A visit to Stephen's Performance

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Princess Valiant said:
They might have not liked your attitude. Maybe should tried a jovial greeting instead of standing there with a long face like you entitled to a rare part that you obviously can't buy anywhere else.

Make them love you and want to help you, because there's no shortage of entitled blokes walking through their door and there's more where that came from.

They have the advantage here because they got the good stuff everyone wants, they ain't just some big box store kissing your *** to buy some Chinese junk.

Your presentation probably dictated how this went down and if you really made that comment about not wanting a loan, then it makes complete sense why this went down like this.

By the way, I love your YouTube channel.
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Even though you were somehow able to be a fly on the wall and know exactly how the visit went down, I'll take the time to transcribe how the interaction went down on my end:

Younger Guy: "How's it going?"
Me: "Hey guys, how are ya'll?"
Younger Guy: "Good, what can I help you with?"
Me: "Well, I'm needing to buy a sedan windshield for a '67-76 A-body"
Younger Guy (asks Older Guy whether he wanted to do this, questions himself about which windshield would be the correct one, then looks at the Older Guy again)
Older Guy (looking down at Important Paper) "not gonna have a used one"
Me: "Ok, who do you reckon would would be able to get a new one?" (GIVING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP ME WITH THAT)
Older Guy (silence)
Younger Guy (discussion about so and so who does glass)
Me: "Ok, see you guys later"

If I was in there 3 minutes, it was barely 3 minutes. I never said anything about a loan there, you assumed it. Notice no quotations around that part? I deal with customers every day of the work week, very successfully. If I treated people poorly I wouldn't have a job. I know better than to have a nasty attitude. If you don't actually know what happened then I suggest to stop ad-libbing.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Well, I'll say it. I don't like Ted. I think he's a jerk. I've called a few times in the past and spoke TO HIM and he always acted like he'd rather be doing anything else in the whole wide world than futzing around with customers on the phone. I've read things like this on many forums about them, too, so I cut them no slack at all. Screw them.
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Keep in mind that people have the ability to greatly improve their attitude and friendliness when it is to their benefit to do so($$$).
 
I once bought a pair of rocker panel cutoffs for a volare from one of those types of businesses. Think it was "Texas acres". Anyways it was a similar place to Stephens and the old R&R salvage in that back in the day they ran huge full page ads in all the Mopar mags. I'd called a few of them, these guys had what I needed.
They bragged how clean, straight, and like "brand new" the ones they had, were, after all they were in hot, dry Texas After all.....
Being as how I live in the road salt capitol of the world near Chicago and had never been to Texas, only had heard the stories of how many 30+ year old vehicles were actually still on the road daily that weren't rotted out (supposedly), I figured I couldn't go wrong in buying parts from them.
They seemed a little expensive even back then (close to 20 years ago) but hey I was (supposedly) getting original rust free parts so I went ahead and bought a set of rockers from them.
 
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Continued
I did the whole deal by phone, gave them a CC number and waited. Wasn't long and I had a pair of volare rocker panels here. I was PISSED when they got here, they were rustier than what I was wanting to replace.
I called back and complained, asking how they could sleep at night selling such crap. They replied that they don't remember me asking for pix of the parts I was possibly looking to buy, and being all the ads they ran and brags about "clean rust free parts" from them, and mentions in magazine stories about featured cars where the owners had mentioned they got these parts here and those parts there with no mention of problems, I trusted they would be upstanding, fair business people who "wouldn't sell anything they wouldn't put on their own car" (something they had claimed on the phone)
but I was way wrong. I ended up sending them back and ended up losing a bunch, don't think my refund was much l, having had to pay for return shipping. So I'd paid shipping both ways just to look at them and call them junk.
I then bought a pair of of ebay out of (I think it was) California, that were everything I expected out of the ones that I got from the big name mopar
junkyard in the South.
For way less money to boot.
These types of forums seemed "bigger" back then before Fakebook took over a lot of the old car enthusiast info that's available (I refuse to do Fakebook, sorry)
But anyway around that time I ran across someone on a forum in NW Ohio that had a couple of F bodies he was working on and he had one he had gotten for parts, and invited me out to get what I could off of it that was left after he got what he wanted off of it, and cheap. Only thing was his wife gave him "a week" to bring it home, get off it what he needed and get rid of it. So I drove out early one morning,/toolbox, sawzall, and extension cord in the back of my truck, spent a few hours out there unbolting a few things and sawing a bunch more off of it, and made it home the same day just as it was getting dark.
Thing was this car overall was in better shape than those rotten swiss cheese rockers that I'd paid all that money for out of Texas.... I still the rockers off of that car in the attic, and the lower rear quarters too... Mine is still a work in progress.
 
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Well this has been a bit of an eye opener for me. I really didn't know that this is how they operate. I've know Ted for almost 20 years now and he has always been very respectful towards me. As I stated before I've only bought one thing from them and that was a discontinued AMD part for 50% off. I've never been able to afford their prices. Did have my customer buy some E body convertible molding clips from them. Really expensive but the transaction went well and no one else had them.
 
str12-340 said:
Wow, here in the Pacific Northwest I guess the parallel place would be Wildcat Auto Wrecking outside Sandy Oregon. They always seem to be busy working on projects, moving things around in the yard and helping customers. I get there about once a year. After they talk to you a bit to make sure you actually are working on Mopars and have a clue, they are happy to let you go through their yard where hundreds of cars (Mopars only) are organized by age, body (A<B>C), and completeness (project cars here, parts cars over there, cars they might cut up for you stacked 3 high over there. It's always fun just walking through the whole place just to see what is there and who knows, you might be able to tell a buddy where he can find a fender for his 57 Fargo truck...

They are pretty proud of their parts and they are priced accordingly, but sometimes you can get a good deal on something not muscle car specific or sometimes you shell out the money because you have been looking for a restorable one of those for 3 years to no avail.

I always feel well treated.
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I actually just met Vanessa at the MATS that use to work at Wildcat. She just started her own company. I've heard a lot of good about Wildcat and I send a lot of people their way.
 
moparmarks said:
Well this has been a bit of an eye opener for me. I really didn't know that this is how they operate. I've know Ted for almost 20 years now and he has always been very respectful towards me. As I stated before I've only bought one thing from them and that was a discontinued AMD part for 50% off. I've never been able to afford their prices. Did have my customer buy some E body convertible molding clips from them. Really expensive but the transaction went well and no one else had them.
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I am glad you've had good luck with him. I am sure others have too. ....and you know how it always is. You'll hear fifty bad things before you hear one good thing.
 
Regarding above comments about "attitude" in the Vendor/Customer relationship, I firmly believe that you DO catch more flies with honey then vinegar and always approach prospective deals with common courtesy BUT:

as a customer I AGREE TO PAY

1) the amount they are demanding
2) by the payment method they prefer or demand
3) according to whatever other terms and conditions they specify
4) in the time frame they require for whatever product/service they are offering.

I'm not there to make friends, I am there to spend money. That is the extent of my obligation.

If some kind of a relationship develops, then that leads to future transactions where I spend even more money. I'll be damned if I am going to turn into some kind of a game show host just to stay on some vendor's good side especially a peddler of junk.
 
volaredon said:
Continued
I did the whole deal by phone, gave them a CC number and waited. Wasn't long and I had a pair of volare rocker panels here. I was PISSED when they got here, they were rustier than what I was wanting to replace.
I called back and complained, asking how they could sleep at night selling such crap. They replied that they don't remember me asking for pix of the parts I was possibly looking to buy, and being all the ads they ran and brags about "clean rust free parts" from them, and mentions in magazine stories about featured cars where the owners had mentioned they got these parts here and those parts there with no mention of problems, I trusted they would be upstanding, fair business people who "wouldn't sell anything they wouldn't put on their own car" (something they had claimed on the phone)
but I was way wrong. I ended up sending them back and ended up losing a bunch, don't think my refund was much l, having had to pay for return shipping. So I'd paid shipping both ways just to look at them and call them junk.
I then bought a pair of of ebay out of (I think it was) California, that were everything I expected out of the ones that I got from the big name mopar
junkyard in the South.
For way less money to boot.
These types of forums seemed "bigger" back then before Fakebook took over a lot of the old car enthusiast info that's available (I refuse to do Fakebook, sorry)
But anyway around that time I ran across someone on a forum in NW Ohio that had a couple of F bodies he was working on and he had one he had gotten for parts, and invited me out to get what I could off of it that was left after he got what he wanted off of it, and cheap. Only thing was his wife gave him "a week" to bring it home, get off it what he needed and get rid of it. So I drove out early one morning,/toolbox, sawzall, and extension cord in the back of my truck, spent a few hours out there unbolting a few things and sawing a bunch more off of it, and made it home the same day just as it was getting dark.
Thing was this car overall was in better shape than those rotten swiss cheese rockers that I'd paid all that money for out of Texas.... I still the rockers off of that car in the attic, and the lower rear quarters too... Mine is still a work in progress.
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In about the early ro mid 90s, I found a boneyard up by Big Daddys, cut a 1/4 off a 68 Coronet with a Sawzall, then They LOANED me oxyactelene torchs to cut the rear springs off of 68 Charger RT well it was really dry that year and I kind of started a small fire on the property but they were cool about it. As in nothing was said! I also grab the front bucket side of that car and a few other things. Got to love the oldschool junkyard owners!
 
I have seen their parts in Carlisle, Pa. High priced garbage. They can stay in their state. Business will not survive much longer
 
Something happened to them, like they went Hollywood and got the arrogance to go with it. In the early 1990s I bought a bench seat from them, pleasant on the phone, shipped and all was good. Around the same time I wanted to get some wheels from them and they were honest and said with shipping I would be better off going with aftermarket.
Fast forward a year ago, I needed a trim part. They couldn't be bothered, kept saying they would call back, never did. I finally got them on the phone again to have some old rude guy bark out, "What are you looking for now?" I left it at that. Never again.
 
I've known Ted & Jackie for over 30 years. They have always been nice and friendly to me. Ted has bought many parts from me at swap meets over the years. Hardly ever dickered on what I was asking, and most of the time just bought stuff for asking price. Tony D'Agostino has always been the same way. I'm not a high roller with high end cars, but Ted has never been anything but nice to me. Everybody has bad days every now and then, sorry others may not have had the same experience I have with Teds place. There have been other Mopar biggies that have treated me poorly, but no point in naming them. It just is what it is, and there's other choices.
 
moparmarks said:
I actually just met Vanessa at the MATS that use to work at Wildcat. She just started her own company. I've heard a lot of good about Wildcat and I send a lot of people their way.
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I must have left her business card in my trailer in NV. I'll probably see her at the Fling in 3 weeks. I think I found her Facebook page. Her company is Five Point Parts In Portland.
 
TylerW said:
I thought I would share my experience visiting the Mopar Mecca that is about 30 minutes from my house. To preface, this isn't a hate post, i don't know the people and I don't sell parts to compete with them.

To begin with, if you've never been to this place and you have a vision of nearly complete, rare Mopars lining the road to the place and beyond, leading up to an a brightly lit, paved lot with lots of smiling faces and people leaving with parts piled in wheelbarrows, you are going to be SEVERELY disappointed. From whichever direction you come from, it's rural two-lane roads with abandoned houses, trashy yards mixed in with some nice scenery. Everything at the location is fenced off and the office is a small frame building with nearly no place to park. I've been there twice and the impression was that wasn't much going on.The first time I stopped in, I wanted a C-body part. they didn't have it. This time I wanted a sedan windshield. They didn't have one of those either.

So, on this visit, there were three people present in addition to myself. I'll refer to myself as The Customer, then there was a Random Guy out Front talking on the Phone. Inside the office, there were two more people. At the right end of the counter was the Younger Guy. To the left was the Older Guy. The Younger Guy was standing doing nothing discernable. The Older Guy was writing Something Important on a piece of paper. The Younger Guy greeted me and asked if he could help me. I stated my request for a windshield. The Younger Guy looks at the Older Guy and asks him, "Is this something you want to do"? What do you mean, something you want to do? I'm not applying for a loan, I came here to buy a windshield.

During the entire time I was inside, the Older Guy never once acknowledged my presence. He kept right on looking at the Important Things on the Paper. He didn't reply to the question of if he wanted to sell me a windshield. The Younger Guy quizzes himself about which would be the correct windshield, like he didn't know. Finally, the Older Guy mutters six words...."not gonna have a used one". Count 'em...six. So, I decided to challenge this bastion of Mopar parts and ask them who sells one new. BTW, I already know who sells them in most parts of the country and how much they are. The Younger Guy replies that "______ in _____ does glass but not sure if they can do those".At that point, I depart, reminding myself to not thank THEM....they didn't help me. As I went back to the car, being an observant person, I spotted a '73 Dart sedan sitting beside and to the rear of the building. Yeah...you didn't have one, huh?

Takeaways from the visit:
1. They couldn't give a sh*t about walk-in customers.
2. I expect that the cars shown on the fluff pieces the mags have done in the past are mostly picked over and the supply of good parts cars is rapidly dwindling.
3. If you are not somebody they "know" in the industry and don't look wealthy, they will NEVER have the part you need because I suspect they have sold it all outside of really rare, Daddy Warbucks-level stuff. I'm sure it's there. When somebody that needs to build a car for a fluff piece or a show needs a part they miraculously have it. I feel like I should have said "Forget the windshield, I also need an NOS, date-coded 1968 Hemi block, do you have one??".

Anyway, just wanted to give the skinny on what a visit to this place is like. I won't be back...not just because of the Older Guy's dismissive attitude, but because I've had far better luck finding parts at local junkyards. Save yourself a trip.
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Umm. My brief experience with them today was not great. Literally needed a rocker shaft bolt. Called them 2 hours later and they said it would take 2 days for them to go pull it and they wanted $25 for it. I was very apologetic when I called to cancel the order and well, let's just say customer service is not their calling in life.
 
Well, I have know Ted and Jackie yes 35 years, Ted had a local parts store and wound up in the Mopar boneyard business. He bought cars from states away. Always friendly and real Mopar folk. But sharp at business. I never was. But money was never my priority in life. I sold hm a few 69 Roadrunner fenders once on way from my old Ga hometown back home to Mo. He did not need them said, he had a "lifetime" supply! I sold them wholesale for sure. But I needed gas money! Never been to his yard, I knew I would not be a customer to afford his parts. Stopped off at their home one Christmas eve on way thru Al., good folk. But, buying and selling are two different things usually in this old world.

Onetime down there I had picked up an AAR Cuda shell. No suspension roller, no ood and no spoiler.... gone. Ted wasn't there but Jackie was. She said WHERE DID YOU GET THAT!!!!!! smoke coming her ears!! I told her I got it from our mutual friend Jack that got it out of a boneyard for me. I just said not bad for NO title and $400?? ( I sold it about 92 and it took me a year to get $1500 for it after I added f and r suspension!!This was about maybe 88 or 9. ) She was not happy!!! ha

First time to go to Mopar Nats was back in the 80s and last time was about 2003 maybe. Always saw them there, Ted was walkng and buying a few parts and Jackie was carrying stuff like hood, fenders and BB heads!! Back what 30 years ago, they bought some of the movie Vanishing Point ( was that the name?) remake movie cars. Thewere steping out. Ted made his money I bet dealing with the big guys and what they soldout of the yard was maybe considered a nuisance? Don't know/ I remeber him taking a dash apart and selling each piece for like $25 each. Most would have sold the wole dash for $40. years ago that was makng a $//

I will say this abou R and R. Ron Slobe ( R and R) was a real Mopar guy, he loved everything about Mopar and all that the cars and parts involved. But this is what can happen. Local guy hauls in a wrecked and dented 72 Dart and sells it to Ron for a little over scrap. Months later the guy needs let say, a 69 Dart trunk lid and Ron quotes $300. We the guy poops in this shorts. "what!! I just sold you a whole car for $300!" Ron says good thing you don't need a 68 Coronet truk lid, they are $600! Ron made his $ shipping parts nationwide and pricing them on the national price scale of things not local! They sold tons and parts every day and shipped ebverywhere. The locals could feel like they were mistreated unless maybe Ron knew you well. Bought parts there, sold parts there, and Ron was a real guy. A fair guy. He ran a super successful business that lasted till cancer took him.

There are old yards around that are great to deal with and others, well ya better garb your wallet and ***. All is fair game to those guys!
 
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