Sorry to say all this but I think it's time.

I've been buying a lot of after market pieces for our MINI's (yes, we have 2). And I'm the type of person who likes to shop. I like to support people who support my hobby but I also like to know I'm getting a good deal when I buy something.

My issue is that for most parts I'm buying, I'm finding much better deals form non NAM sponsors. There are a lot of companies out there who sell the exact parts for much less. What's up with that??

Now there are some good deals from some NAM vendors so don't think it's everything. But for the most part, our sponsors are high priced!

I'm more than happy to support our sponsors, but come on vendors!! Please quit sticking it to us on parts that can be had elsewhere for less!

Vendors have given me several reasons why this is but I don't buy it. Other non NAM vendors are making a fine living selling parts for less. Why can't you be the ones giving us the really nice deals?

Please help us out here. We're supporting you. The least you can do is get us the deals we can get elsewhere!

For those who question my comments, do a google search next time you're thinking of buying parts. You may not find them all but you'll be surprised at what you do find.

ripley.

 

Yah....just look at car graphics for example....

There is a company...www.idlegear.co.uk that will ship to the US in a week for FREE....their graphics are all made for simple DIY applications and the materials are great

Get this...i bought a checkered roof $75 and it came with free bonnet stripes

Look at cooperflags....they have a checkered roof but it require a pro install...and it costs multiple hundreds of dollars!!!! But yet, they are a NAM sponsor so thats what you are supposed to say when someone asks where to go. No one ever mentions the cheaper better places (like www.idlegear.co.uk)

You wanna another example? Go check out www.hopupracing.com under BMW/MINI....some of the prices on there beat many NAM sponsor on things like suspension and engine upgrades

 

Ripley,

I can sell parts cheaper out of my garage than anyone can from a business. For example I know that Randy Webb tests all of the items he sells. He runs a race car and tries stuff out, he pays for his sponsorship on this site, and he backs up what he sells. Yes I can do a google/yahoo/etc search and find an Alta pully for less, or an intake that has been tried and tested for less, etc.

Are you willing to go to google and buy a _______________(fill in the item here)(like a head from Joe Smuck's spare bedroom) that you know nothing about and put it on you MINI . Or do you check out the venders here, decide who has tested what and then go buy the same brand from my basement?

It cost MONEY to run a BUSINESS. I buy from sponsors when I can, however, I too have bought from other places besides from the sponsors here. As an example I buy my tires and wheels from Discount Tire aka American Tire as I get great service from my local store and they are a nationwide chain that I can go to in a lot of different cities so for me that makes it a better deal. Service is an important part of the sale/service....try and get Joe Smuck to come fix your problem like Randy Webb will.

Earl

 

Also, here is another company that offers great deals on Alta stuff (specifically suspension)

http://www.jscspeed.com/mini/suspension/amp_swaybar.htm

 

We own MINI's. . . . we are happy if we do not have to pay too much of a premium over MSRP!

I do know there might be some better deals out there, but I do prefer to buy my parts from someone who supports this site, who I know personally and who will stand behind their products 100%.

As an example: My Magnaflow exhaust began to rattle from inside the resonator. As soon as I told Randy Webb about my problem, he was in action to ensure that I got a replacement piece shipped to me directly from Magnaflow. He did not demand I produce my original receipt nor that I ship the failed part back to him or Magnaflow. He just made sure that I was taken care of completely.

 

Did you check out the above??? First off I don't get anything from Randy Webb, however, I compaired his prices to hopupracing's since I have bought most of my stuff from Webbmotorsports.

.............................Randy Webb's prices...............Hopupracing prices.....

Nolgy wires....................$150.00 ................($169.00) on sale for $152.00
Alta Pulley......................$119.00............... ..($189.00).................$145.00
Alta int cooler div............$169.99.................($199.00).. ...............$159.00
Alta S CAI.......................$255.00...............($ 329.00)..................$245.00

TOTAL........................... $693.99........................................... ...$701.00

Since I live in California the 7.75% tax off sets the shipping.

Now that I've shot of my mouth I sure hope I did not make a mistake in my calculations However, if I did I'm sure someone will let me know

Earl

 

Classic MINI has great prices on OEM stuff like parcel shelfs & etc. Webb Motorsports has competitive pricing and great customer service.

 

I agree that some of the parts on hopupracing are indeed mor expensive then randy webbs...but if you look many of them are cheaper as well. I didnt mean to say that they are under-cutting ALL prices, but its nice sometimes when you might find it for cheaper there. I always check both places. I personally love webbmotorsports....randy is a great guy and deserves the money

 

I understand it takes money to run a business and you can sell out of you garage for less. But here's 2 points of reality. One, not all non-NAM sponsors sell out of their garage. Most are legitamate businesses with expenses. BTW, they seem to be doing well. And two, some of our NAM sponsors don't appear to be doing much more than selling out of their garage.

And I'm not picking on Randy here. I've bought stuff from him as well. And no, I wouldn't buy a head from an unknown. But I would buy known brands of items like springs, and suspension parts, brake parts, spark plugs, intake parts, etc, etc.

I'm not asking for free parts. I'd just like the sponsors to be more competitive in a real world market place.

 

ripley,

You do make good points and it will be interesting to see how the real world marketplace affects NAM sponsors over time.

If one of these discount resellers became a NAM sponsor, it might have a more immediate affect on the prices we see here, but I still feel that I am buying both parts and service from people that I know personally and I am also buying their support and knowledge base.

Ryan and Chad of www.detroittuned.com will be doing my pulley and other mods at the Dragon. Both of them have spent significant time with me through email, PM's here at NAM, and on the phone to help me come up with the best mods for me.

When I have had specific unusual questions like "should I have the dealer upgrade the ECU version n(i'm still running the original version from 2002) first if I am going to do a 15% pulley and a Unichip or does the Unichip override the factory ECU?"

I can reach Ryan by email, PM, Yahoo Messenger, telephone, or by having a friend ask him the next time he sees him, but I can't get any answers out of a cardboard box full of parts from a place that sells parts cheap but has minimal personal experience with the MINI.

 

You're full of speculation today aren't you...

- they don't sell out of their garage...
- they make a fine living...

The truth is, you know nothing about these companies/people - unless of course you work for one of them. I personally know countless people who have opened performance shops only to close them within a year... and this is just in my state. The fact that there's a storefront doesn't imply longevity or profitability.

If price is the absolute only concern you have, then fine - go shopping around each time you want to buy something. Don't come back here bitching if/when something goes wrong. You've already publicly stated that price was your primary concern.

What you obviously don't understand is that developing a relationship with a vendor has hidden benefits. Increased customer service, price breaks, personal recommendations... whatever. I'm not really advocating one style of buying over the other. I've done both.

Making a blanket statement that prettymuch bashes anyone who is a NAM sponsor is a pretty low-class move though. You look like you have an agenda. Noone here is forcing you to buy from any of these people. You should, however, have the decency to respect the site you're posting on enough to not disrespect their business partners. If you were posting this on my site your account would already be closed.

 

Hey everybody...

We're trying to give everybody a break at minimotive.com . WE have ALTA pulleys for 113.99, ALTA swaybars for $161.49, ALTA intakes with silicone for $240.99, Lightened crank pulley $142.49, Large ALTA Intercooler for $702.99... we're trying to be the walmart of ALTA .

Come & visit us!
Bryan Eagle
Terry Sayther MINImotive
Austin, TX, USA
http://www.minimotive.com

 

Well said. I buy lots of parts to build/support my project vehicles. Most of the time I buy from supporting vendors for the support I get back. Generic off the shelf parts I generally shop or buy local. Performance parts developed for a specific vehicle I buy from supporting vendors. What is needed is pricing cometition/matching between supporting vendors. Other boards I follow for other vehicles have monthly specials from supporting vendors. This month it's exhausts, next month may be pulleys, etc. The vendors choose to participate or not. Group buys are anoth way for us to save and vendors to make money. Lower price higher volume. All pre-sold so the vendor does not have to sit on inventory.

 

JeffS,

I'm sorry you got up on the wrong side of the bed today. You seem a little upset at my post.

I do understand and value relationships. But I also understand business.

You should re-read my posts. I'm not making blanket statements nor am I bashing anyone.

I prefer buying from our sponsors.

I'm simply saying that a wise shopper can do better and it's too bad some of our vendors aren't more aggressive on their pricing.

I really don't understand why you would have a problem with this. Unless you enjoy paying more than you should or you work for one of the sponsors who are high priced.

ripley.

 

Having been involved in other enthusiast forums, it does seem that there is an unwritten rule amongst the vendors to be at approximately the same price for any given product.

What I used to see in the other 'world' and don't see too much of here is special offers or group buys. I'm surprised to have not seen any performance parts offers (intercooler, pulley, camber bars, BBK's, whatever) as we rapidly approach prime driving season.

I'm not impugning the reputation of any vendor, since I have no idea what motivates them or what their business model might be. As a consumer, I do not see a lot of evidence of true competition on price, be it limited time sales or group buys. C'mon, vendors, bring it on!

 

Thanks, but I did actually read the post the first time. Restating it isn't necessary.

I still maintain, however, that you are, in fact, making a blanket statement.
What does this sound like to you. Prefacing it with your it's not everyone comment doesn't negate it.

I'm not denying your right to post an opinion - even if I still don't understand your motivation. I can't imagine you thought it would prompt people to lower prices? If you're going to make a public statement though, you have to expect some people to disagree with you.

----------

Regarding the groupbuy comment by 62Lincoln... It's been many many years since I've seen a legitimate group buy happen - and more times than not they end in dissatisfaction. Back in the day a "group buy" was a large number of people preordering (and prepaying for) parts in order to get a lower price. Wait times were often measured in months. Most people, myself included, don't have that kind of patience. The term evolved to mean sale, and for the most part now it just means advertising what are often everyday prices.

Coming from the honda community the constant advertising of mediocre pricing has gotten out of hand. I would love to see vendors here advertise actual sales/specials and things like package deals, but only if carefully chosen and done in moderation. I will send my business to vendors who contribute valuable information to the forums (even if only occasionally) but avoid a person who is always "selling". I'm probably an exception though, because even a customer who is always promoting a certain vendor annoys me to no end. (a customer of a certain forced induction vendor comes to mind).

 

JeffS

Perhaps that portion of my statement could be taken that way. That wasn't the intent. Please consider the entire post.

As for a disagreement on the subect (I prefer the term, dialog), yes, that's exactly what I was hoping for. This is a message board about Mini related issues and this is one of mine at this point in time. Others are expected to disagree. That's what it's all about. But it gets an idea exchange going.

I don't expect to see a drop in prices from anyone overnight. But I do hope vendors see this and take note.

As for my "agenda" or "motivation", I'm more concerned about Mini owners than I am about vendors. And all I want is for Mini owners to get the best deal they can on the parts they want. Hopefully those parts would be purchased through a NAM sponsor.


ripley.

 

Group buys can be a pain if left unregulated. If the moderators set specific guidelines such as the parts must be delivered by "X" number of days they can be very successful. I to have been caught in the promised delivery of group buys. Some times it's just a vendor funding the next widget. Other times it turns out great. The ground rules are the key. Vendors get one group buyt per month, parts have to exist and ready to ship, etc. Left unattended they quickly get out of hand.

 

I TOTALLY agree with this. I too would prefer to buy from a NAM sponsor, but sometimes the prices are ridiculous. For example, I bought my MILLTEK exhaust from a non-NAM sponsor because they were $60 cheaper at the time and were offering discounted shipping. Obviously the discounted shipping was a promotion, but the price of the exhaust was the real selling point. It pays to shop around...that's the whole point of competition...keep prices as low as possible to enjoy more sales. Businesses worrying about their profit margin with higher markups will go out of business quicker if they don't compete.

Sure JeffS thinks he's getting more buying from a sponsor, and maybe to an extent he is, but I haven't had a problem getting an answer to a question from a NAM sponsor even though I hadn't bought that item from them.

I totally support the NAM sponsors when I can, but I refuse to pay more than I have to.

 

I like the comments. Anyone else wanna throw in their .02?

 

Just my .02


Randy Webb is a really good guy, so much so that he will try to price match if you find something cheaper elsewhere. How many other vendors do this?

Just something to think about

 

This is a really great topic for a new guy like me, Budd Hee!
Anyways, after viewing this I will check the vendors here and see what they have, supporting the activity that goes on here.

PS how do I get a neat picture on the bottom of my post?

 

minimort, that's interesting info. The only down side is the Randy has liminted items available. Do any other sponsors offer similar deals???

 

I bought from a NAM sponsor unfortunately I bought the product "sight unseen". The sponsor did absolutely nothing to help me out Lesson learned But I will be very careful the next time I order from a so called trusted source NAM sponsor or otherwise.

Lois

 

OK, if you insist. :smile:

I patronize 'good' vendors, but I don't throw money at them because I like them. I throw business at them. Only had the MINI a short time, so I've only actually purchased from one business - Classic MINI - because they give me a good deal. My other goodies I've purchased from intrepid individuals I've found here (Ian Cull, Alan Tate) and used stuff in the classifieds. I'm a patient value buyer, which is why I only recently got my MINI!
When I buy a pulley, it will be from Randy (WMS), due to his outgoing nature, and seeing him work at a pulley party (I'm too cheap to pay anyone to do work I can do myself.)
I have seen one vendor here actually charging more than dealer list for MINI OEM accessories - that's their business model, and I wish them well, but *I* won't be buying anything from them.
In the Miata world, I throw business to Flyin' Miata by ordering Tire Rack tires from FM - they get the margin, I get my tires at a good price, everyone wins. I also buy their products as they are good and reasonably priced.
I assume I'll find my favorite vendors here over time.