TOPIC:

I need a new exhaust, so I looked for the best price which seemed to be Eurosport once you get your owners club discount, so I gave them a call. The telephone conversation went something like this:

-ring ring, ring ring
ES:- 'allo

me:- is that Eurosport?

ES:- yeh

me:- oh good, I wonder if you could help me? I would like to buy a new exhaust for an X1/9

ES:- just a minute

(a couple of minutes pass and the same person comes back on the phone)

ES:- what did you want?

me:- an exhaust for an X1/9 ?

ES:- we haven't got any exhausts.

me:- well that's that I suppose.

ES:- yeh, bye.


Now don't get me wrong, if they haven't got any exhausts then that's fine, I can just buy it somewhere else. It just seemed such terrible service.

Has anyone else got good or bad experiences of eurosport or is it just me?

I've since ordered one from Alternative Autos who were very pleasant.

i have bought countless (I daren't add it up!!) bits for my x over the last 6 months, and I never bother with anyone other than Alt Autos .. they are totally professional, the bits are always right, and they get there the next day ...

Cascu (Classic & Sports Cars Unlimited) bougt Eurosport out about five years ago. maybe you've got hold of an old number?

Mark at Cascu is helpful. I got my CSC exhaust and replacement arches from hom back in 2002.

I've tried Eurosport a few times in the last month and the land line goes straight to answer machine and the mobile just rings and rings and then goes to the answer machine.

Their prices would appear to be better than Alternatve Auto's however with Steve you do get a fantastic service and everything I've ever wanted has been in stock.

Overall the best 'value package' is undoubtely Alternative Autos.

Used Eurosport for the first and last time a couple of months ago when I was after some original 1300 mirrors. Phoned several times and left messages, when they eventually phoned me back they assured me they had what I wanted, when the mirrors finally arrived they were a pair of retro fit jobs that would have looked better on a Marina.

Always found Alternative Autos professional and helpful.

Another thumbs up for Alternative Autos, I have used them several times and they are always heplfull and you get your stuff correct and on time

Hi all

I thought I had better send a quick note to the notice board about Eurosport. We are still here although we do keep suffering a lot of email problems so it is normally better to phone. I have also been away around the country quite a bit in the last few weeks collecting parts and cars including the Amalfi Passero that was briefly on Ebay. (This will be back on the road very shortly). Customers who use us regularly will know it can be better to phone evenings upto 9pm as during the day, much of the time is spent fibreglass laminating, bodykits, panels etc so obviously the phone cannot always be answered. If you do phone (01493) 748981 and get the answer machine please leave a message with an evening landline number and someone will call you back. As far as PaKO's comment had gone. It wasn't me he spoke to as I would have told hime that we are temporarily out of stock of all exhausts at the moment. The reason we are cheaper for parts is becuase we buy in large quantities due to selling parts all over the world including to some other parts suppliers and therefore get good discounts from our suppliers or manufacturers. We always pass the discounts onto the customers especially the club members. As far as secondhand parts go we cannot be matched for the stock we have and nearly always have 20-30 X1/9s here for spares. If you require something urgently please let us know at the time of ordering as we can then give you priority. Generally items are posted the same or next day, however due to the volume of items being sent out, this is not always possible. It is worth checking out our Ebay auctions under CASCU as you will pick up some real bargains. We normally list items at very good prices due to a bulk order we have had in at the time.
The only thing we cannot do at the moment is mechanical and restoration work as there is far too much work already lined up waiting to be done.
Contrary to one or two peoples questions to me over the phone, although we are now doing quite a bit with Ferraris as well, this does not mean we will be stopping the X1/9 parts, I have been dealing with X1/9s for over 16 years and have no intention of stopping now. In fact we are doing more and more parts and investing a lot of time and money in getting new parts remanufactured where possible. However we need your support if you want to keep your cars on the road as no one else will source out and invest in new parts like we do.
Thanks to our many loyal customers.

Mark

Thats all very well, but what so many busnesses miss is Customer service.

Without a helpfull and speedy service having large stocks is pointless !

Good to see you on here Mark - I've been going to Mark's for years for my bits and pieces and nothing beats being able to clamber over all the X1/9's in various states of disarray and pull off the bits myself! whilst having a good chat and poke around all the mysterious projects that are always 'on the go' in his vaults! That is if you can get up to Great Yarmouth which is quite a trek for some, myself included! As for keeping up an impeccable level of customer service, I would imagine its tricky when you're a one-man-band, but Mark does the best he can - I can happily say all my transactions with him have been most pleasant.

However I also have used Alternative Autos too, and would echo the sentiments about Steve being a top bloke, however I'm surprised how he is keeping the X1/9 side of things running/has the enthusiasm to do so as he no longer has a personal X1/9 and Fiat Coupes etc. are his main line of business now, and he has sold the last of his X1/9 body panels etc. on ebay fairly recently.

Hi Jim

It's good to hear from you, I don't get a lot of spare time to check out the exxy forum but do have a look now and again. I have got a few people that help out now and again but generally I do most things myself still.
Another note I thought I should mention is that it may be worth everyone looking at what has happened to the price of new parts since I took over Eurosport about 4-5 years ago. I think you will find that most prices dropped by a lot especially brake discs, pads, clutch cylinders etc etc. The drop is across the board with the main X1/9 suppliers now but I started this by cutting a lot off the Eurosport prices. At the time I remember being very unpopular with certain other suppliers but they have followed my lead and therefore you are all better off as Jim and many other customers of mine know.
By the way Jim when you are up this way next, you will have to pop in and see the Amalfi, it will hopefully be back on the road by then.

I have ordered parts from both cascu/eurosport and alt autos. Both have been great. When you are in a hurry it's so much quicker to be able to pay by card over the phone and both of these guys do that.

Mark glad to see the Amalfi is in good hands. When I saw it on ebay I couldn't believe the state it had been allowed to get into (or so it seemed from the photos). What is the plan for it? Is it a keeper, do up and sell or are you even going to reproduce the kit (if that is even possible)?

If ever there was scope for an article (mag or internet) then this has to be it

Hi Alex

The Amalfi is definitely a keeper as I have been after this car ever since I bought out Eurosport. Paul Sparrow had offered the moulds and jigs to Gerry Brown just before he sold me Eurosport. Unfortunately by the time I found the paperwork and phoned Paul, he had destroyed the moulds and had no idea where either of the cars had ended up. Luckily it turned up on Ebay so I had to have it. The guy who was selling it didn't actually own it, he was selling it for a friend who wasn't on Ebay. I didn't really have the space for another keeper project so something had to go so I went mad and offered him any one of my Ferraris or my Lotus Elise for it and to my surprise and relief he went for the Elise so the deal was done.
The Amalfi is no where near as bad as it looked in the pictures. It is on it's own spaceframe chassis but becuase the fibreglass is so thick, it absorbed most of the damage and the chassis was untouched. The bodywork is all now repaired awaiting prep and spraying but I will need to go through the brakes and mechanical side as it has been sat in a field for a couple of years. The interior is all ok except for the dashboard as the leather has shrunk here.
The plan at the moment is to get the car back on the road for a few months and then it will be stripped over the winter to take a set of moulds off it. I will then build a new light weight body and look at making a new lighter chassis. I have spoken to Paul about this and he said that this original car was too heavy as it was the developement car. He had plans to fit the body to an X1/9 inner structure which may still be a possibility but I prefer the idea of a spaceframe chassis due to the rust considerations of the X1/9 structure and I don't really want to cut up a good X1/9. I will keep you posted.
Mark

Mark,

I should be up your neck of woods over the next couple of months, so I'll definitely get in touch and pop round to catch up and pick up a few bits n bobs... - it'd be cool to see the Amalfi! I'm sure with your fibreglassing skills it'll be a doodle for you to put back on the road!

Cheers,
Jim.

Thanks Mark for answering our memberships problems and letting us all know just what is developing out there !
Perhaps an article in the magazine would not go a miss with a future update PLEASE

Hi Frosty

Two of us are spending every spare moment on the Amalfi at the moment, it has got severe micro blistering problems so the back end of the car is being sanded right back to the fibreglass in several places. However it will hopefully be painted this week so could well be MOTed by next week. The electrics are proving a nightmare as was the front suspension, however the latter is now sorted. The front struts were not X1/9 and too be honest I am not sure where they came from. Both were shot so we have modified a pair of standard struts so the car sits a little higher. The standard struts before modification meant the front valence was nearly scraping the ground, looked good but highly unpractical especially on our small country roads. Then it is just the brakes to overhaul, again I need to get back in touch with Paul Sparrow as the fronts are highly modified with about 12" discs and huge calipers. The interior can wait until later so you may see it at the local club christmas lunch this year. Fingers crossed.
I will keep you updated.
Mark