TMCP# 606: ASK RICK – Online Catalog Searches, Fun 90’s Cars to Flip In a Year, and Tariff Impact On Restoration and Beyond!

Rick Schmidt – Ask Rick:

It is April and time for Spring and all of the Easter events of the year. Rick is more of a “boiled egg” kind of guy than a “chocolate and marshmallow” person but he did admit that peanut butter and chocolate eggs are pretty good. This is a great season for decorating the house for the holiday and Rick said his wife will have his house all fixed up for Easter as it is her second favorite time to decorate for.

Rick’s Take On Online Catalogs and Searches:

When it comes to finding the parts you need, searching a website is one thing….and combing through a catalog is entirely another. NPD does both, and the discussion revolved around also allowing customers access to the real catalog online! NPD prints paper catalogs (and always has) for all customers so you can hold and read it in any location. This allows consumers to find their needed parts by picture and then figure out what the part is. It also makes it very easy to determine what other items are needed to complete the job as all of the related items are right there waiting to be seen. Rick said if you have to search for your item you will just find that item itself and nothing more will be suggested as needed for the job. The paper catalog also stops the repeat ordering when you miss items you needed or forgot because you can see it all right on the page. Having the catalog combined with the NPD website is the best of both worlds.

Rick’s Take On The Value Of New Business Systems:

NPD switched over to “Voice Over IP” phone system a few years ago and it represented a major infrastructure move for them (it also took a couple of tries to get it “right”). We used this as an example to evaluate how a business – small or large – should look at major changes in the “simple stuff” that can effect employees and especially customers. Overall Rick stated that this change for them – while a little painful at first – was better for employees and customers alike in the long run and worth the effort. Voice over IP is saving the company money by using existing networks that they have already paid for and no longer needing to pay for many many additional phone lines. It also allows them to connect all of the warehouses together using their main network system and utilize that for voice communications instead of conventional phone line.

Rick’s Take On The New Tariffs:

The first week of April 2025 has certainly been an eventful one from a tariff perspective here in the United States. Rick took on a listener question specific to what could happen if (or when) Taiwan is included into the tariff picture, specifically because of the number of restoration parts that are manufactured there. Rick was blunt and stated that as in any economic situation, if the cost of goods goes up for any reason…the end price to the customer goes up as well. His best guess is that will happen to us all should tariffs be applied on Taiwan (or really anywhere).

As far as whether he’s a fan of tariffs and the economic policy happening right now…..he has mixed thoughts. His quick take is that it’s a “herky-jerky” approach to solve a very real problem that’s been happening for a long time. It’s going to be a lot like ripping a bandaid off of a hairy leg; it’s better to do it once painfully than going slowly and incrementally suffering for an endless amount of time. He also is assuming that everything going on right now could be part of a grander negotiation tactic, and God only knows what the news will be like a week from now. Buckle up.

Rick’s Take On 90’s Era Cars To Daily:

Three 90’s era cars that are nice, but with enough miles on them to have no guilt of driving them for a year. Your goal is to choose one to enjoy for DAILY use for the next full year. You’ll drive it to work, vacations, etc. At the end of the year you’ll sell it back on the same platform which you bought it front. Which one is the most reliable and COULD allow you to make a profit – from ALL expenses (insurance, maintenance, fuel, etc.)?

Car #1:

https://www.hemmings.com/auction/1995-chevrolet-impala-fogelsville-pa-569664