Lotus Europa Forums > Vendors Storefront
It's a crapshoot...Vendor issues
EuropaTC:
--- Quote from: Lou Drozdowski on Sunday,July 02, 2017, 05:31:58 AM ---The Yahoo group over the years has indeed opened the door in some areas, but as their web platform is outdated and cumbersome. It is very difficult to get a clear picture on improving supply.
--- End quote ---
Yes, it is and even in digest mode it's very easy to lose traction on what's happening there. For me it is very much an "instant messaging" sort of thing these days although I subscribe in digest mode to at least try and keep up with the comments. The knowledgebase is very useful but the last time I checked it appeared that the latest update was 2013 so it's archival data and not a great resource for finding parts these days.
--- Quote from: Lou Drozdowski on Sunday,July 02, 2017, 05:31:58 AM ---How many of us are currently in full time recovery projects ? Like Alex?...I dare to say there are fewer actual "runners" as opposed to vehicles off the road. I may be wrong, but again... participation in the members map should be better than what I can see. I've wondered how many real cars are actually out there world wide...
--- End quote ---
Actually I don't buy a lot of stuff for my cars these days because they don't do a great mileage so I'm not a good customer, certainly not in Alex's league. But I do buy parts I think I'll need when I see them (hoarder mentality) so I would consider participating in group buys.
As for how many cars, I think I've posted before but the "how many left ?" shows what's around in the UK. It's sobering reading and the UK market isn't as large as you might think.
https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/family/lotus_europa
SORN means off road and being restored/dreamed about and you can see we're looking at around 500 cars which includes all variants. With 300-odd on the road and most likely doing somewhere between 1 & 3,000 miles (normal classic car allowances) then replacement parts isn't going to be a big business. An accountant would tell you to pack in and sell lemonade instead :)
Brian
BDA:
Alex's post here (http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=2116.0) is the sort of thing I think we need to catalog and promote. If the clips Alex found work for our cars, maybe Ray (and Dave, etc.) are unaware of better alternatives to currently known offerings and this information could help make them better retailers.
I think more information is always better and there's always room for improvement. I think something along the line of suggestions I've already made would yield a sort of supercharged version of the cross references produced by Lotus West and Golden Gate Lotus Club. But I think we need to keep our expectations in line with a very thin market supplied by a few vendors. Given that, I think our parts situation is pretty decent - but, as I say, with room for improvement.
I worry more about what happens when Richard, Ray, and Dave retire.
jbcollier:
Hi Lou,
You were very hard on Ray in your initial post. You stated his trim doesn't fit and I have purchased stuff that does. You were especial annoyed with his price for a headlight knob. As far as I understand the situation, the knob has been pure unobtainium for many years now. He made the effort to get it reproduced. Now how many knobs should he make? He might sell four or five very quickly and then after that? Maybe two or three a year? Maybe fewer? So let's say he makes twenty knobs (just guessing). It costs a lot to make so few of something. You want hundreds? Thousands? Now your cost per item falls dramatically but who are you going to sell all those knobs to?
You are on a budget and $69 for the knob is unreasonable for your budget. I understand and accept that. But the $69 price may well be a fair price given the costs for a low production run. If you can't afford something, please do tell him so as that is valuable feedback. But don't tell him his prices are "a joke". Not after all he has done to make long gone parts available again.
Lou Drozdowski:
--- Quote from: jbcollier on Sunday,July 02, 2017, 02:17:08 PM ---Hi Lou,
You were very hard on Ray in your initial post. You stated his trim doesn't fit and I have purchased stuff that does. You were especial annoyed with his price for a headlight knob. As far as I understand the situation, the knob has been pure unobtainium for many years now. He made the effort to get it reproduced. Now how many knobs should he make? He might sell four or five very quickly and then after that? Maybe two or three a year? Maybe fewer? So let's say he makes twenty knobs (just guessing). It costs a lot to make so few of something. You want hundreds? Thousands? Now your cost per item falls dramatically but who are you going to sell all those knobs to?
You are on a budget and $69 for the knob is unreasonable for your budget. I understand and accept that. But the $69 price may well be a fair price given the costs for a low production run. If you can't afford something, please do tell him so as that is valuable feedback. But don't tell him his prices are "a joke". Not after all he has done to make long gone parts available again.
--- End quote ---
JB...You are 100% correct, I should have used a better word to describe my initial reaction. I owe it to Ray, and will edit
the post accordingly. I fully understand the difficulty he faces when having to procure and maintain inventory. I remain a loyal customer and I am glad to have him and the service he provides readily available. I'll try not to be so careless in describing my unfortunate dealings. Thanks for keeping me in line...ld
Certified Lotus:
I don't have any issues with the vendors that supply parts for our Lotus cars. I've restored two Elan's and in the midst of my first Europa restoration. I pretty much know everyone who can supply parts anywhere in the world. My first reach out is always to Ray at R&D. He is knowledgeable, honest, and responsive. Ray has gone out of his way to help me more times than I can think of. He has my business for life. I also do business with Dave Bean (Ken is who I talk to) and he is the same, huge amount of Insite and forthright. And then for direct to the U.K. Suppliers TTR have provided many parts for my Elan rebuilds.
I've never dealt with Banks as he doesn't respond to emails and I travel too much to have to rely on phone calls all the time.
More to the point, limited consumer need for limited parts equal high cost. The market sets the pricing.
I don't have an issue. And this is not my first rodeo.
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