[DeTomaso] Vendors

Wed Mar 1 22:58:28 EST 2006

I agree.  I had a similar response from another vendor.

My heater core leaks.  I called Wilkinson.  He said he had one, but he
didn't recommend it.  I asked why?  He said, because it's expensive (around
$1000 I think), and it's original, so the quality isn't that great.  He said
I could have one made at a radiator shop for a lot less that's higher
quality.

I wouldn't be surprised if you got the same response from Wilkinson about
the exhaust hanger.  It's a pain in the @ss to keep a website up-to-date.
It might have actually cost him $56.30 for the hangers back then.  Maybe the
price on the website is old.

I ordered a windshield from Wilkinson.  It was around $500-$600, I forget.
With a gasket and shipping it was right at $1000.  It was the special in
Profiles a while back.  That's cheap for *any* car, let alone a low-volume
one.

I asked Lloyd Butfoy for a front seal on a ZF.  He gave me the PN, and told
me to buy it locally.  One vendor was asking $20 for the seal (on the
phone - not just on the website).  The local price was $1.50.  I didn't care
that much.  I just wanted the damn seal.  I bought 5 of them locally.

Rear bearings are the same way.  They are pretty cheap if you know what to
ask for in a bearing store.  I bought mine from Quella while my car was dead
in Little Rock.  It would have taken a week to find the part myself.  It was
worth it to me to have Dennis express mail the stuff to my brother's house.

If I'm looking for a part, and I'm okay with the vendor price, I buy from
them.  If I have time, and it isn't a Pantera specific part, I shop around.
Yeah, I waste time doing it, but it's part of the fun.

wk.

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com
[mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]On Behalf Of Jim Hendrickson
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 4:02 PM
To: 'Gray Gregory'; 'detomaso'
Subject: RE: [DeTomaso] Vendors

+1 for Dennis & Co. I think that must be company policy. I have had Rai
Alice question me about what I thought I wanted and then sell me the
part I actually needed.....for less money. I swear she knows more about
our cars than many of us do.

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]
On Behalf Of Gray Gregory
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 4:08 PM
To: pantera3641 at azballistics.com; 'detomaso'; JDeRyke at aol.com
Subject: RE: [DeTomaso] Vendors

No doubt many of the DeTomaso factory parts are over priced, but how
does selling something that probably cost the vendors $40+ for $56.30
make them greedy bastards? Now if you're talking about the
factory.......

I'll also bet that if I called Dennis Quella today and tried to order a
pair of these factory hangers that he would probably try to talk me out
of it and either offer me a cheaper generic version or even suggest that
I go to the local muffler shop and have your high school drop out make
me a pair.

Gray

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]
On Behalf Of pantera3641 at azballistics.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 2:52 PM
To: detomaso; JDeRyke at aol.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Vendors

I have no issue with Pantera specific parts.   But when you take two
pieces
of old tire, or a piece of rubber, cut it, rivet it to a piece of metal,
drill a few holes in it, then say it will cost $60 because it is for a
Pantera when you can get the same thing made at any muffler shop by some
high school dropout, I say that is B.S.    Then when others find
interchangeable parts, they suddenly "drop" their cost.   Show me a
Pantera
vendor that has tooled up and invested such expense that someone should
pay
$120 for a pair of hangers.   Why should anyone on this list want to be
so
loyal to one of these greedy bastards that they will pay any price for
the sake of "supporting" our vendors so that they can stay in business?

Right now, at this moment, Wilkinson has the little piece of rubber,
just a hunk of rubber for $56.30 EACH!!!
http://www.panterapartsusa.com/images/pi/10012A.jpg

Jack, that is a piece of rubber.  And we should support these people out
of blind allegiance?  I don't think so.

Ron

----- Original Message -----
  From: JDeRyke at aol.com
  To: pantera3641 at azballistics.com ; detomaso at realbig.com
  Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 1:06 PM
  Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Vendors

  Re outrageously-high priced parts, is is barely possible that where
vendors
  are getting their stuff is outrageously high-priced to begin with?
I've seen
  parts invoices from DeTomaso (when they were still in business) that
would curl
  your hair....  I also hear stories from the vendors about guys "who
want the
  @$#%&&* part today!!" So it gets shipped overnight express.... and the
shipping
  cost matches the purchase price. Thats also somehow the vendors
fault......
  With some searching electronically or via shoe-leather, one can almost
always
  find something that works, is cheaper and sometimes is even durable.
Our
  Panteras exhaust hanger rubbers are fabricated from a large strip of
EPDM rubber
  once used as the lining for a Titan solid-fuel booster rocket; should
I recommend
  this as a cheap 'fix'? I'm not a vendor nor do I work for one, but I
often

  make my own parts since no one has exactly what I think I need. But
many people
  don't have the time, tools, willingness or expertise to make their own
parts,
  modify things that almost fit or search out a correct replacement, so
they buy
  parts from a vendor. This has one enormous advantage- IT FITS 'cause
someone
  who knows what they're doing has found a source, tried it and likely
bought a
  quantity to resell. 'Course, it may take decades to recoup their
investment,
  if they guessed right & others really want such a thing. Otherwise,
the parts
  sit on a shelf forever. And vendors have a fairly limited market- best
guess
  today is about 2500 Panteras left in the U.S. & maybe 1000 more in the
rest of
  the world- hardly a good business model to make a living. Finally, if
you buy
  from a vendor, there's a warranty. Mail-order & E-Bay often have zero
warranty
  or outright fraud, as many have sadly found. Good luck- J DeRyke
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