Visit to AA, No, the other one. Options

[STL914]

My hat's off to George and his crew at AA.

I was in Atlanta for a training seminar last weekend and spent some time visiting with fellow club member Michael Moore. Michael picked me up at my hotel and we drove to Marrietta to stop in at AA on Monday afternoon.

George took time from his schedule to spend time with us, talking about our cars
and the amount of time and money we all spend on them. His collection of 914's was impressive to see, the silver 916 standing out from the rest.

Afterwards, he gave us a brief tour of his shop and then had one of his employees show us the remaining areas that make up AA.

Thanks George, touring AA was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Gary

[gasman]

George did the same for me and a friend last year. He spent hours with us talking 914's and showing his business. It's nice to see how things run and all the parts he has in inventory for our cars. Thanks again George...........

[ericread]

Are you speaking about the evil, vile, and generally unsavory George from AA that all of us don't like??? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

Ok, just kidding. I spoke to george on Saturday - he took my order. Lo and behold, all my parts showed up today exactly as ordered!!!

I know some of the folks on this board have some kind of issues with George, but he's always been a stand-up guy for me. And quite franky, his 914 catalog (in print and in PDF form) provide some of the best refernce material I use on a daily basis.

Eric Read (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[pktzygt]

I went to see him, while I was looking for the right 914. He talked 914 with me for a long time. I learned alot in about an hour. I left with only a 914 Tech Tips book, but I have ordered from him since.

I'm sure I'll go visit again next time I'm in Atlanta to see my brother in law. I was impressed with the 356's he had in various stages of restoration.

[IronHillRestorations]

From my experience, you can't go to George's museum/parts depot/shop, spend time with him, and not like the guy. Regardless, whether you've had issues/problems/whatever with AA or not, George's enthusiasm for the 914 is probably unsurpassed by anyone. You won't go there, and not learn or see something about the 914 you never knew.

[bobhasissues]

My hat's off to George!
I think he gets an undeserved bad rap from certain members largely based upon pricing for some of his parts. For a guy like me in Chicagoland who has not even seen a 914 or met another 914 owner in two years, his catalog and tech tips book have provided a wealth of information. On the contrary, there are several members in these classifieds continually selling used spare parts and base the pricing for their used parts on his prices. Yet they publish nothing, they have no facility or insurance or overhead, they do not keep stock of anything, they do not take returns or provide any of the services a legimitate retailer does. These guys ride on his coat-tails without risk and benefit from an artifically inflated "market" on NLA parts based on the index that he publishes. I really doubt George is laughing his way to the bank on this venture. More ridicule should be directed at the parts vultures and more praise should be given to guys like George and Jake Raby. Not that I do not buy parts from the classifieds or even E-bay, I'm just amazed how much people think they deserve for something they cannot guarantee will work and will not accept returns. I have and will continue to patronize those vendors who actually work to source parts that keep these cars on the road and encourage others to do the same.

Venting complete.

[Joe Owensby]

I agree. I was in Atlanta on business, and decided to pick up some parts in person at AA. George was more than helpful and entertaining. I was somewhat surprised when he offered me a pack of M&M's, saying a pack went with every order over $150. I at first didn't realize he was kidding. After the desk clerk completed my order, George spent some time showing me his beautiful collection. For someone who doesn't have an opportunity to see a lot of 914's, this was quite a treat. He has quite a collection. He also showed me their parts area, and his shop- where they were restoring a 356, working on 914's,etc. I really appreciate the folks like George and all others who help provide the parts needed to keep these old cars alive. JoeO

[Jake Raby]

Believe it or not I have NEVER been to AA and George is only 75 miles from Aircooled Heaven.. Hell I have never even met George!

I really need to get down there and take him 30-40 EFI systems that I have in storage that we won't use... I also need to see his collection.

Guys like George and I who are determined and firm in our beliefs and knowledge are sometimes targets for those who are less driven or expect us to tell them what they want to hear...

Now that I have the new facility completed here (thats more friendly to visitors)I hope that more of you can stop in when you are in the area and see how we make things happen inside the engine... And my workshops are starting soon as well!

[ericread]

Believe it or not I have NEVER been to AA and George is only 75 miles from Aircooled Heaven.. Hell I have never even met George!

You've never met George? So how did you do the interview with george that you had in RAT Radio???

[Jake Raby]

The interview was done from my studio... I connected my Iphone to a firewire mixing board and then ran the mixed input into my Mac..

It works well and the clarity is unreal.

[dw914er]

i have the 700 tech tips


Love it!

[ericread]

The interview was done from my studio... I connected my Iphone to a firewire mixing board and then ran the mixed input into my Mac..

It works well and the clarity is unreal.

Cool! That was a really interesting interview (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[tod914]

Always very personable on the phone. Would love to see his collection some day. Must of been a blast Gary.

[914four]

Always very personable on the phone. Would love to see his collection some day. Must of been a blast Gary.

Some of us are not master or even journeman mechanics and rely on George for his free expert technical advice. I have always tried to do things myself just to save money and George has always been there to save me from my lack of knowledge. I have asked for and received technical advice from George for at least twenty years. There has never been a requirement to purchase anything and he usually answers the phone when I call for help.

Many years ago I ordered a long block and from another company and could not get the engine to start after I put it in the car. I pulled the engine and it would start, put it back in and it would not start, pulled the engine again and it would start, put it back in and would not start. After going back and forth with the company I purchased the engine from for technical advice that was useless, it was agreed that I would send the engine back.

As a last resort I decided to give George a call (full of guilt for not purchasing the slightly more expensive engine from George), explained the situation and instantly the first thing he said was "check your flywheel end play". I did, re-shimmed the end play, and that fixed my problem. George made nothing for his advice and the company I purchased the engine from kept their profit. George never asked me to buy anything or made me feel bad for purchasing the engine from another company. He just gave me free advice to help me get my 914 back on the road.

I'm on my third 914 now and last summer AA did a great deal of metal and mechanical work along with a complete engine rebuild for me. I have taken the car back for some minor adjustments and George has taken time to talk with me and kept me informed through e-mail as well.

I don't know many people who would wait twenty years to see a profit on their investment, but George does this everyday at Auto Atlanta.
Auto Atlanta is a great resource for people like me and is also my favorite place to visit when I'm in Atlanta on business or pleasure. Who would not want to hang out in a lot full of 914s with some of the best examples of each model on display in the museum? I always come home with something and can't wait until the next time I visit.

My hope is that George is charging enough for his parts and doing enough business to stay in business during these tough economic times. It would be a great loss for the 914 community to lose such a valuable 914 resource.
Thank you George for all you do for the 914 community!

Kelvin

[tod914]

I know George is a very busy guy, I try not to take up too much of his time when I call for parts. But always enjoy his conversation. Wealth of knoweledge.

[rfuerst911sc]

I met George this past summer it was my first dealing with him. While the exterior of his shop leaves a little to be desired what's inside is priceless. On that day George wasn't feeling well and was short staffed but he took the time to pick the parts on my list in a timely manner. Once all the parts were payed George proceeded to chat 914's with me for about an hour. We discussed his collection and I was impressed with his knowledge and passion for the 914. I realize I have only done limited transactions with AA but so far I have nothing but praise for what they do. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[URY914]

I spoke to G at a PCA drivers ed at Road atlanta in '92. He had about four cars there. We parked on the grid together and went out on the track at the same time. Here we are coming down the hill to the dip. My wife too this from the cross over bridge.

[URY914]

Here is some of his fleet that same day

[smontanaro]

For a guy like me in Chicagoland who has not even seen a 914 or met another 914 owner in two years...

Maybe we should do something about that once the weather improves a bit? I haven't seen and teeners around the Chicago area since Garrold had a bunch of folks over to his place maybe two summers ago.

Skip

[bobhasissues]

[/quote]

Maybe we should do something about that once the weather improves a bit? I haven't seen and teeners around the Chicago area since Garrold had a bunch of folks over to his place maybe two summers ago.

Skip
[/quote]

Meeting some local owners would be great! I know there have got be a bunch lurking around here. I'm waiting for the road salt to get washed away so I can do a few Spring drives before I tear it down again for some engine mods. Keep in touch.