artist. But I, and a lot of others, won’t use him. His customer service is so bad it’s become a running joke behind his back (even with his friends). He once had a set of my wheels for almost 2 years and ignored at least a dozen of my emails and calls during that time - and then called me irate when I happened to mention it in a friendly and joking manner. People used to be afraid to speak the truth when he was the only option for Fuchs restoration. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case.
Pelican Parts
I appreciate that they work hard to be part of the community, and their forums have helped me build a lot of cars, but it’s hard to buy from them when so much of their inventory is just bought from the dealer and marked up.
Stoddard
This one might be personal. As an ecommerce professional, their site actually offends me. I mean, who can’t quote you shipping before you pay these days? I do buy from them, but only as a last resort.
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