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Rick Schmidt – Ask Rick:
It is March and time for some green beer and corned beef! It is also time for another Ask Rick segment where I ask him the tough questions. This month we dive deep into Ricks recent trip to Taiwan and get the inside scoop on the manufacturing powerhouse country that makes so many of our muscle car restoration parts.
Rick’s Take On Manufacturing In Taiwan:
Recently Rick was able to take a trip to beautiful Taiwan to visit some manufacturers and to have a little fun. Taiwan is often confused for China even though they have been separated in both government and cultural ideals since 1971. They have embraced western capitalist style thinking and have expanded manufacturing capabilities even more so than similar American locations and the impact can be seen easily from the highways of that country. Rick noticed that even small patches of land are dedicated to producing products or food.
Due in part to a number of worldly economic factors (exchange rates, labor rates, etc.) Taiwan is able to thrive in the manufacturing of items would either be impossible – or WILDLY expensive – to manufacture in the United States. More specifically the have the capability, capacity, and desire to manufacture small volume runs of restoration parts that (to date at least) would cost far more to make here in the states. Practically speaking, it takes the same amount of time, effort, and money to tool up for a run of hundreds of thousands or parts as it does for just hundreds. As of 2025 the Taiwanese have cornered and perfected the market to allow us to be able to purchase restoration sheetmetal and acceptable prices. This is also accomplished with a passion for quality that is unlike their communist counterparts.
So how did the Taiwanese even get into the resto-parts game? Initially, they weren’t; they were actually in collision repair parts! That market changed over time though, and they switched over to restoration parts after as a result. The rest is history. Eventually they had to start developing new quality processes to maintain customer demands and now they often exceed new old stock parts for fit, finish, and build materials. Rick said that Taiwan manufacturers are even searching out good quality barn find cars that they can develop new parts from and expand the offering this little country has to offer.
Rick’s Take On New EV Future:
Recently Chevy and Ford brought out new EV vehicles at the NASCAR Daytona 500 to show off the performance capabilities. These were 1100 horsepower vehicles that out accelerate most gas vehicles so they know performance is still desired in the American market. RAM’s Tim Kuniskis also announced an electric vehicle that sports a V6 powered generator. Most people would call this a hybrid vehicle but not RAM, they call it an electric with an onboard generator (and the new Scout Motors calls it the range extender). This is a form of molding the language to make it the most appealing to consumers and avoid perceived keywords that the public shies way from or has a stigma against. With the EV mandates being repealed in most states it will be interesting to see what is offered in the next couple years.
Rick’s Take On Cheap Fuel Injected Cars To Make Money On:
Three fuel injected cars to buy for Spring Break. Each has to be under $25K. You buy it, bomb across the country with your girl or your buddies, sell it at the end and fly home. Which one is the most reliable and COULD allow you to make a profit?
Car #1:
https://bringatrailer.com/
Car #2:
https://bringatrailer.com/
Car #3:
https://bringatrailer.com/
Bonus Fun Cars (That Rob Does Not Like) To Make Money On:
Which of these interesting low mile but (maybe) not very highly sought cars has the best prospect for ROI in 3-5 years?
Car #1:
This is the car that would be the best return on investment. A Fiero GT has the sports car attraction and the quirky niche to be worth more in the future. The low miles and clean looks will greatly enhance the return on investment. The only downfall is the automatic transmission instead of a six speed manual.
https://bringatrailer.com/
Car #2:
Rick has owned these cars in the past and says for a daily drive or road trip machine this is the car to have. It is much more comfortable than the Fiero but unfortunatly it will not see any future gain in value. It is just a nice driving car.
https://bringatrailer.com/
This interview sponsored by our pals at National Parts Depot – your premier source for muscle car restoration parts!
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