When you decide to purchase your aftermarket parts, is price everything? Is there any loyalty to a shop? How much (in dollars) would make the difference in you buying a part from one place over another? It seems to me that these days, people would sacrifice loyalty in order to save a couple of bucks.

Thoughts, comments??

 

i think its a mix of price and customer service. Theres nothing i hate more than a vendor not getting back in touch with me.

 

For me lowest price is not everything.

If I don't feel safe buying something from somebody for X amount of dollars, I will spend more and buy from somebody I have dealt with before, that has good service of course.

 

price matters, but so does what people say on this forum.

remember that 350zforum vender people from texas a year back or so...wouldnt buy stuff from them with your money. Gotta have a good rep, and a good looking wedsite.

I also choose places that are close but not in my state to avoid taxes and in hopes of reduced shipping cost and expedited speed in shipping. Im a bargain hunter as well, so i buy alot of stuff off the forums that are used in order to save money. I mod on a budget and only paid full price for a few of my mods.

 

I'll buy from any "respected" shop (i.e. shops with good reviews) with the lowest prices.

I don't cheap out on mods though to me either get the very best stuff possible or leave it stock. However if 2 good shops have the same part, brand etc. but one is cheaper I'll go with the cheaper one.

 

what are some of your favorite places to buy your z parts?

 

I would pay up to 5% more to go with a preferred shop over another quality shop. Of course, if it's my preferred shop it's because they combine quality, customer service, and the best prices. I do not do business with shady shops no matter how low the price.

BTW, it probably takes a good 5 transactions to win me over and only 1 to lose my business altogether.

 

Its kinda crazy but any time i see a very low price i get suspicious. Either i think im getting scammed or their selling an inferior product. Granted, that all depends on the product but you get my drift. Also, like i said before and wil lsay many times again.....customer service is key. I realize people cant be "customer friendly" 24/7 but you have to remember many consumers get nervous about spending X amount of dollars over the internet so they would like everything about the transaction to go smoothly.

 

So website design would sway you?

I am only talking about new parts, not used. That's an entirely different thread.

 

Here is an interesting question to add. Would you buy from an internet site over a local physical place to save money?

 

It depends if the internet site is reputable. Also, I typically buy parts online and would have the install locally if I can't do it myself. Besides many local shops are online these days.

 

If both places were supposedly "quality" shops and both had the part,brand etc. and the internet site was cheaper (even w/ shipping) I'd buy from them instead.

 

Ok, so for you, price is everything.

 

sometimes, its not having to get off your *** to buy something. Or, that your 350z cant fit some larger items in it (though, a stock bumper fits in the car).

Sometimes i hate going places where theyre gonna feed me a line of crap or try to hassle me.

online is nice, you order at your conveinience, 24/7 and you can buy multiple things at once.

 

This really doesn't answer my original question though. Assuming that both are reputable (obviously you are not going to buy from somewhere that isn't reputable) would you buy from the internet site or the local shop. Let's not worry about whether the actual storefront has a site.

 

I get what you are saying.

Obviously, any place that is gonna BS you, you're not apt to go back to in the first place.

You can buy multiple things at once at a local shop as well.

 

Total cost vs. total cost... I'd still apply the 5% line of thought.

 

Yes, but I won't buy a from a no name shop or no name parts to save money.

 

I'm loyal...to a point. Crutchfield is a good example, I will pay more for some things but with others I will take a chance with a lessor known company.

Or, I will buy "used" to save even more. Just depends on the product and situation, and what's in stock.

 

Try to take into consideration customer service if there are any issues with the purchase. With an online store, you have to ship parts back to them if there are problems. With a local store, you can just go over to them.