European Collectibles

[Dennis Engel]

I am new to the 356 Registry. I own an '06 911S Cab and am shopping around for a nicely restored 356A Speedster or Conv D. I have come across a car that has been restored be European Collectibles and wonder if anyone on the Forum that has/had a car restored by them would care to comment on their quality of work. The company's reputation seems to be A-1 and based on photos and descriptions I like what I see. Thank you.

[VinceFinaldi]

I have never purchased a car from them, or had them restore anything, but since no one has responded I will provide what information I have. I used to live down the street from their Babcock location for quite a while. I used to stop by every now and then to see what they had in inventory. The two chaps who own/run the place are very nice and knowledgeable. They had a place across the city, on Placentia, before that. They have always been willing to show me around. And, their restorations (many of which I saw in varying stages of the process) were very nice. They hold an open house every March during the Lit/swap weekend where you can see their facility and projects. It would be well worth the visit in a couple weeks if you are thinking of buying from them. I would have no hesitation buying from them.

[Peter Boettcher]

Dennis,
Always, always have an independent PPI completed on any car you are considering.
Very much worth the expense.
A high end dealer may not have all the details on a car that you will need to make an informed decision.
There was a thread on this exact topic not too long ago.

Good hunting!

Peter Boettcher
Cincinnati, OH

[Neil Bardsley]

I've haven't checked in a while but there where 2 conv Ds for sale on the Registry classifies? One from Bob Campbell who I bought my car from would happily recommend to you.

[Miguel Antonetti]

+1 on the PPI regardless of where the car is coming from - keep in mind that it is a 50+ year old machine; furthermore, may be someone from the Registry might be able to help with this. I personally dont' trust dealers...

[Neil Bardsley]

I personally dont' trust dealers...

I haven't used European Collections but 2nd hand I have heard, from a couple of sources, their cars are honestly described. Prices seen high but they are a dealer what do you expect.

[Robert Kenton]

I purchased my 64 SC coupe from them in late '07. They were honest and very easy to deal with. I flew to Orange Co. twice to see and drive cars that I deemed possibles. They met me and returned me to John Wayne airport both times. A PPI is still a must; I had Jack Staggs (in San Clemente or ? Dana Point) do mine on site at EC. Deficiencies/incorrect items identified on the PPI were taken care of as part of the deal. I'm surprised no one else with direct purchase experience from them has responded, but I would have no hesitation dealing with them again. I cannot comment on their restoration abilities.

[Gary Carriveau]

I purchased my '64 C Coupe from EC about 3 years ago and it was a very good experience. They were knowledgeable and very fair in negotiations; the final purchase price included addressing all of the items that I had pointed out as needing attention at no extra cost. I could not have been happier when I took possession at the time and try to drive it once a week ever since. It is a wonderful way to keep a smile on my face. I would recommend EC without hesitation. Do your homework, look at all possibilities carefully, negotiate honestly, and enjoy your 356 as often as you can when you get the right one.

Gary
'64 C Coupe

[Jay Wiener]

They sure have a very impressive inventory! Prices are a little on the high side, but they have a very high overhead. I've seen some of their cars and they are pretty nice. The attention to detail isn't always there, but they restore a lot of cars. Again, used car dealer, PPI always a good idea

[Tom Tate]

I have never purchased a car from them but have attended their open house the last few years as part of our annual trip to the Literature Meet. Always lots of cars on display and it's really hard to find mistakes as that's what all the old guys do while they're standing around eating the free food (great tacos) and drinking the free beer. I have used their inventory as shown in their website to help establish market values for people new to the hobby. That tends to separate the men from the boys real quick. I'm not sure what percentage of the cars they sell are actually restored by them, I would think the number would be pretty small given the amount of space they have vs the number of cars they sell. The examples they have restored have always been to a very high standard and as the comments noted above, they stand behind all the cars they sell. I do know that they are faithful supporters of our Club. When we held the ECH in Boston in '12 they covered the cost of the wine glasses at the banquet which was one of the biggest expenses we had and check was in hand before it was needed. I can't say that about everyone. Lets support those folks that support us. KTF

[Jim Alton]

I have never purchased a car from them but have attended their open house the last few years as part of our annual trip to the Literature Meet. Always lots of cars on display and it's really hard to find mistakes as that's what all the old guys do while they're standing around eating the free food (great tacos) and drinking the free beer. ...

I don't recall European Collectibles serving free beer. Tom, could you have had too much free beer at Jim Liberty's across the street?

Jeff Trask, who helps run European Collectibles, is a long time 356 & 912 enthusiast and the current president of the 356 Club of Southern California.

[TomDoherty]

I haven't bought a car from them but I do have a friend who sold them a car. I knew the car that was sold - when it appeared for sale at EC, it was not restored and honestly described. EC made a healthy profit when the car was sold, I can't blame them for that, the car was bought well and EC sold it at a dealer market price.

[Jon Schmid]

I'll chime in with a couple observations. 1. I have not bought from them so can't comment on their business practices except to say the obvious--they do have a nice inventory of cars. 2. Jeff Trask is a real nice guy. 3. They use top notch mechanics like Jack Staggs in San Clemente. 4. They use East Auto Body and Paint in Orange for at least some of their restorations--I cannot recommend Shane and the guys highly enough--they are fixing a bung in my Roadster as I write this. As recommended, a PPI is a given and understand that they are a dealer as far as pricing goes. They've been around for a while so they must be doing something right.

[Adam Wright]

I have never bought from them but I have sold cars and parts to them, very easy to deal with. I have never been to an open house but I told Captain Tate to eat my share of tacos when he went.

[Miguel Antonetti]

.... Lets support those folks that support us. KTF

+1 on that!