peer81

Hello,

I don't write much here on this forum but this is something i like to share with everybody here.
As you might already have seen some of the forummembers here are from Holland (the Netherlands, Europe) and that include's me! In general having a vette in Holland isn't the same as in the States. Fuel price's are very high, parts are almost 2x catalogprice over here and good shops for repaires on the vette's aren't much around. But when you put a side all those things..., with a vette you king of the road over here!

I'm still in college (i thing you call it college over there) and this year a 7 day trip was planed to New York Manhattan. Well isn't had nice, i still needed parts for the vette so if i could bring back a few parts i wouldn't have to pay for the transport. So i begon my search for a shop in NYcity. Putting a topic on this forum was off course the best and quickest way to get some info, so i did that. I got a among the others a reply from Java0881 (Hugo). He said had the closest to Manhattan was Vetteworks from Sergio. Thanks again for the info Hugo!
I was staying in a Hostel so i wanted to pick up the parts myself and not let them get to the Hostel.
So i tryed to call Sergio and see if it was possible to order some things, after trying a few times and getting the answering machine every time, i went looking for a mail adres. I could also had left a message off course, but calling back to Holland isn't what i would call a local connection! :D And yes on this own site (where else) http://www.vetteworks.com i found his mailadres. And on the second day i already recieved a mail back. With this active mailconnection we discussed several things as the best way of payment, and the items i wanted to order. The time was flying and we where already in NY, but trough mail i could sustain a good connection with Sergio.
So the transport was for "free" because i could put al the parts in my luggage (i orderd only small parts), but the customs in Holland where still a problem. The tax here is 19% so with $900,- of parts you all can do the math :( Not good, after some research on the net i found that there was a max of €175,-. without tax so when i mailed this to Sergio, and discussing this "problem" we came to a solution. Sergio had no problem to put the parts on three differend bills so the tax would be minimal, and he even prefected the system so it was waterproof! :cool: On friday i finally manneged to get Sergio on the phone (most of the time i forgot or couldn't phone, that's why this late) We made final arrangements to pickup the parts on saterday, and i was very nice to talk to Sergio in person after al that mail. So on Saterday i skipped the afternoon program (that the rest of the student from school followed) and wend to College Point to pick up the parts. The one thing we all noticed in NY very much is that when we asked for directions to somebody on the street everybody was very happy to help us. Well people from Holland aren't like that (in our opinion) so that's why! Finding Vetteworks isn't very difficult when you have a c2 on the edge of the roof! Very nice. :cheers:
When i walked in to the show there where (i don't know exectly anymore) but 1 c3 and 4 c2 in the shop. Sergio noticed my and came out of his office to welcome me. Well it isn't difficult to imagen where we talked about. ;) After a tour though the shop with detailed info on every car, we went to see the parts. Off course all parts were original GM and he showed me the difference between original and reproduction. In his mails Sergio already said i had to take a taxi to get everything back to the Hostel, but well; first see then beleef off course. But indeed this was a package i couldn't take in to the metro back, so Sergio called a taxi to take me back. After thanking Sergio i got back to the Hostel and packed everything with 2 other students. At JFK the X-ray went off when the bodymount kit and bushings went trough but everything was fine. Back in Holland the costums were not paying attention and we could just walk though, so that was very easy. $0,- tax!
There where still some parts that need to be transported because off some delay but with the mail that's no problem. So i'm updated almost on a daily bases.
So this is my change to thank Sergio and the rest of Vetteworks, and hoping they will keep this up! :thumbs: :flag

Btw. This isn't a public advertisement but just me story i wanted to tell and get the changes to thank everybody. Because if there wasen't this forum i would have never got this far. On our Dutch corvette forums we get very much negative topics on shops so there is a positive one for a change!

Well, NY is a great city but i'm glad that i'm back in Holland again. The only thing that surprized me where that i only saw four vette's in Manhattan in the seven days i was there, almost every car has dammage over there. I also missed the V8 sound, but well i've got my own vette so no prob! :seeya
(text not checked on errors)

Greets Peter.

joe73vette

great story, and you have a cool accent. joe

Smokehouse69

I agree great story, it's a pretty good thing to be envolved in a hobby that gives you the oportunity to help other enthusiasts and to be helped by them in turn. Sergio sounds just like that kind of guy. Peter, good luck with your car and keep the spirit of the Corvette brotherhood going in the Netherlands by passing on what you have learned to other enthusiasts!

java0881

hey peter
i'm glad it worked out with sergio.he is a really cool corvetteguy.
next time gimme a holler and i 'll provide with transportation.
good luck :cheers:

BeachinVette

Very Good. I like those kinds of stories. :cheers: :cheers:

Bob