[VaSteve]

Based on discussions I have had at the last two engine drops, I know a bunck of you are not shopping at Pelican much anymore. I need to buy a number of things for my project, and need some suggestions as to where to go. I will put together a nify display of what each part costs as a result of my efforts..

I know about:
Vertex
Performance Products
Apex Performance
AJ's
Tweeks

Where else should I look? FWIW, my test item has been a clutch disk and so far Pelican has been cheapest so this should be interesting.

[Jazzbass]

I've heard a lot of the "I don't shop at Pelican" talk, but personally I still buy most of my stuff from them. I've shopped around, and they're still the cheapest on a good 80% of the stuff I buy. Believe me, I'm not a PP devote by any means.

Now, I did get some stuff from Vertex during my resto this summer (notably the H4s), but overall, they are always +/- $3 with Pelican on almost every part. All in all, it tends to average out on the whole order, and Pelican has a better part selection. Plus, I don't really trust them that much. They overcharged me on a ball joint I bought, and gave me some crap about "phone pricing" vs "internet pricing". I called because things tend to get "lost" when you order through their website. It was only $5, so I didn't belabor the point. But after seeing that and Pari's experience with Vertex, I stay away unless they're the only ones with the part or it's Wed & I need it for the weekend (shipping from FL).

Performance is, on 99.9% of their items, more expensive. However, they'll match the lowest price, which I've found to be Pelican. I've only bought from them once - when I got my torsion bars. PP didn't have them in stock & didn't know when they'd be in. Performance owns Weltmeister, so they had them in stock and shipped the same day. And they matched PP price. (BTW, if you can explain to me why a reseller of a part would be cheaper than the mfr, I'd love to hear it). They do make a very nice catalog, though.

Ditto for Tweeks - almost always more expensive. Catalog almost as nice as Performance, though.

And finnaly, the internet distributers like BestForeignAuto, etc. I don't know if its just the part's I'm looking for or what, but on everything except tranny parts, I find them to be very expensive. Very small selection, too. No aftermarket - OEM only. Maybe they're good for enigne parts and stuff?

[Rick Lee]

Dude, where are you shopping that makes Pelican cheaper than 80% of the other places? I love Pelican for their BBS and service and Wayne's a great guy. But their prices blow. I throw them a bone a few times a year out of guilt. I don't even know how Perf. Prod. stays in business. I look at their catalogues just to make myself feel better about how much I saved by not buying from them. Otherwise, I shop at:

www.europeanautomotive.com (free shipping over $50)
www.thepartsbin.com (ditto)
www.bestforeignauto.com (ditto)
www.eurowebparts.com

And one of my newest favorites is Dr. Steve Timmins, who just saved me about $400 on a lightweight flywheel and RS clutch kit for the 993. If you need it very fast, Sami at the Shell station on Franconia Rd. can hook you up with same or next day delivery through his World Pak account and you can pick it up from him.

[cmartin]

I 2nd thepartsbin.com . They match prices on most items, but you have to call. Sometimes they admit they cant beat the Vertex price though. Pelican is never cheaper, at least on what I've been shopping for. Dont forget Performance has a PCA discound, you just have to ask for it. I will say Pelican has gotten better with shipping of late. I ordered a small item from them and using USPS it came in 3 days. b

[Jazzbass]

OK, long winded reply because this is something that's confused me for a while. And keep in mind - I'm not here to defend PP. I just want to know what I'm not seeing.

I've heard many people talk (most notably Richard and Jim) about how expensive Pelican is now. I'm not seeing it. Trust me, I have no association with PP, and I'm cheap as hell, so I'll go somewhere with cheaper prices no question. And lord knows I've had enough orders messed up from PP and hate 5 day shipping from CA enough to not buy there with blind faith and devotion. However, like I said above, PP is cheaper for most of the items I've been buying. I look at all the places you list here when putting together a new order. Here's an example from my last order, dated Nov 17 2004:

Front Sunroof Seal
$26.80 - Pelican
$31.72 - europeanautomotive
$35.85 - eurowebparts
$39.44 - thepartsbin.com

RearSunroof Seal
$14.70 - Pelican
$17.25 - europeanautomotive
$19.50 - eurowebparts
$22.80 - thepartsbin.com

On this order, I also got a seal for my Carrera tail, new jack hole plugs (old ones broke) and a new stone guard for the driver's side. None of the other sites had these items, so I would have had to order from Pelican anyway. The sites you list above, in reality, are all the same place. They're just store fronts for the same warehouse in NJ. Which is nice, because their parts get here fast. The bad thing about them is they only stock common OEM stuff.

Some of the things I bought this year included terostat ribbon, dashpad attachment clips, and window trim clips. Weird resto stuff and non-OEM upgrades like torsion bars, H4s, etc, are usually only carried by three places: Performance, Tweeks, and Pelican. Of those three, Pelican is almost always the cheapest.

These places, IME, are hit and miss as to their prices. Some things will be a great deal - typically straight up, common OEM stuff like tranny and engine parts. More examples -

Ball joints: Pelican $52, the others range from $53-$66.
Carrera rotors: Pelican - $73, others $75-$83.
Master cylinder (right Pari?) - Pelican $135.95, others $146.23 - $157.
Fuel filters - Pelican $17.10, others $18.06-$21.20.
Oil filters - Pelican $6.85, others $6.41 - $7.53

On the other hand, Pelican was more expensive for the ball joint pin ($17.30) than the other places ($13.59 - $17.97). Like I said - hit and miss. But for most of the stuff I'm buying (tune up and a lot of weatherstripping/resto stuff), Pelican comes out cheaper almost every time. Exceptions tend to be large items like alternators and strut inserts.

Please - someone tell me - what am I not seeing that makes Pelican so expensive or these other places so much cheaper? Do you guys have some super-secret membership card to get cheaper prices?

[Jazzbass]

Originally Posted by cmartin

I 2nd thepartsbin.com .

Interestingly, they are the most expensive of all the places I've checked for part. Do you always have to get them on the phone to do the price match? If its not a hassle, this might not be a bad deal, esp since you can typically get the part in 1-2 days.

[cmartin]

They are my prefered choice primarily because the shipping is free, my orders are always over $50, and things come so quick. I check the website and then call if they arent the cheapest. I usually end up buying things from Vertex, they will *always* best pelican. But, then you have to pay for shipping, but that's usually faster than Pelican too.

I have a pretty good hookup for local parts, same day and delivered. Thing is they cant tough Vertex prices for most things. I like to throw Pelican a bone once in a while, mostly because their website, while hard as hell to navigate, has some pretty damn good diagrams.

[Parenn911]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Dude, where are you shopping that makes Pelican cheaper than 80% of the other places? I love Pelican for their BBS and service and Wayne's a great guy. But their prices blow. I throw them a bone a few times a year out of guilt. I don't even know how Perf. Prod. stays in business. I look at their catalogues just to make myself feel better about how much I saved by not buying from them. Otherwise, I shop at:

www.europeanautomotive.com (free shipping over $50)
www.thepartsbin.com (ditto)
www.bestforeignauto.com (ditto)
www.eurowebparts.com

I agree with what RL says, I have seen other places and some of the ones above that have prices way lower than PP or Vertex. Chris and others know why Vertex will never see a dime of my money ever again, they have a shady operation going on down there.
Ever since Arnold has been Governor the prices at PP seem to have been increasing .
I only order stuff from PP if I can't find it anywhere else, if they have what I'm looking for cheaper, or like Chris Ma. said about throwing them a bone . The main reason why I had to start ordering parts from some of the above suppliers is because I hate to spend $10-$20 to ship something across the country which will reach my place next week .
I like best foreign for stock parts.
I get the parts in 2-3 days max (their located in OH, PA, and NJ) and best of all, shipping is free.

[Jazzbass]

Originally Posted by Parenn911

I agree with what RL says, I have seen other places and some of the ones above that have prices way lower than PP or Vertex.

OK, guys, I give up.

Please tell me what you're buying that is way lower. I want to believe, really. I like spending less money (actually, I wouldn't spend less, I'd just buy more). With all those places above, I looked up stuff I've ordered and a bunch of random maintenence things I could think of (brake disks, filters, etc), and never I have I seen "way lower". Sometimes a dollar or two, but that's it. Someone please show me what I'm missing here.

[Geoff Daniels]

Not sure how their prices compare but I buy most of my stuff from Paragon Products (http://www.paragon-products.com) They offer great service and good advice. I've never been disappointed. Adirondack has also been a very good source (http://www.germanautoparts.com) for dealer type items as well as after market.

Geoff