Why Are You Looking for the Lowest Price?

[Gary]

[Russ Wolfe]

You people are knocking KIA as a crap car. NOT
I own a KIA, maybe not a Reo, but it is still a KIA. I have owned it since new, and have no problems with quality. Mine is a Sorento SUV, and I use it as a tow vehicle for my car trailer. I have put over 60K miles on it so far, and most of that is highway miles.

As for VW's being cheap cars back in their day. I started working for the dealers back n 1964.
All cars back then were sold, basically for $1 a pound. VW's to Cadillac. VW's weighed 1700 lbs, and sold basically for $1700. A Cadillac weighed 4000 lbs, and sold for $4000.
Most of the people we had at the dealers were not poor people. In fact many were quite well to do. They drove VW's because it was their choice, not because the had too. Poor people back then drove junker cars, just like they do now days.
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Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, you end up with a lot of scum on the top!--Edward Abbey

Gary: OK. Ima poop.

[josh]

My KIA is a Spectra and I consider it a crappy car. Mechanically it's been alright. But body/ trim/ interior wise, it just oozes cheap. Even though I basically bought it to use as a basic transportation appliance, I've been a little disapointed.

As for VW's. Of course the people at the dealers weren't poor. Someone who buys a new car and takes it to the dealer for service is not poor.

But these were inexpensive cars and the people who bought them knew it. Second hand they were even less expensive and when they got old, downright cheap. Once they got a reputation and a following they held their value pretty well. But the initial price they depreciated from was lower.
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[Gary]

[Gary]

Along the same lines, look at what happened when the US building industry imported Chinese drywall.

Insurers dropping Chinese drywall policies
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West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943)

[Russ Wolfe]

Hmm, My KIA has excellent fit and finish. The only problem I have has was the plastic plugs that fill the holes for the driving lights. The paint peeled on those.

BTW, Have you checked the fit and finish on a newer water cooled VW?? That is why I quit working for the dealers. The cars they were getting was crap.
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Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, you end up with a lot of scum on the top!--Edward Abbey

Gary: OK. Ima poop.

[66busman]

I was looking at the axle boots on my bus the other day, and I thought it was odd they were falling apart after only a year or so. It makes sense now...

Although I do not support the idea, the Wal Mart mentality is here to stay. It's unfortunate, but that is simply what people have come to expect.
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'66 SO-42
'73 Bay
'75 Type 181

[Viande]

[Vocho78]

Damn...

I´m from Mexico, and the mentality here is "Use the cheapest part".
And I don´t blame people for that, most people survives with very small incomes and when it comes to repair a car, that is the way to go, because they have other priorities.

Here is my situation, first of all I´m very, very thankfull that I have the family I have for the support they gave me. When we rescued my car (1978 VW Sedan, first car in the family ) I started with that mentality, because I did not want to be a bigger parasite that I already was. Since I was still in college and I did not have a part time job and my parents were funding the "little" proyect to make it run again. So we had to find the way to do it the "cheapest way" possible. My part of that deal was doing all of the repairs by myself, and with my dad´s help of course. That was like 2 years ago.

At that time I knew nothing about quality levels in parts. But my dad told me that we should get, in the near future, original VW parts for the car. And I´ve learned why.

All the body seals are very cheap quality, I always have to modify them to make them fit. Door seals, for example, I had to cut a piece of them, they are the same shape all around, they are thin, etc, etc, etc. And that´s just with body seals. Another one is when I was looking for a Bosch SVDA distributor, I was offered with a bruck one just because is cheaper, and when I said that I wanted Bosch, the guys in the parts store looked at me weird and asked why would I want the Bosch if the other one was cheaper. (Sigh..... )

But not anymore for me. This site has helped me a lot to put on my mind a higher standard about fixing a car, you have helped me not to settle with cheap aftermarket parts and look for quality, now I know is better to get a good used original part than a cheap aftermarket when I can´t afford it or get it new, and a lot other little things I´ve learned in here.

Now, I first go to the VW dealer and ask for parts, but it´s sad that they carry just the most basic stuff in here, and I understand why. It´s really sad that having the original parts relatively easy here in Mexico we do not use them.

I have a job and now I´m saving money, I already started gathering locally and locating here in the internet original parts so when the time comes I´ll buy the best. In fact, as a christmas gift for myself I´ve planned to buy a set of fenders and running boards from the VW dealer. It´s just common sense now that if you don´t buy good parts you´re actually killing them.

Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading and thanks to the whole community for sharing all of this knowledge.

[bugninva]

[Viande]

[Jeckler]

Cliff Notes...
WCM and WW rubber is now crap, and we all need to ask Bobby for soft parts.

Sound right?


Bobby, can you get all the body rubber for a '63 bug?
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Andy
'63 Bug rebuild here.
Did you know that sellers can't charge a fee to accept PayPal?

[djkeev]

[Vocho78]

[robclark63]

found this post and thought I would add to it...I started a rebuild about 1.5 years ago and got it finished up and used parts mainly from topline and wolfsburg...I used some other places too for some little things, but mainly the other two. I used the Samba also at that time to find advice and the likes.

I DO LIKE things right and tried my best to find parts that would get the job done the first time and so I would be as safe as I could be in a car that many people think is unsafe...failed parts, fires in the engine, etc...

Being new to VW's and growing up in this age of not waiting, getting things fast...really what do you have to wait for?? phone on hip, can go to a resturaunt and eat in 20 min, send an email to Australia in seconds ....You really don't have to wait for anything.

When someone new to VW's sees old parts for sale that might not look the greatest and someone wants, lets say 70 bucks for a "REBUILT" fuel pump, the average 30 year old won't settle for that because the mentality is NEW is better!! Even though a rebuilt German pump is better. I think manufacturers know this all to well and that is why they can sell crap.

I grew up in a small town and as a kid and my dad DID NOT use credit cards and if you could not pay for it in cash you did not buy it, and REBUILD was a household word...

Well I think the kids that grew up in that generation, and some older folks, have lost this mentality. Credit cards came and before people even graduate from college they are 1000.00s of dollars in debt (look at the mess America's in now) because they don't have to wait for anything...buy on credit...got to have it...if it breaks we'll buy another one...and it goes on and on. Sounds like what I read about VW parts suppliers

I am on the younger side and did fall into that, and sort of carried it over to the VW side, but after a month or so I COULD see and feel the difference in parts and quality and started hitting up some yards and even peoples houses that had old bugs out in the yard for certain parts. It was a big flash back of my dad muttering about wasted money and the "we will just rebuild the one we have". And to come and think of it, after it was rebuilt that was it. It was fixed and did not need touched again.

Maybe a lot of the VW people don't stick around long with the cars cause they can't get past the I have to have new, the shit breaks all the time and they sell their car and move on. Maybe that will be me, but I doubt it... I'm not sure where this post is going but the question that I had when I started this is...

If every post in this topic complains about all the places that sell parts being junk, where in the hell do you go to buy a part that you just can scavenge?????

Sorry about the rambling and don't beat me up too bad.
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"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I will remember. Involve me and I learn." Benjamin Franklin

1972 SB
2011 Ram 1500 Sportsman
04 Corolla

[Spezialist]

Wolfsburg West has rocked for 20 years that I know of!
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[Kirk]

This was an interesting thread. When I was a kid (back before the interwebz) I bought cheap parts, and didn't know any better. As I got older (and kept this same Super Beetle) I noticed the parts didn't last. Now, with a larger disposable income, I buy the absolutely best part I can find, everytime. I only wish II could find better parts for some cars, or vendors (Like BusDepot does) would label things as German quality vs junk.

You guys got got German quality Bay parts or Super parts, lemme know.
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MAKE FORUMS GREAT AGAIN

Bear
Fasty
Super

[johnshenry]

Interesting thread. A few thoughts come to mind:

"Market mentality" (buy the cheapest) can and will drive the suppliers. The airline industry is a classic example of that. How much pain will people endure, nickle and dime customers, hassles, etc. to get the lowest fare. I have bought non stop, coast to coast tickets for as little as $230 before. NON STOP, but at 6' 3" and 200 lbs, I don't fit in the seat. That market is ripe for a new airline that will say, "Want to be treated like a human being and not livestock? Fly us, but it will cost you $50-$100 more. ". When airlines are so competitive that a $5 fee on baggage or $5 beer instead of a $4 one will move them up in the ranks, the signal is that the flying public will take anything for the best fare. When the pain is high enough, then the buying public's behavior will change. The VW hobby is not there yet.

I started a web business with another VW enthusiast in '03. It has been fun, I have learned a TON, and yes, it has been profitable. But it is not my "day job". We are very small volume and the business strategy/market model has been "Find something that people need, that doesn't exist today, figure out how to make it, do it right, back up your product, and you will OWN the market". Why does that work? Because our stuff is so niche/low volume, that it isn't worth it for any WW or other company to come in and try to take it away. I like it that way. I stand behind everything I make sell, and will always take anything back, for a full refund, for any reason. Period.

I just bought a Mercedes 280SL and have been perusing the parts suppliers. EVERYTHING is available, almost all of it FROM MERCEDES and it is ALL wicked expensive. But cheap repro? No. That doesn't exist, and won't as tram pointed out on page 1 (I think). Most all Mercedes owners have deep pockets and no grease under their fingernails. And to keep things in perspective, my 280SL cost just a shade under $8k when new in '69. You could get a new Beetle then for about $1650 I believe.

I am disappointed to hear about WW quality issues (if they are in fact real). I have bought parts from them for 20+ years, know Tony personally and know that he, too, will stand behind his products. If something is crap, tell him.
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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

[Mr. Loaf]

I am currently rebuilding/restoring an El Camino and so far have had very good luck locating the parts that I need for the process. Quality of parts is important to me as I intend to keep this vehicle and do not wish to have to redo any of it every year because of cheap parts that either wore out or cracked or failed. One difference I have noticed between VW and GM is that if you buy GM authorized reproduction parts you know you will be getting quality. The quality is not there if you buy just any one's crap. I am wondering why VW does not have any programs like this. Seems like it would be a benefit to the VW community. I am not saying the reproduced parts will be inexpensive but I do know that they will last.
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Never drive faster than your Angel can fly
$24,100 was too hard to resist.................

[abgwin]