Some of you may be aware of the misunderstandings that surfaced regarding postings about the Kodiak wheel opportunity. I made a remark that was around 40 postings deep, about asking Kodiak to take out an ad or sponsor an event, trophy etc. I had been monitoring the Kodiak postings and had no problem with them, until I made my posting. It came on the heels of my being contacted by an event organizer who was soliciting me to make donations, sponsorships, etc. to a Pantera event. I recognize now that a number of Pantera owners were depending upon information posted on this BB to complete their purchase of the Kodiak wheels. The wheels were a cost-savings alternative to wheels supplied by other vendors. I would note that PIM was not contacted about offering a group discount on 5 sets of wheels, which would have been possible. My comment on the BB angered Jim C. and he made some statements in response that went live, that contained profanity and the tone was very negative. I have not deleted an entire thread before on this new BB. In retrospect, it would have been better to delete the offending information and leave the rest of the Kodiak content live. Instead, the entire thread was deleted by me and I cannot reinstate it. I have asked Mark DeCasien, our Moderator to try to reinstate the thread. If it is possible, we will. As an additional note, a lot of our friends, even some of my best friends don't buy from PIM. It would be nice if they did, but it doesn't prevent me from sharing their fellowship or enjoying their cars. Our magazine is full of cars, tech information, events, etc. that have nothing to do with PIM. Our next issue features cars, even the cover car, that were built by another vendor. I have always thought that there is room at the top for all vendors as well as enthusiasts who buy from Summit or any other source, that can serve them and offer the best prices. PIM can't be the cheapest on everything and we don't blame people that shop elsewhere if they so choose, nor are we offended. Some people shop with PIM whether we are the least expensive or not. They do this because of our service, the free advice we give, our support of events and more. Summit can sell for less because they buy huge quantities of merchandise and they don't have to have an employee speaking with Pantera enthusiasts, sometimes for 30 minutes or more, who have no intention of making a purchase. Also, a company like Summit doesn't have to stock parts for Panteras that may take years to sell, if ever, they just have the fastest moving items. This is just the way it is. Nobody forced us to become a Pantera vendor. We do it because we enjoy it and believe there is a need for our services. When the day comes when people don't need us or the fun stops, we will shut the place down. We believe that now that the DeTomaso factory is on its last legs, there is even a greater need for vendors, not less. We have made many friends over the years in this hobby, even Jim C. Since this unfortunate incident got started, Jim has sent some thoughts to us which we appreciate. With his comments in mind, we have lifted Jim's suspension from this board and invite him to participate again, if he so chooses. If he can reconstruct the Kodiak information, I hope that he will. I also hope that he doesn't resign from POCA as he threatened. POCA is an important organization and its greatest strength are its members. I think we all have learned something from this. Here are Jim's much appreciated remarks:
Since I cannot post on the board, I would appreciate it if you would post this for me.
I owe Dave an apology for going off on him. It was not the right thing to do on my part. I allowed my Pantera frustrations to get the best of me and took it out on Dave. I was trying to help others that also own Pantera's and I over reacted to Dave's post in a manner that wasn't right or fair to Dave.
Dave Adler has always been a gentleman to me and I have a lot of respect for Dave. Up until this situation, we have always been friends. I sincerely hope we can and will be friends again one day.
Dave has devoted much of his life to Pantera's and has done a lot of work that has been a major contribution to owning and maintaining Pantera's. This web board he created and supports has been and will continue to be a very valuable source for information and the fellowship of Pantera owners. I know I have gotten more than my share from it and have benefited from it time and time again as well as met a lot of great people from it. That in itself shows what kind of person Dave truly is to have put this web board up for Pantera owners to use.
I may not agree with everything that gets said or done, but like everyone one else, I have to accept the good with the bad and go on from there. That's what life's all about.
I apologize to everyone and especially Dave for my uncalled for reaction to Dave and for being so disrespectful to someone that did not deserve it. I truly feel bad I did this to Dave, who truly has been a friend to me.
Coz
Original Post