Hi guys.

 

I was searching the web for aftermarket corolla parts and i came across a website called www.slickcar.com. It seems to be an Amercian website, but even after converting to Aussie dollars, the prices are still ridiculously cheap. For example.....

 

Set of 4 fully adjustable coilovers - $178 (us)

Extractors - $143 (us)

Cat-back stainless exhaust systems - $190 (us)

 

The list goes on and on. If you have yet to visit this site, check it out, and if you have, can you please enlighten me as to why everything is so cheap and if there are any people in Australia that import and sell these items. I doubt they are excellent quality but if you want to modify your rolla on the cheap, things like this can be enticing.

Because their labour market sucks, their minumum wage in some states is less than 5 bucks and their unemployment is climbing as their manufacturing industry gasps its last breath.

 

In other words, they're struggling to find work so they'll make bits cheeep like the budgie.

No doubt this is most probably the case, but you can't deny that more popular, well known brand name products aren't also produced in similar conditions with highly inflated prices thrown on top. The website looks legit, if thats anything to go by.

Edited September 14, 201016 yr by Crafty

Yeah. Things over there are cheap as once converted, but postage (especially for coilovers) would be a killer.

Very true, thats why i was hoping to find somewhere in Aus that has such a broad range of parts for Corollas. It seems they are not existent in this COuntry.

Yeah. Things over there are cheap as once converted, but postage (especially for coilovers) would be a killer.

 

but even if postage is 400AUD on those coilovers

 

~600AUD is pretty damn cheap for a set of coilovers.

 

the other "reason" may be that when things come to australia there are prolly quite a few "middle men" who add their ~10% on top. doesnt take long to get prices up that way.

 

for example i used to work at JB hifi in the car-audio section. almost everything had more than 100%+ mark up on it (ie we buy it for $50 and sell it for $120). and as you all know JB is VERY reasonable prices when compared to other retail prices. not a good example no, but if that website up there is where they originally make them, or close to the top of the mark-up chain, and its only an internet site (which will be cheaper anyway), then its no wonder they are cheap compared to what sells in australia.

 

for more eye openers of the american market check out www.eshocks.com

Something about coil overs for $180US scares me!

I agree with both last comments, hence my dilemma, and curiosity.

 

BTW - I checked out eshocks.com. Great prices, but still they are selling, for example, a single bilstein shock for roughly $100, while slickcar.com are selling a full set of 4 coilovers for only a tiny bit more. Which is where my concern lies.

Are you sure its a complete, build coilover strut? It could be just a coilover sleeve kit, in which case USD$140 doesn't sound quite so cheap. :hmm:

Taz is right, looking at the picture. $107 buys you the sleeve kit. I assume they are trying to clear old stock...

 

Click on picture-

 

http://www.slickcar.com/productdetails.asp?ProductID=1694

Looking at the picture it looks like a complete coilover strut to me, though i am by no means a professional on the subject. Description says sold as set of 4, and pricing is $107 a set (for Acura one's).

Fig Jam :lol:

 

 

Looking at the picture it looks like a complete coilover strut to me, though i am by no means a professional on the subject. Description says sold as set of 4, and pricing is $107 a set (for Acura one's).

 

There's 2x pics of a kit and 1 assembled pic. Thats a "this is them installed on a strut" pic. :wink: