(This is a repost of the piece I posted a year or more ago. If anyone
would like a copy of my U.K. parts suppliers, just let me know and I
will send it by e-mail. ---Bob)
If there is one problem or complaint common to all owners of English
classic cars, it is the price, quality, and availability of parts in
this country. Fortunately, there is an excellent alternative unfamiliar
to most, and therefore rarely used. It is the Mother Country of those
English cars. England. I have always maintained that car prices in
this country are low, and the parts expensive. Just the opposite is
true in England where cars get quite expensive, but the parts are
relatively inexpensive by our standards.
First, it must be remembered that the restoration of English classics is
a major hobby in the U.K. There are several magazines devoted to
classics, a couple of newspapers, and innumerable shows and autojumbles.
Second, there are more classic car parts manufacturers, distributors,
suppliers, and mail order firms in this small country the size of
California, than there are in the entire U.S. They are there to meet
the demands of the market, and competition thrives with the resulting
lowering of prices.
Finally, there was an incredible amount of borrowing back and forth of
parts among car manufacturers. The Sprite starter field coil, for
example, is the same as used on a number of Austins, all Hillmans, MG's
from TD's on, all Morris', the Nash Metropolitan, the Singer, several
TR's, and the Vauxhall Victors. Now, while Americans may not be
interested in most of these models, the British are. It thus makes it
profitable to manufacture parts to meet the needs of the classic market
in England. The narrow interests of the American market, on the other
hand, would make it quite expensive, if at all possible.
Three years ago, I built a database of parts for my Sprites. In this
database, I listed the price of parts from various suppliers in the U.S.
and in the U.K. Across the board, prices from U.K. suppliers were
substantially below those of their American counterparts.
(Unfortunately, we had a disastrous house fire two years ago! 'Nuff
said.)
In terms of quality, I have found that the British are very demanding,
and suppliers more conscious of their reputation in a competitive
market. The British enthusiasts are far less forgiving than we
Americans when it comes to poor quality. They generally demand
value for their money. This is not to say that there is no junk on the
market there. There is. However, I have not run across any cause
for complaint.
Besides a generally lower list price, Americans enjoy another major
advantage when buying directly from English suppliers since they do not
have to pay the 17.5% Value Added Tax that is generally included in list
price. Because the parts are being exported, Americans escape the
odious tax squeezed out of the English enthusiasts. (Always check the
dealers terms to see if the VAT is included or excluded from the list
price.) Of course, no American taxes are payable on purchases shipped
from England.
Free parts catalogs are an American phenomenon. When contacting English
suppliers, be prepared to pay a relatively small charge for the catalog,
and perhaps for the additional postage. Any person visiting an English
classic car show would do well to collect as many catalogs as possible
since they are generally given away free at these events.
Shipping charges are not as bad as one might fear. It all depends upon
how big and how fast you want the part. A gasket set can be mailed
quite inexpensively and arrive in a couple of days. An engine block?
Even then it would be inexpensive if shipped by surface freight (by
ship). But even smaller parts are not overly expensive to send UPS.
The English are masters of finding the least expensive means of
shipping, and will generally be helpful along this line.
One of the big questions that people have is that of import duty that
must be paid when goods are shipped into the U.S. I have never been
required to pay a duty on goods shipped from England, although some
purchases have been as much as $200. Why? I do not know. I would hope
that Customs has a cost-benefit cut-off limit so the government is not
spending more money to collect a duty than the duty itself. In any
event, duties on English goods are minimal.
Finding English suppliers is not all that difficult. There is, of
course, the "Monster List" that can be found at:
http://www.team.net/sol/britpart.html#monster. I have my own list of
dealers that I have purchased from or met at classic car shows and
autojumbles in England. I would be happy to e-mail this list to anyone
who is interested. In calling England, remember that the county code is
"44", and that if a number is listed with a prefix beginning with "0",
overseas callers change the "0" for a "1" (e.g., "0123" would be
"1123"). If writing, be sure to affix 60 cents postage.
Bob Evans
Anaheim, California
Frogeyes AN 5L/762, AN 5L/26893
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