Is there not supposed to be a lot of "copies" of these on ebay, there is no mention of the word "Garrett" at all and it dosen't look like it says it on the turbo!!!
ok just a couple of things i've noticed from that auction, international shipping is $83 so remember that on top of the auction price, but more importantly...
The guy only ships using FedEx, i've had 5 items devlivered from the US this year 4 of which just went through the normal US post office and i didnt get charged anything for import tax. 1 item was sent via FedEx and about a week or two after recieving it i got stung for another £20 (the item only cost $30) by the governmoent for import tax. So it looks like FedEx are very strict on their documenting of products.
I dont know how much import tax you would hit with a $400 purchase but it could be a nasty suprise.
Don't knock the Chinaman - he may not have designed anything but he can nowadays produce fantastic replicas for an incredibly low cost. The engineering is all state of the art and the skills are gaining very rapidly.
Good point but I do know that they are incredibly conscious of getting it right. They are fully aware of the reputation they gained in the '70s for 'cheap, plastic-y', and are on a mission to fix that.
They will rule the world before very long
Also , I've just learned that my son is saving up to go to China with a Chinese girl this summer !