I really don't mind making money, but...

[rivermobster]

I'd rather do it building something cool, and having the customer be stoked.

We have probably half a dozen cars in here right now, needing TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars in repairs, because the customers brought the cars in AFTER they bought them and said...

I just bought this, what do you think??

This year has been car after car like this. We have made a ton of money this year doing repairs on just purchased cars. I've never seen a year like this. It's nuts. I've lost count of the issues we have seen.

So please people...

IF you are going to buy a private party car, truck, boat, dirt toy, whatever it is, take it to a mechanic BEFORE YOU BUY IT, NOT AFTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And if the seller has a problem with his item being inspected, before you buy it? Run as fast as you can. Don't let your emotions get in the way. There are other toys out there. Tons of em. Well taken care of ones. Don't jump at the first thing you see and feel like you have to have it.

This has been a public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood grease monkey.

Enjoy the holidays and choose wisely!!!

 

[rvrrun]

Yes x1000!

The number of “inexpensive” auction buys that come through here make up the majority of our work. Most still have the auction sticker on the windshield and had to be towed in.

 

[Bigbore500r]

Ask to see the sellers tools. You can tell alot about the car by seeing what was used to build it and maintain it

 

[rivermobster]

Yes x1000!

The number of “inexpensive” auction buys that come through here make up the majority of our work. Most still have the auction sticker on the windshield and had to be towed in.

I had to redo the electrical on a Mecum Auction buy this year.. The power windows would move at the speed of molasse. Why?

They wired the windows with.............

























A trailer light wiring harness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The entire car was So bad. The owner was lucky the car didn't burn down. Alternator charge wire was hooked directly to the ignition switch. HO LE FuK!!!

 

[monkeyswrench]

I had to redo the electrical on a Mecum Auction buy this year.. The power windows would move at the speed of molasse. Why?

They wired the windows with.............

























A trailer light wiring harness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The entire car was So bad. The owner was lucky the car didn't burn down. Alternator charge wire was hooked directly to the ignition switch. HO LE FuK!!!

A few years ago I rewired a car that had been wired with a mixture of house wiring...solid copper at least...and wire nuts. The car was a Pomona swap meet bargain. "Look at this rat rod I bought"...Rat trap maybe. I think the copper may have added to the structural integrity of the car

 

[welldigger00]

Sorry for a minor thread jack, but I’ve got a similar situation that I just got off the phone with a client about. I have a real estate agent that called wanting a quote on a well certification on a property that they are selling. I give the agent the price, she tells the seller the price, and the seller says “no thanks, there is nothing wrong with the well, the buyer will be just fine”. Well, I had this exact thing happen six weeks ago on a well system that we got a call from the new home owner, and the well quit working. We check the well out, and discover that it has run dry. Dead well. New owner is fuckt. They should have done their due diligence, but they didn’t think the inspection price was worth it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rivermobster]

Sorry for a minor thread jack, but I’ve got a similar situation that I just got off the phone with a client about. I have a real estate agent that called wanting a quote on a well certification on a property that they are selling. I give the agent the price, she tells the seller the price, and the seller says “no thanks, there is nothing wrong with the well, the buyer will be just fine”. Well, I had this exact thing happen six weeks ago on a well system that we got a call from the new home owner, and the well quit working. We check the well out, and discover that it has run dry. Dead well. New owner is fuckt. They should have done their due diligence, but they didn’t think the inspection price was worth it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Years ago we almost bought a property in Temecula that had a well. When we sent the inspector out there, they had turned off the power to the property.

Game over! lol

 

[Orange Juice]

Sorry for a minor thread jack, but I’ve got a similar situation that I just got off the phone with a client about. I have a real estate agent that called wanting a quote on a well certification on a property that they are selling. I give the agent the price, she tells the seller the price, and the seller says “no thanks, there is nothing wrong with the well, the buyer will be just fine”. Well, I had this exact thing happen six weeks ago on a well system that we got a call from the new home owner, and the well quit working. We check the well out, and discover that it has run dry. Dead well. New owner is fuckt. They should have done their due diligence, but they didn’t think the inspection price was worth it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

nothing wrong with trucked in water.

 

[Tank]

At least you're working on cool shit!

Oh! And making money.

 

[SBMech]

I'd rather do it building something cool, and having the customer be stoked.

We have probably half a dozen cars in here right now, needing TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars in repairs, because the customers brought the cars in AFTER they bought them and said...

I just bought this, what do you think??

This year has been car after car like this. We have made a ton of money this year doing repairs on just purchased cars. I've never seen a year like this. It's nuts. I've lost count of the issues we have seen.

So please people...

IF you are going to buy a private party car, truck, boat, dirt toy, whatever it is, take it to a mechanic BEFORE YOU BUY IT, NOT AFTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And if the seller has a problem with his item being inspected, before you buy it? Run as fast as you can. Don't let your emotions get in the way. There are other toys out there. Tons of em. Well taken care of ones. Don't jump at the first thing you see and feel like you have to have it.

This has been a public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood grease monkey.

Enjoy the holidays and choose wisely!!!

View attachment 826727

SHHHHHHHH!!

Don't kill the cash cow!!!

I feel ya, no matter what I say, some clients just use the old "it was such a great deal!" while forgetting the minor fact that THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CARS!

I got a few guys who pay my rent almost yearly because every few months they buy something on a whim.

 

[500bbc]

Working on a job right now for a client "who cannot be named". Four hundred pages in inspection reports prior to offer.

 

[coolchange]

Many times I've offered to go with friends when they buy a boat or a car. I tell him my job will be to keep them from buying it. If I say it's good it's good.
Nobody's ever taken me up on the offer.

 

[575cat]

Had a customer who spent 50K on a Mecum auctioned 69 Camaro great looking car major resto under side and all but did not replace the rotted ragged out control arm bushings that were metal on metal but the control arms were blasted & painted .

 

[500bbc]

Many times I've offered to go with friends when they buy a boat or a car. I tell him my job will be to keep them from buying it. If I say it's good it's good.
Nobody's ever taken me up on the offer.

Years ago went with a friend to look at a truck he wanted to buy. Seller fired it up and was knocking badly. I told him don't buy that piece of shit it's got a rod knock.
He started arguing with me as the seller was bullshitting him.

He did make it to home...

 

[500bbc]

Not to Hi Jack the thread but on the subject of asking advice from someone you know is more knowledgeable than yourself then arguing or ignoring the advice.
Friend wants to do a major remodel/addition/rehab to his house and needs my advice. Tells me his other "friend" is giving him advice too. I look at his plans and tell him easy $400,000.00 and I'll just send my subs over, oversee when needed and he can pay them direct. He says it's out of budget, I say don't do it. His other "friend" tells him my budget is way out of line and he starts the job. I got him to admit he's $100,000 over my budget, which means more, jobs not done, he's out of money and his wife is threatening to divorce him.

Ahh, what do I know anyway.

 

[rivermobster]

My friend's wife, talked him into quartz countertops. White...

First thing the wife does is leave a cast iron pot on the new countertop top overnight.

Can you you say, rust ring? LoL

 

[500bbc]

My friend's wife, talked him into quartz countertops. White...

First thing the wife does is leave a cast iron pot on the new countertop top overnight.

Can you you say, rust ring? LoL

Ha Ha! Another friend, wife had to have marble counters in the kitchen DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!
Had to have it, stained twice by the kids in the first month, he puts self adhering plastic sheathing on it now,

 

[rivermobster]

Ha Ha! Another friend, wife had to have marble counters in the kitchen DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!
Had to have it, stained twice by the kids in the first month, he puts self adhering plastic sheathing on it now,

Nice look! LoL

 

[monkeyswrench]

@rivermobster , think of it this way: If hot rods, classics or customs were cheap, or easy, they wouldn't stand out. Just another Camry or Civic going down the road. The guys that buy the fun stuff are usually buying it for a connection to their youth. It's like throwing dollars at a stripper...not the brightest investment.

As a business, you at least are offering them a means to throw away money, but they at least have something tangible at the end of the day

 

[Shlbyntro]

@rivermobster , think of it this way: If hot rods, classics or customs were cheap, or easy, they wouldn't stand out. Just another Camry or Civic going down the road. The guys that buy the fun stuff are usually buying it for a connection to their youth. It's like throwing dollars at a stripper...not the brightest investment.

As a business, you at least are offering them a means to throw away money, but they at least have something tangible at the end of the day

Herpes isnt tangible??

Agreed on all stated above. I tell customers all the time. It doesnt matter the boat, I can find several thousand dollars worth of repairs needed on it always. Do an inspection!

PSA folks: be careful when having surveys performed on boats. Often times a 100 point mechanics inspection is going to reveal a lot more. There are definitely those great surveyors out there, but I've been finding lately that a lot of them are hacks and will put you in almost as bad a situation as not having one at all. Choose one with a great track record and plenty of reputable references. Also keep in mind that most of them (not all) are not mechanically inclined and you should still have a mechanical inspection performed on the power/drive train in conjunction with your survey when purchasing any higher dollar used vessel that should always include compression checks on all engines. Performance engines should have leak down tests performed in addition to compression checks.

 

[rivermobster]

@rivermobster , think of it this way: If hot rods, classics or customs were cheap, or easy, they wouldn't stand out. Just another Camry or Civic going down the road. The guys that buy the fun stuff are usually buying it for a connection to their youth. It's like throwing dollars at a stripper...not the brightest investment.

As a business, you at least are offering them a means to throw away money, but they at least have something tangible at the end of the day

Not sure I agree with all of that...

OG cars are not being made anymore. Buying the right car, in the right condition, is definitely a good investment. Most 60's and earlier performance cars/trucks are never gonna go down in value.

Like @Shlbyntro said, a good inspection is worth it's weight in gold. That's the main reason I started this thread really...

It's ok to buy a project, as long as you KNOW that's what you're buying up front.

It's ok to buy a private party turn key car, as long as the seller is willing to have an independent inspection performed first.


A pre sale inspection is money well spent!!!

As to your "connection" point. Absofuckinglutely. :thumbup:

 

[lenmann]

This is a great discussion and good advice that I haven't always followed .
What would one to expect to spend on a thorough vehicle inspection?
What about a boat inspection?

 

[Shlbyntro]

I charge hour per hour on however long it takes. Basic small runabout with a single stern would typically be 4hours and would include the compression test, spark plugs, and a drive service. Full bow to stern systems check.

Say a 30 ft cruiser with twins, a gen, and sterns would be 9-10hours. And also include compression tests with new plugs and drive services and full bow to stern systems check.

This would include a list of items I identified as "needing attention" with detailed estimates for items I consider to be critical, and ballpark figures for lesser critical items. I will provide detailed estimates for the lesser critical items by request for a fee and would apply that balance forward towards any repairs.
(Keep in mind I have had just the detailed estimate portion not including the inspection take me days to prepare before for all items, granted it was on a 70ft houseboat)

So multiply hrs by your local shop rate

 

[rivermobster]

This is a great discussion and good advice that I haven't always followed .
What would one to expect to spend on a thorough vehicle inspection?
What about a boat inspection?

Speaking for myself...

I built and 11 page Excel Spreadsheet that I use for inspecting cars. I supply the customer with the completed inspection sheet, an estimate of the needed parts and labor costs of repairs. I usually charge 300.00. Everything on the car is checked.

The spreadsheet is for my benefit as well as the customers. It keeps me from forgetting/missing anything! It took me a couple of months to build.

 

[thmterry]

Same thing with toy haulers. Everyone ask my advice and I tell them to put aside 4+ hours to do an inspection and take the PDI check list and check every box on sheet. 9 times out of 10 they skip the important stuff because it is harder to check.

 

[monkeyswrench]

Speaking for myself...

I built and 11 page Excel Spreadsheet that I use for inspecting cars. I supply the customer with the completed inspection sheet, an estimate of the needed parts and labor costs of repairs. I usually charge 300.00. Everything on the car is checked.

The spreadsheet is for my benefit as well as the customers. It keeps me from forgetting/missing anything! It took me a couple of months to build.

On your spread sheet deal, do you have lines for variables on "customs"?
Weird stuff you don't see on muscle cars usually, like routing of air or hydraulic lines, electrical system add ons...Not normal stuff.

Lately, the cars I've run into have been "cake decorated". They look great, but under the paint...let's just say there are more sculptors than metal men these days.

I guess it would be nice if the one thing you are supposed to do, didn't turn into five...or more. I guess that's one of the differences between a normal repair business, and a shop dealing with more specialized vehicles or vintage ones.

 

[wallnutz]

I went through this with my neighbor earlier this year. He was looking at a sand rail and wanted me to go look at it with him. I told him I was too busy that day but said I would go the next well...
He went by himself, test drove it down the street then put a deposit it on it. So I go the next day with him to buy it, as the guy is pushing out of his garage I wonder why he isn’t driving it. Does anybody want to take a stab at what is wrong with it?







It has a Mendeola E box in it, yep same gears as a VW bus box. Reverse is broken, main bearing is making so much noise it sounds like there is rocks in the gearbox. It had an LS1 that burned and leaked so much oil, I’m pretty sure it was a 200,000 mile junkyard motor. The dude tried telling my neighbor it was just leaking at the oil filter housing and just needed an O ring and it quit smoking once it was warmed up. Holy cow it took everything in me not to beat this guy to a pulp. He had it listed on Craigslist for $26,000, I told him it was worth about $10,000 at best.
On a positive note I did see the car in Glamis over Thanksgiving and talked to the new owner. Seems like the guy found it to be better to fix it before he sold it.

 

[Waterjunky]

The boat I bought had a full inspection done by the seller at a reputable shop. i bought it knowing it had a soft cylinder compression wise. Given the high hours and modest mechanical background, I knocked $4k off the price of my 24 year old decent but nothing fancy boat and went for it. It has a 7.4 bbc that probably needs a valve job. The cylinder still runs fine but is about 25 psi low on compression. One of these years I will pull the head and see what's actually going on. Worst case scenario I could do a full rebuild on this basic motor for well under 1500. Again me doing all the work. At 330 hp this is not a high performance machine........
I bought it like this full well knowing all the risks involved but also knowing I could clean up most any issues. Eyes open.

 

[rivermobster]

On your spread sheet deal, do you have lines for variables on "customs"?
Weird stuff you don't see on muscle cars usually, like routing of air or hydraulic lines, electrical system add ons...Not normal stuff.

Lately, the cars I've run into have been "cake decorated". They look great, but under the paint...let's just say there are more sculptors than metal men these days.

I guess it would be nice if the one thing you are supposed to do, didn't turn into five...or more. I guess that's one of the differences between a normal repair business, and a shop dealing with more specialized vehicles or vintage ones.

Send me 300 bucks, and I'll send you a copy of it.

 

[CoronaChris]

beautiful shop.

 

[gqchris]

You know there is "Fuck You Money" being thrown around when non-car people are buying toys and have no clue to even begin to work on it. Just because they saw an episode of Barret Jackson and now they want a cool ride.

I ALWAYS have a PPI on anything expensive I buy. And I know my way around shit. But Id rather the expert tell me. I got in to a yelling match with a dealer this summer trying to sell me a shit box GranTurismo. Failed PPI horribly. They even bondoed over the Protective Paint Film on a repair! I was out $600 for the PPI, but saved my ass thousands in the end!

 

[rivermobster]

beautiful shop.

Thanks. That's the main building. I have my own small shop out back where I do my hot rod stuff...

https://www.instagram.com/streetrodservice/

 

[monkeyswrench]

Send me 300 bucks, and I'll send you a copy of it.

No thanks, I'm good
I'm in the world of intentionally buying shit boxes. Someday, maybe, step up to the realm of buying shiny stuff. That, and the old guys that bring me their old Fords, they're pretty good about knowing what they have. Seems to be the youngsters that get hosed.

 

[Ziggy]

Met an Aussie who's a boater, water skier and motorhead in general. He's got one of the rarest Sandman cars due it's very limited production(did not sell well when produced) and now is one or the more valuable ones.
Looks something like this.

He was telling the fine details of differences between this one and his that kinda went over my head except that his has black window trim and mirrors and no fender vents.
Considered a surfers car, hense the sandman name.

 

[Shlbyntro]

It took me nearly 6 months to get a hold of my Ultra because I knew what it was going to take to make it right. The owner had no idea, just that he wasnt willing to even do the minimum and wanted to sell it as is. I had to be willing to walk away and let him stew for that time.

He eventually came around and I threw in an extra $1000 for feel good money to him. But when I finished it, I sent him restoration photos and the build sheet. He was flabbergasted as he thought I was bullshitting him on everything it was going to take.

I estimated $10k on the boat, and $1500 on the trailer. I ended up spending $12k on the boat and hit the trailer dead on with about 200 man/hrs of my own time into the whole job. Add in the $1500 purchase price for a total of $15,000 spent plus my time and I'm not a cheap mechanic.

But the boat now has a loving home which is more than could be said for its life since it has moved to tx to come find me.

https://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/threads/saved-from-a-trip-to-the-scrapyard.184325/

 

[stevesdcb]

I'd rather do it building something cool, and having the customer be stoked.

We have probably half a dozen cars in here right now, needing TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars in repairs, because the customers brought the cars in AFTER they bought them and said...

I just bought this, what do you think??

This year has been car after car like this. We have made a ton of money this year doing repairs on just purchased cars. I've never seen a year like this. It's nuts. I've lost count of the issues we have seen.

So please people...

IF you are going to buy a private party car, truck, boat, dirt toy, whatever it is, take it to a mechanic BEFORE YOU BUY IT, NOT AFTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And if the seller has a problem with his item being inspected, before you buy it? Run as fast as you can. Don't let your emotions get in the way. There are other toys out there. Tons of em. Well taken care of ones. Don't jump at the first thing you see and feel like you have to have it.

This has been a public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood grease monkey.

Enjoy the holidays and choose wisely!!!

View attachment 826727

Rivermobster....These days I'm more into the car scene....always enjoy your shop pics & stories...Thanks

 

[rush1]

Definitely some nice rides in there