who has dealt with that karim guy (r390 motorsports)

[rancid240]

I email asking for pics of clips/exhaust, and all he says is call me.

I cant get pics on the phone, dammit!


So who has dealt with this guy?

[mrmephistopheles]

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaady

[Beezer]

I ordered a silvia conversion from him a few months back. Although it took some time it was worth it. All of the pieces were in prefect condition and best of all I got an aero bumper out of it. The only thing I had to get was the headlight support brackets. Ebay for $25.00. His price for the conversion was the best I have heard from in months. Also when I went up to his warehouse he even had a whole silvia minus doors and an engine. Even had crazy modded Z32 and supra clips. Thanks for your help Karim
Billy

[Dousan_PG]

DONT
put it that way

basically what ive heard
he hs friend/family in japan
you pay him the money, he sends money there, then after XXX amount of months (yes MONTHS) you get it while your fretting. if you bug him he wont answer the phone or your calls

everytone i've spoken w/ about him (when i was getting into 240sx) said DONT deal w/ him.

[boosteds14]

i got my LSD from him. took about 3 months to get and a lot of headaches. i advise not dealing with him

[Foxcolt]

I was gonna buy some R33 brakes from him a while back.. Did some research on him and decided not too.

The guy's legit..he just doesn't really have much in the customer service department.

[rancid240]

looks like i ****ed him off. hehe here is our emails, to be continued.......

I asked for pics, he told me to call him, so I sent him this....

You seem to have a pretty shady rep? How are you going to send pics over the phone? Some people say you dont even have the parts in the states,
that people pay you and then you send the parts, and after however months of waiting, the parts arrive?


His Reply...
This is a very rude way too bring something up all I ask
is that you call and this is the reply I receive

but if your already bringing this up "SHADY" word
I think it would be in your best interest too
deal with someone else and not me at all.

Also thank youvery much for your e-mail
Karim
(818)-345-7289

[Dousan_PG]

actually, it was kinda rude about how you brought up the whole shady thing
but from what i hear (and above poster), you made the best choice NOT to order thru him.



remember, price doesnt mean great service. maybe pay more for quality, reliability and piece of mind!!!!!

[rancid240]

Yah I agree I was a little on the forward side, but seeing that his reputation for customer service isnt that great, i am sure not to buy from him.

[coolerow2]

Karim is not a shady guy. Its the buyers that get impatient. His orders do take time. You should ask him about items he has on stock if you don't want to wait that long.

He's been around for some time now, importing and what not, so he isn't just some regular schmoe. His prices are one of the CHEAPEST I think. About a couple years back he quoted me on a Silvia conversion kit for $650 and a complete clip for about $1,500. Now if thats not cheap, I don't know what is.

My suggestion is that you get someting that he has in stock. As far as getting something ordered, just go with someone else if you don't want to wait that long. It's also kind of a drag that you have to pay up front, but it's always been like that with him.

PS: He can also import cars for you for relatively cheap. You just strip the car (Skyline, Silvia, Lancer, etc.) then send it back to him cause he has to return the shell back to Japan. HOPE THIS HELPS...

[SR240DET]

ok.. say i bought a r32 GTR... i buy it for (how ever much they cost).... ok.. now how much would shipping be?

[Dousan_PG]

GTR R32 will cost you around 4K + depending on year (older = cheaper)

email karim for info
because um...he imports them!

[racer98]

no I do not import GTR's who the F**** told you this shit?

[DRFT]

no I do not import GTR's who the F**** told you this shit?


a little late again with the post...

and to answer your question, this guy said so....

....PS: He can also import cars for you for relatively cheap. You just strip the car (Skyline, Silvia, Lancer, etc.) then send it back to him cause he has to return the shell back to Japan. HOPE THIS HELPS...

[old_s13]

I've been in the 240SX community for a very very long time, before there was even a 240SX.org -- thats AGES ago (around 1996 to be exact).

Anyway, this is how I see it.. there are folks who are a part of the 240SX community and participate on the forums and somehow, manage to give back to the community. Then there are those who are just unheard of and occasionally popup from time to time.

Since I have never done business with him, I cannot say directly that he is shady. BUT, I do know people who have done business with him and say he IS shady.

When I do business with folks in the community, I make sure that they are known and reputable.. I dont mind paying extra for that peace of mind.

[KOUKI KA-T]

Ha, I got an e-mail from this r390 blah blah blah place twice now. No idea who they are. Must have got my e-mail form this forum I guess. Looks super shady to me.

[Advan]

I may look dumb saying this, but I assume that when you all say clips, you mean things like engine mods, hoods right? I did a small research and from one thread and came to that conclusion...I may be way off though, but all this stuff about "clips" is confusing to me.

[nightwalker]

I don't understand how people can operate businesses and act all high and mighty? Has anyone ever walked into a shop owned by asians? (I'm asian) They sit there and look at you like you walked into their house or something. I'm just using this as an example, I've been to some really nice shops owned by asians.

But I don't get the way a lot of these so called "shop owners" are acting towards their customers. Elitists don't make good business men.

Being a "owner managing operator" you should be clear and concise" about what you are offering your customer, and deliver on promises. If not, then don't promise it. It's basic ethics, and most people don't seem to get it.

[Doriftomodachi]

I talked to him a few times. He seemed pretty cool but he also seems really busy and my impression is that he does this on the side. I think he's going to school. So he probably doesn't have the resources of a full on shop. I would visit his warehouse and see what he has in stock and if it's something you need and if it's good quality and in good shape then buy it. Otherwise be prepared to have a lot of patience.

[old_s13]

nightwalker> I don't understand how people can operate businesses and act all high and mighty? Has anyone ever walked into a shop owned by asians? (I'm asian) They sit there and look at you like you walked into their house or something. I'm just using this as an example, I've been to some really nice shops owned by asians. But I don't get the way a lot of these so called "shop owners" are acting towards their customers. Elitists don't make good business men. Being a "owner managing operator" you should be clear and concise" about what you are offering your customer, and deliver on promises. If not, then don't promise it. It's basic ethics, and most people don't seem to get it.

Asian, white, black, green.. makes no difference to me.. I have run across both good and bad people of EVERY decent. Before I opened my business, the one thing that bothered me the most were speed shops that sold aftermarket parts and thought "they were in the industry" but as soon as you come in with a less popular car, they treat you like shit because your car isnt popular. I dealt with this back in 1996 when the 240SX was a "quirky handling RWD car with a truck motor" -- back when FWD cars were dominating due to ignorance. I guess almost 10 years later people are starting to learn and for some reason, RWD is getting acknowledged again -- go figure, every setup has its pros and cons.

Anyway, as a business owner myself I can tell you that the worst thing is a customer who is cocky and thinks he knows about cars -- let alone, thinks he should be respected by how much he spends and how fixed up his car is. These are the type of people who think the amount of mods they have and cash they've blown -- makes them more experienced. This is obviously not true. The ones who know are usually the ones who dont have a lot of money, do the work on their own car, and learn slowly the pros and cons of every product. You start to learn how NO modification is 100% better without taking away from something else. This is why you can never have comfort AND performance, or efficiency AND power.. its always a struggle.

In my eyes, the 240SX is still a less popular car.. regardless of all the crap I see in the industry nowadays. While I may see more 240SX's with body kits and exhausts, I still dont see a large amount of cars that have been TRULY fixed up. You have people who spend money on "drift spec suspension" but they dont know how to drift, let alone understand that there is no such thing as "drift-spec."

So, when people step into a forum.. they have to understand that SOME of us have been here for many many years. Some of us have owned our cars since day 1 and have been doing whatever we can to learn about it: whether its reading, maintaining, fabricating, or modifying. A lot of people think respect comes from owning a badassed fixed up car, that is incorrect. Some of the people that I respect are knowledgeable and drive stock 240SX'es.. or dont even have a sportscar!

Not that this post or response was targeted directly at anyone or any shop, I'm just talking *in general* -- many smaller shop owners do what they need to do to setup their GOOD customers.

Picture it like this, small shops survive by keeping their GOOD clients happy because they have an established business relationship.. and sometimes, even a friendship. Then we get NEW customers who think this is AutoZone where you can just waltz in, buy something, and leave. Or that something should be delivered the EXACT day it is paid for you.

You guys need to understand that most of these smaller niche companies dont have huge income and done have tons of employees.. and that we are doing our best to provide good service to the ones we trust. Of course new customers are always great, but you know most of the scam artists are the ones who want their stuff quick and want to pay with credit card etc etc. Its the good customers who are loyal that get the excellent customer service. All customers should be treated with respect, but not all customers deserve INSTANT service because they still havent even created that type of business relationship yet. I mean, why bother busting your ass to please a whiney customer who is just going to screw you over by cancelling his order as soon as he finds it for cheaper? Then they complain and come running back when that OTHER source screws them over and takes their money. There are those who are constantly looking for a bargain, then there are those who are looking to buy quality products from reputable and knowledgeable businesses.

Damned US market.. its all about sales and volume here.. go to japan its all about loyalty and customer relationship.

[itslogics]

^ preach on!!!

[Advan]

heh, that's what I'm saying. I will agree with him saying that the 240sx is the less popular car. So it's best to learn about the car and how to improve it, by doing most of the things yourself.

[christopher]

Seriously, if you are leary of a place then walk out and go somewhere else. If they are the only place you can find something you want, deal with it and don't complain. You're getting something rare, sometimes you have to jump through hoops. Whats wrong with that.

There are plenty of shops out there, some are just a click away from you right now.

[old_s13]

You're getting something rare, sometimes you have to jump through hoops. Whats wrong with that.

Thats EXACTLY the point I am trying to make. When you go to Fry's Electronics, its a LARGE SCALE place and its hardly a stress-free purchase. 14 day return policy, try returning something on the 15th and see if they give you your money back -- SUUUURE. Costco? Took me almost 1 hour to have 2 of my tires installed on 2 of my rims yesterday, there were only 4-5 people ahead of me in line. Again, go figure.

Every store has its pros and cons, regardless if its a super large scale store or a small family owned one. Its up to YOU in determining what you are capable of dealing with. Try calling DMV or Home Depot to try to find an answer, sure they'll pickup.. if you dont mind on being hold for 8 hours and then talking to an absolute IDIOT. Atleast when you eventually get in contact with most of htese small businesses, they give you the RIGHT answer.

That is the point I was trying to make.

- Mike

[Jeff240sx]

Stop argueing in a year old thread.
-Jeff