I have noticed that the FAQ's in several sections in this forum have links to parts vendors, however I have also noticed that most of those vendors either went under, or have HORRIBLE reputations.
vendors commonly named in the FAQ include mantapart, RSM(now z-spec), highrevmotorsports, cavalier connection aswell as others. ihaveheardhorrible things about all of these. If I am wrong please tell me.
anybody interested in making a list of vendors that carry j-body parts and dont sell garbage or scams?
In no order whatsoever
Karo (car customs/allecotec)
Turbo Tech Racing
OEM (Overkill engineering motorsports)
I am i forgetting anyone major?
there isnt a perfect place but some are a hell of a lot better than others.
OEM (overkill engineering motorsports) does real well with communication and creating new parts for us. mark is a smart guy and will make you pretty much anything you throw his way as long as you as serious about it. they have had some issues in the past but never have they just left something un-attended for people to really get pissy about. if something went bad they either re-design or make it right....or at least try to. mark is a great friend of mine and i can say without a shadow of a doubt that he has literally bent over backwards for me MANY times.
then there is turbo tech racing but they advertise while not being premium and completely ignore the new sales/gp section. but have great customer service as well as amazing deals from time to time. they stock tons of parts and offer a discounted rate with "points" you can gain by buying things. ive always loved this about them.
then you have carcustoms/all ecotec where people have complained and complained about not getting sales notifications etc. and utterly poor customer service... until someone makes a post and then karo comes out of the woodwork basically bending over to keep his name in good standing order. there is usually a post every few months about someone needing to get ahold of him that has tried and tried without success. but, he offers free shipping on ALL orders which is amazing. karo has given me great deals and been there when needed just as much as any other place but it seems in recent years his attention to the businesses has dwindled. carcustoms at least hasnt been updated in a long time from what i can tell.
a plus performance USED to be VERY good around here. for some reason they cant seem to get this "new" site up and running for well over a year now. probably went out of business, which is sad cuz jason was another really good vendor.
mantapart is no more, they have shut the doors and are basically only selling off the leftover inventory. you can find various parts on ebay through seller "partzseller27" aka tim meehan. ive bought from him SEVERAL times without issue. dont expect much in the sense of information or communication skills though. basically with him you need to know what you want and describe in great detail to get exactly what you need.
rsm z/spec well idk whatever happened to them but in years past a seller on ebay named "Frankiez" would sell things offered by them. good deals too. mostly pullies, strut bars, that sort of thing.
hi rev is dead, has been for years. same goes with cavalier connection.
best bet is to just feel the vendors out and see who provides the best assistance to questions and THEN make an informed decision on a buy. i have spent thousands with the above companies over the past ten years on here. but i will tell you what.. my BEST "vendor"? it's the classifieds. i love that place.
Come join us over on the Olds Quad 4 and Twin Cam Facebook group!
Aaron @ turbotech racing is one good one!
Import performance parts.net is another