Need Beck Owners Advice

I live in the Chicago Suburbs and was interested in buying a new Beck/Chamonix from a local specialty dealer. He gets his cars from the guy in Idiana. There is one car left and he is no longer planing to stock these cars. I think it can be had for somewhere in the mid-twenties. My questions are these:

What is your experince with these late model Becks?

Has anyone out there owned both a Beck and a VS? If so, what can I expect.

I planned on ordering a VS one day, but this car is ready to go. What do you guys or gals think?

My experience with Beck (Special Edition) has been fantastic. Carey Hines is incredibly helpful and responsive. The car is great. I love the tube frame and the fit and finish. It is a blast to drive and gets noticed everywhere. Anything I have run up against Carey has been right there with answers or advice. The only way it could be better is if he moved in next door. Special Edition gets my highest recommendation.

It's hard to offer an opinion without offending someone, so I'll stress that this is just MY OPINION.

I consider the Beck frame design, interior space, and construction quality to be a bit of a step up - which is why they usually tend to cost a bit more than some others. Mid 20's is a great price if it's a recent car, as opposed to one he's had in stock for a long time. I started looking at Beck's about three years ago(two years before I got mine), and they've introduced some running changes that make the more recent cars more attractive. That, along with the excellent customer support I've received, make me a big supporter. Also, it's important to know who actually assembled the car. Did he do it, or did he get it turnkey from Special Edition. If he just did a few, and wasn't a skilled builder, the manufacturer may not matter, and you probably want to pass on this one. If, however, it was well made by him, or came straight from Special Edition, it sounds like a good deal. Your proximity to Special Edition should be a big plus. Give them a call and see if they can answer some questions about the builder and the car.

When you talk to the seller again, ask if he did the build, if he used all new parts, including engine and transaxle, and what the specs on both of those items are. If the car was built at Special Edition, all parts will be new.

My experience with my car has been great, aside from the normal sorting that all of these cars have in the beginning. Carey made sure that all issues were dealt with quickly. A great company to do business with.

If Corey Hines organization did it turnkey, go for it.

Leon C.

Lane, thats the last straw... what makes you think you can go around mamby pamby giving your opinion on the internet, especially when your specifically asked for it..you have a lot of nerve my friend... lol.

James

Just a major character flaw, James :-)

This is great stuff, keep it coming. I'll try to post the pictures.

Marty

Lane, sit down. You're out of your element.
Marty, Lane's right. It's a well-reputed car and Carey's a fantastic guy.
Okay, Lane. You can stand up again.
:

I would echo everything Tom wrote. Carey was very responsive every step of the way, including post-delivery support. Good product. Responsive customer service. What else could you ask for?

Marty,

I assume you mean D&M Motorsports?

Shoot me the car's chassis number (or even a few photos) and I'll get full build details on it for you.
You can also call me at the shop and we can speak about the cars, what to look for, etc... Some of them I built completely, some were only built to rollers, and a few others were sold as kits and built elsewhere.

Carey

It's the blue one, right? I drove it. Nice car. But I opted for this one from the same dealer.

Mike

Mike,

You are right; it

Carey,


Here is the car. They added a radio/cd and what they called performance mufflers. What is the actual HP on the 2100CC motor?


Marty

there was a post today of vs widebody with a 2110 and i think it said 110 or 120 hp

I have a 2110 from CB Performance in my IM and I was told it has somewhere around 140 HP and around the same for torque.. it certainly doesn't feel like its hurting for power like you describe, but your right, the power does feel more like its in the higher rpms. If I run the gears, first and second feel ok, but third seems to go on forever. If I don't kick it up to 5K rpm all the time, the engine is a dream to drive around town, which is exactly what I wanted. I guess it boils down to the fact that these are not race cars (except for Butch)...makes me sad that I am selling this car so soon after buying it and loving it so much, but I have my heart set on another car.

James

James,

How long have you had your car? Oh well, car guys are fickle. Does this motor need much tweaking? For example, if its sits all winter what should I do besides disconnecting the battery.


Marty

The 2110cc that CB builds for us is the same spec that he builds for Henry. Dyno sheets show 140-145 hp, which makes a mild performer. Tame enough for cruising, but plenty of power on tap, so that you don;t feel underpowered (in my opinion).
Now, I've seen D&M advertise ALL of their cars as having a 2110cc, when some actually have a 1915cc. All of their 2110cc motors were full flowed, so you can look for an external oil cooler if you question the mill.

As for the photos... a chassis number would really tell me the specs, since they had several cars in the same color, BUT I believe this is one that I sold as a kit, to another company. If the photo is of the actual car, it shows the old style turn signal unit, which pre-dates any direct sales to D&M... so, I'd say this is one of the kits that they traded for...
Seems they have added our full A/C lower valence w/ a stereo.

Carey.

No air and they did say it has the external oil cooler. I will get the VIN.


Marty

I have owned the car for a little over a month.. mothers day to be exact. I am a very fickle car guy.. there is nothing whatsoever I don't like about this IM, its just awesome, and driving it around is a pleasure, but I can't get my mind off of the idea of an original coupe and a cheaper speedster.. selling my IM is the only way I can afford it without a divorce, then I get nothing...

James

Selling the IM & getting an original coupe...nice idea! Those coupes are really nice. Owning an original coupe & a speedster is really something to think about!

James,

Is your car listed on this site?

Marty

Marty,

Not listed here yet.. it will be as soon as I get some time for better pictures. If your interested, or know someone who is, let me know. There is a guy in Hawaii that is waiting on pictures and seems very excited about it, but we will see. Thats a long way to ship a car from the east coast. Not sure it will be worth it to him once he see's the shipping estimate.. lol.

James