<VV> CORVAIR UNDERGROUND 1974-2009

[Dave Smith]

Hi Lon,

No problem.  I'm going to look at some Corvairs tomorrow and I have an
offer of a couple engines.  It'll depend on what I see and how much I
can convince myself to spend, when I really shouldn't be spending
anything.   Life was easier when I just had a motorcycle (Japanese,
single cylinder 500, and bulletproof) and no cars.

-Dave


On Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 2:25 PM, corvairs <corvairs at pacifier.com> wrote:
> Dave - Not only will Linda and I still be running the business as normal at
> least until late Spring, but we need your orders more than ever  to keep
> this business viable in the preferred hopes of selling it intact to someone
> who would continue our legacy - Lon
>
> www.corvairunderground.com
>
> Dave Smith wrote:
>>
>> Ah, so for me, who just ordered a catalog 2 weeks ago and was planning
>> on spending money, where do you suggest I go?
>>
>> I've bought my first Corvair a couple weeks ago. Overheated it less
>> than 48 hours later and am in search of another Corvair or an engine.
>> I'm not sure yet.  I'm not going to give up on Corvairs through me
>> being a dumbass.
>>
>>
>> -Dave
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 4:08 PM, corvairs <corvairs at pacifier.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> CORVAIR UNDERGROUND
>>> 1974-2009
>>>
>>> It would be trite of me to say that this is the hardest letter I have
>>> ever had to write. It would be trite and, well, untrue as well. All of
>>> us have had negative events in our life, some worse than others. On a
>>> scale of negativity this letter ranks pretty high, but I've seen worse.
>>>
>>> In 1974 I was young and stupid. I started a part time business that, by
>>> any rational measure, looked like an eccentric lark. For reasons I still
>>> don't fully understand that excursion blossomed into a full fledged mail
>>> order business.
>>>
>>> When my 2nd wife and I separated in 1982 I almost lost the business. But
>>> I kept stubbornly plugging away and, with the help of Linda (whom I
>>> married in 1983), managed to rebuild the Corvair Underground into a
>>> legitimate International player in the Corvair parts market.
>>>
>>> 35 years is a long time for any business to last, but very little lasts
>>> forever. 2009 marks the year that Linda and I will begin to liquidate
>>> our corporation. We've seen and had to make many changes in the way
>>> we've done things. That's how you survive 35 years.
>>>
>>> But the past 3 years have been just a bit much. First we tried to sell
>>> the business for somewhat less than it was worth. Then we tried to sell
>>> it for a lot less than it was worth. Then we almost gave it away. In
>>> every case the "serious" buyers passed up on a real opportunity, mostly
>>> because of a lack of funds.
>>>
>>> I have had health problems before, but my heart/stroke surgery 2 years
>>> ago really threw a monkey wrench in everything. Add that to failed
>>> attempts to sell, losing my key employees in the process, and a general
>>> downturn in the economy has made the going rough. Truthfully I promised
>>> Linda Winter before last that we would not struggle through another
>>> Winter (Our traditionally slowest time of the year). And here we are.
>>>
>>> It's time for me to do something else. What that is, I have no idea. But
>>> I do know that it's time to wind this business down.
>>>
>>> Our intention is to have Corvair Underground closed by late Spring of
>>> this year. Whether that will be possible or not remains to be seen. Even
>>> though our operation is considerably smaller than our "heydays" of the
>>> past 35 years, there is still an unbelievable amount of inventory here.
>>> I would still claim that we are the second largest inventory of new and
>>> reproduced Corvair parts in the world. We also have about a quarter mile
>>> of shelving and a lot of other equipment and stuff.
>>>
>>> Is there a buyer out there? Time's running out. I may have to dump all
>>> this stuff on the open market and though "garage" sales. Not really
>>> looking forward to that.
>>>
>>> If you have even a passing interest in our clearance make sure you're
>>> signed up for our electronic NEWS. It's free and easy. Just log into our
>>> website at www.corvairunderground.com. That will be the primary way I
>>> will be announcing open house sales dates and other breaking news.
>>>
>>> So far as continuing to take and process your mail orders - that will
>>> not change at all. A number of our reproduced items will NOT be replaced
>>> and some inventory that requires large purchase commitments will not be
>>> replaced either. In the meantime we'll keep processing orders for the
>>> foreseeable future just as we have since 1974.
>>>
>>> Has Corvair Underground been a positive force in the Corvair parts
>>> market these past 35 years? Well, the age of self-promotion of my
>>> business has ended for me. Other people and history will answer that
>>> question, eventually.
>>>
>>> Lon Wall
>>>  _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
>> This message was sent by the VirtualVairs mailing list, all copyrights are
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>> This list sponsored by the Corvair Society of America,
>> http://www.corvair.org/
>> Post messages to: VirtualVairs at corvair.org
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>>
>>
>>
>>
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