Malibusteve

Just a quick note of inquiry before I make a purchase from "Ernie's Alloys in Miami,Florida". I've never heard of nor seen any ad's for this group and was wondering if anyone has any information as to their reputation, reliablity and trustworthiness. I recently had a scare on Ebay for a set of HRE wheels ($3K) but thankfully the deal was done through PayPal and Ebay, hence, all my money was refunded, with the exception of a transaction and cancellation fee. Lesson learned, if you buy from eBay do it within the parameters of the auction. You have no protection or recourse (except through your credit card) with any transaction done outside of eBay. Regards to all and Happy Holidays, Steve

'96 993 C2
'72 Triumph TR6
'98 VW Jetta GT

STLPCA

Steve
Seth (B-Line) has reported favorably:

<a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=001766" target="_blank">Anyone with a 993 C2S or C4S looking to sell wheels?? </a>

and perhaps Ray, but vic didn't like Ernie's:

<a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=005054" target="_blank">I got it ! But... (need 17" wheel) </a>

vjd3

i've heard good things and not-so-good things; I had one transaction years ago with a set of BMW rims, the rims he sent were good, but perhaps not quite as good as he said, and we had some disagreement over the value of the rims I sent back in trade which wasn't worth the effort to hassle over -- he said all four were bent -- I knew one was -- but I didn't have the other three checked, but they were nice rims with low miles.

If you're trading, be careful; if you're buying, use a credit card and inspect what he sends carefully.

Vic
95 C4

Malibusteve

Thanks again, the Memberboard never disappointed me with feedback and advice. My reluctance to buy from a relative unknown quantity is to offer purchase contingent upon UPS or FedEx COD in order for me to inspect the items prior to payment. I'll keep you informed......... The Rennlist Rocks, Steve

993chaz

Good experiance, he sent me an AMG wheel for my Mercedes 2 winters ago that I was very happy with.

Jim Michaels

I had one purchase from Ernie's. It was very satisfactory. I ordered nearly perfect used 7 and 8X16 Fuchs that were supposedly taken off Ernie's own car and stored for years. That's exactly what I got; they even had fine cobwebs on the inboard sides.

Flying Finn

Were these the wheels for $1500? There was sets that looked suspicious...

Ernie installed tyres to my car once.
While the installation wasn't as good as it can be, there was lot of nice (mainly Porsche) wheels in the house.

B-Line

Hey,

Sorry for the late chime in:

Ernie's Alloy's.. what to say. I think as far as someone in this line of business goes, he's as good as they can be.
I bought two sets of wheels of him, A pair of turbo twists (for the track) and previously had bought some reconditioned Audi S4 wheels. My brother has also bought a two sets from him. One for his M5 for the track, and the other for his 89 turbo look cab.
He seems to be very careful with his supplies, but his warehouse/showroom is not much to look at.
Basically he has a couple garages in a compound where he stores various wheels. HE DOES NOT SELL AFTERMARKET WHEELS THOUGH. He strictly sells factory wheels.
Both sets I bought from him were very good. But I was suspicious both times I bought them. If I had to give him a thumbs up or thumbs down, I'd give him a thumbs up (with reasonable caution.)

His prices are good. and btw, he is a Porsche fanatic. He owns a ton of cars himself including a beautiful black 993 turbo with 200 miles on it.
He won a concourse at picnic some time back.
Everyone in S. Florida knows him and does business with him including Champion.
So, give him the benefit of the doubt, but keep an eye on him.
I haven't heard any complaints about him or outright bad business practices. So, I guess that says something..

Skytop

Ernie is A-OK.
My brother lives down there near Hialeah and uses him for all his high end wheels and tire needs. He tells me he has great inventory. But be aware of Ernie's penchant for 'ups' to high end tire/wheel packages. Know what you want and just purchase that.
Best/

Jim Michaels

FF:

My purchase was about 10 years ago. I got them for $1500, but when I first talked to Ernie, he quoted $1800 for them, because they were "like new" take-offs from his own car. I then tried to find nice ones a little cheaper elsewhere, but didn't. When I called back Ernie wasn't there, and the guy I talked to said he knew the wheels we'd talked about and they were $1500. When I told him that that wasn't the price Ernie had quoted me, he insisted emphatically that they were $1500, so I ordered them and received them quickly. I hope the generous employee didn't get a hard time from Ernie, but he should have asked what price Ernie had quoted me. I was willing to pay $1800. Ernie later told me that if I wasn't completely satisfied, he be happy to take them back with full refund. I was very satisfied.