Anyone with a half a brain cell can take the flat palm of their hands smack the floorboards a couple of times and tell if they're rusted through or solid so that car inspector was a dumb m***********
"I don't have to lie to you to sell you a car. Have a good day sir." was the BEST response ever! But you essentially dodged a bullet because that guy probably would have nit-picked every little thing.
Bought and sold over a dozen houses, and this story reminds me of EVERY home inspector I've ever met (buyer or seller). My 17 y/o son could do a better inspection. Love the videos Rob, keep 'em coming!
I look for one who is also a remodeling contractor. Usually there's a few in every city. On my second house, I got an inspection report AND an estimate. Bought the house and did about half the work myself, and the inspector-turned-contractor did the other half. Some suck, some are awesome.
you wouldnt believe what a house inspector had my buyers thinking about a baffled dryer vent, I eventually told the guy and buyers to go to lowes to see on in the package so they could understand the intricate workings of a baffled dryer vent SMH
Been rehabbing buildings for 50 years and home inspectors are basically puppets the politicians created to get more revenue and make the public think they are protected.
Most are greased by the realtor so that the sale goes through. Met a few folks where they blatantly ignored mold issues, etc. unsuspecting Buyers were either from out of the area (sight unseen) or divorced women.
Yeah I had heard it before, but didn't think it was actually a thing people did. I'd probably do give it a few taps with a bare hand to get feel for the thickness / rigidity if it looked rusted. If it didn't look bad, I'd probably not even try. I'm no expert tho.
@@commandohazelnuts I’ve done it, and invited buyers to do it-then again, I was buying a wreck in a field and selling the rat rod result! Stabbing at sheet metal is different than frame metal, and that’s nevermind the finish-sheet metal on a restored floorpan is best checked by THUMB and SOUND not a tool.
I'm a car inspector, been doing it for over 12 years and have done thousands of cars. Mainly off lease vehicles for the banks. I've done luxury cars, exotics, and a some classic cars for sellers from eBay 😈😈 work for a major company and a majority of inspectors are NOT car guys. They know how to spot bad body work and damages but that's about it. I even had a couple worker that was a a Ford tech, he only knew what was under the hood but not really a car guy. Personally I'm a car guy, know what to look for when buying one and have done so on my own personal cars. Inspectors driving cheap car? Yup that's true. In my case I had a cheap car as my daily going to my inspections but kept it clean and had my toys at home that I take out on the weekends. My current employer offers newer take home company cars so I'm cool driving a newer VW that I wouldn't otherwise own on my dime 😆😆
I had a inspector show up to look over a car I was selling. It was a 64.5 Mustang Convertible with the Generator, and all the specific 64.5 parts. The inspector pissed me off so bad, I told him to leave. Why?? I have a three strike rule when is comes to salespeople, service people and hired experts. This guy failed in under a minute. 1- NO FLASHLIGHT!!! Come on, it’s like a salesman with out a pen!!!! 2- Had no idea where to find the VIN number on the car! Anybody who knows anything about 64.5-66 Mustangs knows the actual VIN is under the hood, on the inner fender and that number is repeated on the door tag on the drivers door. This dipstick was looking all over the dash for the number and told me it has to be there. 3- This particular car had no reverse lights in the lower rear valance. It never was equipped with them ( it was a very nice, well kept surviving example). They were an option in 64.5. This car never had them. Well the inspector told me he was sure the car was rear ended and whoever did the repair word missed putting them back on. He even showed me pictures on his phone from Google that showed Mustangs with back up lights. So by this car not having them, was an indication that someone did something at the back of the car. I flat out told him to leave and I called the potential new owner up and told him what happened. He sent full payment for the car that day and had it picked up a couple of days later. When he got the car, he called me up to tell me the car was even better than he expected.
Wow, you know Porkchop to?! People like that “inspector” are both entertaining and frustrating. It can be amusing to watch someone pretend they know what they are talking about, but in a situation where their lack of knowledge interferes with business… Makes you want to pull your hair out. I am glad you still found that Goat a good home. Appreciate the video.
Rob is absolutely spot on about some of these dip shit “inspectors”. I think automobile inspectors should have formal training and be licensed, just like auto dealers must be. Good video and I hope that many potential buyers see it and understand it. 👍👍
I've never used a car inspector when buying a car, but I've had a buyer use a car inspector on a car I was selling. He was excellent. Stuff that I thought might be problematic (the car had been sitting, undriven outdoors for two years), he insisted was absolutely fine. He did a great job of checking everything out -- really put the buyer's mind at rest.
This is also a lesson that not all customers are created equally. You want to sell to those have a better knowledge, understanding and appreciation for what you solve or provide.
I'm in the yacht management / yacht charter business. I build them, as well as USCG certify them. Over the last three decades or so, I've bought, built, and sold more vessels than I care to count. When I started watching this video installment, a couple of "inspector" stories immediately came to mind I thought you might enjoy . Story One: My guys and I had just finished fairing in, and painting the bottom of a nice little turbo diesel powered Nordic. The bottom of this vessel looked better than the top sides of most boats. The "super knowledgeable yacht surveyor" comes down to inspect the hull for the new potential buyer. His report noted that the bottom paint was in fair condition, and the cost of fairing in, and re-bottom painting should be deducted from the asking price. Even though I told him we had just finished doing just that the day before, and had painted it with ablative bottom paint. In fact we were finishing cleaning up the water line from being masked off the day he arrived to inspect the hull. The genius replayed, well there were streaks in the bottom paint. It had just rained. Ablative paint is like soap. It is designed to wear away off the bottom so nothing sticks to it, and you keep the bottom slippery and smooth so there is less drag and no marine growth builds up, and over time, you don't have a ton of bottom paint built up on the bottom of the hull. Of course it'll look streaked if it rains before the vessel is launched Story two (much shorter) : I was selling my 46' Sea Ray with a pair of twin turbo - intercooled Detroit Diesels, and a potential buyer sends down another "super knowledgeable surveyor". The surveyor asks us to lift the engine hatch. Then he reaches into the engine room from the deck, and snaps a couple of pics. I tell him where the switches are for the engine room lights. To which he replys, oh, I'm not going into the engine room. Detroit Diesels always need to be rebuilt. He includes that in his survey report. He comes to that conclusion without so much as looking around the engines, taking compression tests, or drawing oil samples for content testing. I ended up becoming friends with the new buyer. Over 12 years later, both main engines, and generator are still running strong. With no rebuild. Long story, but my conclusion is the same as yours. Some paid experts are money well spent. I know a couple of excellent, very knowledgeable surveyors, but most are guys that talk a good game and have a snappy looking business card. Your best bet is to learn about what you are buying yourself as best you can before you start the buying process. Ask lots of questions to people that have a good reputation in your local area. Where yachts are concerned, you'll need a recent survey before you'll be able to insure it. Classic cars are not as regulated, but learn as much as possible yourself before buying anything. It'll make your owning experience much more enjoyable, and if something goes wrong, and if you break down, you might be able to diagnose, or fix it yourself. Thanx for another excellent video.
Theres a local shop that when they inspect your car, as long as it passes the computer side of things they dont care about mechanical issues besides brakes and tires and they only check one. I had a few cars that i would take there when i was younger. A week later my upper balljoint fails. Boy that was fun
Haha I thought I was crazy hearing that rain in the background. I’m glad I watched the bloopers at the end where you pointed it out! Another Great vid rabbit👌 keep em on a comin brotha!
Hi Rabbit, After 30 years in insurance appraisal, auto body and inspection I can tell you.... What inspectors daily don't mean S..t. Ain't gonna drive my Jag to some dirt lot. YES, a good PPI may enhance buyer confidence BUT.... Get an EXPERT. I can tell you soooo many instances that I offered to go with friends to look over a vehicle they wanted . Don't know why people think they can know the intricacies if they are not in the business. The sad part is that when they show me there new pride & joy At 15 feet away I just sigh to myself and say just keep offering to others, Best to you Scott Whitmire
Man... I daily drive an Escort wagon. You can fit a lot of car parts inside that thing, get 30+ mpg, and I still get to row my own gears. I also have my own flash light. I'm for hire! haha
I'll never forget the time a guy and his buddy showed up to look at a 1980 toyota pickup I was selling. THEY wanted to take it for a test drive without my present! F that S! I'm not a dealer and I don't know you from Kilroy! All 3 of us crammed into the cab with me driving (manual trans). They tried to low ball me and I shrewdly said no. Today that clean lil 4x4 long bed with a 20R would fetch a pretty penny!
I've just sold a 944.rust free but needed painting ,loads of photos and very good price. In my add I actually said if you try to chip me (I'm in the UK it means try get a lower price ) I won't sell you the car.... Two tried .two got told I wasn't selling. I actually. Could have thrown the car in the river and still felt very satisfied. I hadn't sold them the car ! Just pay the money when the seller is being honest.
On the opposite end of the spectrum I sold a 64 impala a few years ago to a guy in Oregon and he hired an inspector. This guy shows up in a 48 ford pickup. He has a fishing vest full of tools and printouts of all the problem areas and this guy looked at this car for 6 hours and went over it with a fine tooth comb. Apparently I passed cause the car was on a transport the next morning.
Rob, Love your stories! The guy says that he’s a Maserati guy, but he’s driving a Hyundai! The car is literally in front of his face and he still had the nerve to ask where the car is located. It’s a documented frame off restoration. What more do you need? 🤣🤣🤣
Yes sir great video brother. If it's one thing I hate the most is someone talks to you like you're just lying to them or telling them something they want to hear. The gawl of some people smdh.
Car guys don’t drive Hyundai’s.. you know how hard it was finding me a daily driver after driving my 72 vette for almost 5 years everyday? I drove it to senior year in high school every day. I’ve had a few Lexus sc300s and 400s. Bunch of great experience with 1jz and 2jz motors. So I thought why not a Toyota? I literally went out and bought a rav4 that was two or three yrs old like the shit was still smelling good like it did from the factory. But… going from driving a classic blue 4spd corvette to a Lexus with a 800rwhp setup to a rav4 was a bit tough. I can’t lie. But I’ll tell you what that low mile 2018 loaded out rav4 doesn’t need me to replace points and throw the dwell meter on it every month or two like the vette. The Lexus IS bulletproof and the only problem was my right foot burned tires off wayyy too fast. But that rav4? She starts every time and ac blows cold and I have to say with it being the second newest vehicle I’ve bought and owned? That shit is soooo nice to just change the oil and keep it moving. Unlike all my older toys.. unfortunately
I do everything I can to teach myself through videos granted I also enjoy browsing aftermarket car parts & forums to at know what I'm getting myself into by the time I buy my 1st car. As long as the seller knows the conditions of the car and/or what kind of work that has gone into it, I'm sold on it. I'd still be willing to check for certain things like pinch welds, wiring, body gaps, alignment at least based on steering wheel position & overall interior condition but otherwise, it's good enough for me. 👍
Similar to buying old boats. I bought a 55ft Greebe yacht in New Bern, NC; built in 1955... all mahogany. She looked great, but I didn't know shit about wood boats, so I hired a guy to survey it (survey=inspection in boat-speak). He knew a just little bit more than I did, but since I didn't know anything, it seemed like he knew a lot. He gave it a clean bill of health, so I bought the old yacht, topped her off with $500 in fuel and started cruising home via the Intracoastal Waterway. I cruised up the Alligator river, then crossed the Albemarle Sound with high wind and 4-5ft waves (which shouldn't be an issue for a 55ft craft)... unknowingly I popped fasteners on three planks to the stern and started sinking. We were nosing down hard on the North River when I called in a MAYDAY over the radio. I looked down from the salon to the hallway, and the carpet was floating in 3 ft of sea water. To keep it from nosing down harder and completely sinking, I ran it full throttle, which forced the bow up a little, and bought myself another 5 minutes or so until I found a muddy slip in Coinjock, NC where I ran it aground... I stuck that old girl in the mud hard! The surveyor, I later found out, should have lifted up floor boards and panels along the bow, stern and keel and pressed an ice pick into the wood to test for spongy areas. If he would have done that, all would have been found out and I could've kept my $25k for the boat, $7500 for the TowBoat salvage and tow to OBX, and $30k in haul out and repairs. The lesson I learned is when someone knows even a little more than you, it's pretty easy to fool you into thinking they're an expert. You gotta do your own homework so you can sniff out the bullshitters... and the bullshitters outnumber the experts by a lot. True experts are rare... about as rare as a rust-free truck in New Jersey. Learn a thing or two, then hide what you know. Play dumb, and let them keep talking.... sooner or later, their big mouth will betray them. I still search RU-vid a couple times a year for video footage, because after the MAYDAY call went out with my location and heading, every bridge I went under had at least a couple people on it taking video with their cell phones (I was calling out every mile marker and feature I came across so the Coast Guard could find us when we sank). It was me, my 80 year old father, my German Shepherd, and my cat. If we went down, I had a life vest on my dad, myself, and my dog... but they don't make life vests for cats, so I figured I'd throw the cat like a football, as hard as I could, towards the shore. Thankfully I was able to run the boat aground and avoid that.
I've been into classics ever since I can remember. When I was a kid my dad had a '70 Mach 1 a '56 Ford flatbed and a '57 Chevy coupe. I've bought rebuilt and restored my own classics since before I had a license. I'm extremely knowledgeable, been nerding out on classic Ford, GM, Mopar and more my whole life. I've worked for dealerships, collision shops, fab shops, and salvage yards. I can weld, paint and do mechanic work. I'm a real car guy. I've been there done that and seen it all. I'd make a better classic car and truck inspector than 99% of the guys out there who call themselves highly qualified technicians. I'm in Southern CA if anyone needs me.
Another great one RABBIT and The RUC! Wow someone really needs to blow the whistle on those fakes so nobody waste time and money again! That was one beautiful GTO! 🤘TEXAS!!!
I've never done anything but sell my own stuff, but even an amateur can spot someone like that. I've done the same thing, and about as fast - refuse to sell to someone who doesn't know what they're talking about, and I'll tell them exactly why. "I know what i have. I know what it's worth" (often sell just a little less to move things) and I tell the buyer that they don't actually want the item or if they're picking at it with someone else doing it on their behalf and they use a schlub, it's the same thing. "i'm looking to sell this to someone who wants it. I know there are lots of people who don't really want it but it makes no sense to sell to people who are going to nitpick something either because they feel like they are entitled or they don't know enough to know what they want. so, we aren't going to do a deal at any price". Sometimes that gets follow-up emails or calls "you aren't going to sell that", and sometimes the sale is the same day or two days later, or a week. the follow up buyer always makes you thankful that you didn't sell to the first buyer. It's not just a matter of a sale. People like that are trouble after a sale, because they've already built up in their mind that you're hiding something from them because you won't give them a below market deal or yield to some stupid little game of control that they want to play. if they don't buy something, worst they can do is badmouth you, and if it gets around to someone, you can say "that person was a bad buyer, or maybe they just even had a bad day at the wrong time. I'll be glad to put you in touch with the person who bought the car the next day" One line that I really think is stupid "my daddy said every offer is a good offer. you need to learn some sales skills". first of all, i'm not in sales. Second, your daddy had a line that doesn't work well when people badger with offers 30% below ask on something that's already at market. Don't insult people and then lecture them that they're being unreasonable for not continuing to listen to stupid offers.
I’ve been there too! I’ve had a few people come at me the wrong way and just in general be complete jerks and eventually you reach the point where negotiations stop and you tell them that they will not have the privilege of buying a vehicle from you.
Lemon squad used to be the WORST inspectors. Had one tell a customer that a car had been totalled because this SHOW CAR had a skim coat of filler on the entire car. 🤦♂️🤦♂️
I'm a vehicle inspection expert and I endorse this message!!! The inspection will only be as good as the inspector so obviously poor inspector = poor inspection. I agree with sentiment from the vid and some of the comments here speaking of 'car people' that generally know a wide array of car knowledge, maybe some specialties learned along the way too, but are also eager to learn more anytime they get the chance make for better inspectors. That's me in a nutshell. It was bred into me. My momma came from a moonshine running family and my daddy was on the Pontiac assembly line in the mid 60s helping build those GTOs(actually worked in the engine department finishing pistons). Some inspections are definitely better than others so getting the best ViEW possible is key 😉
Ha...I'm a Maserati guy myself....yeaaa..All the Maserati guys keep them parked and drive shitboxes. That's a whole lotta windows tinted there, seems if he was doing that many, he wouldn't have time to be hunting GTO's in the center of the room. Thanks for sharing
The best part is a buyer playing inspector, got to get the mirrors, tire gauges, and multi meters out. He had no idea what he was doing asking us weird questions. Yes the guy tried to low-ball us by half on a near mint condition vintage car that was worth double what we were asking. He was from another state so he was there and couldn't back out on the deal, got the car for full price.
I learned at Young age from my grandfather when u going buy a car classic or not look at it your self and know what u are looking at nothing against the food car inspectors but I prefer looking at car myself in person
Rob you made me laugh I can feel your frustration !! Rob it's all about the craziest of the car business ! I love the line "Don't You Know I know more about cars than you will ever know ! That to me is a sell ready to happen ! Oh BTW what engine is in that stock Ford F 150 with the emblem on the side ! Go figure human nature at Rabbits Used Cars ! Another vaiuable lesson !
I did a bunch of land cruiser restorations back in the day, enough people took notice to where I was inspecting rigs for others. I don’t know how many times the seller told me “shit you are thorough”.. or “no one else looked at that”. Was never my mission to talk someone into or out of a purchase… just wanted them to know what they were actually buying or walking away from. Had some with 1” of bondo and sellers threw me out
It was fate that the GTO didn’t go to that other dumbass. I get extra enjoyment when I sell a vehicle to an actual enthusiast who knows what to look for and even overlooks a seemingly major but actually minor issue when disclosed. I sold an enthusiast rare car recently and the buyer was ready to load on trailer right away. I said don’t you want to go for a ride. He finally said oh sure ok. As we were driving away the HP fuel pump (hard to find a new one) started to fail. He said no worries. I have a couple at home. I even offered to reduce price to cover it but he declined. He said these are common issues and not to worry about it. Your honor is the most valuable asset you own. Be honest and stick honor agreements and you will be respected and successful in the long term versus shady and profit in the short term. Great story time Rob.
I write car condition reports for a living. I draw the line at inspecting cars older then 15yrs old. As any old “collector” car is almost always going to have previous body or paint work. And, what is “acceptable” paint work varies wildly from person to person. What I call “unacceptable” you may find “acceptable” ect ect. Occasionally I inspect older cars. But I am upfront with the seller and buyer that I am going to write the report as if it was a new car. So chances are, it’ll have an awful score. As no one can match the quality of factory paint and body fitment ect. I won’t even get into what is considered acceptable “average wear and tear” on an old “collector” car.
Like that vehicle inspection of a 325xi wagon done at the BMW dealership in NC - who missed the blown head gasket. Even inspections that are done by inspectors who should know better are blithering idiots. I know a guy in Dufur Oregon who goes by the name "Goatherder" - neat guy, has a similar story but he mostly buys and sells parts (though the few restorations he does are amazing).
up here in the north on average vehicles i have lightly stabbed the frame of vehicles to hear if someone has made the frame appear to be good and the screw driver went straight threw and into the foam they had replaced the frame with foam cut it n painted it making it look like the frame was perfect in heavy rot areas it tells a lot and saves a lot would never do it to a classic car
Unfortunately the consumer maybe on the back foot often if they personally aren't in the know. Here in New Zealand I know of a local garage that was having their own comedy hour fixing a car that been purchased after a pre purchase inspection by the AA. Seen similar myself by the AA myself, faults that could only mean that items simply weren't even looked at, but they took the money. Be it leaky water pumps, heater hoses, bald tires just really obvious stuff my Mrs could spot, well maybe. So you can be sure they aren't likely going to spot less obvious stuff.
Mr. pitts.They aint much if they dont understand a frame off resto done right would look better than it came new even if done years ago . people that own them know and appreciate what has been done . Your tint guys freakin out LOL!
"I'll be honest with you...." So then, were you lying to us the rest of the time? Rule #1 in auto sales : Never say, "Well to tell you the truth..." or "I'll be honest with you..." Rabbit 2024
What's up with the audio in this video? Is that white noise or rain? "My window tint guy sells dope too." I had to stop the video I was laughing so hard. Damn, it was rain!
Yeah you no as a chef this story kinda reminds me of when the "health inspector" comes through my kitchen. I actually don't mind at all, in fact I welcome it. On the other hand when they say I have too much dust on the sink that is not even in use (keep in mind there is a sign that says this ON THE SINK). Some people's kids........
Its not sold until you sell the inspector unfortunately. I tell these guys what they need to know because I never met a true collector car inspector, just clipboards and check off list. So in short I sell the inspector and educate him at the same time.
I fix rust. Lots of it. Trying to convince a customer his truck is beyond repair is a nightmare. Suddenly they become the expert thats gonna tell me how it can be done.
