Hey gang,
We are looking for classic car enthusiasts who want to earn a little money by checking out potential purchases for classic car buyers.
We started Jewel or Jalopy to help take some of the risk out of buying a classic car that you can't check out yourself. We're building a network of experience enthusiasts who will check out a potential purchase for you in your absence, or come with you if you want an objective and experienced second opinion.
Signing up to be an inspector is free. You can also elect to be a featured inspector and get listed first in search results, and access to requests in real time.
We have had a phenomenal response so far, and have had some very experienced car enthusiasts sign up. But we could always use more knowledgeable inspectors so please consider signing up!
We will be launching in a few weeks, so if you want to get in before we go live, now is the time.
Apologies if this comes off as spam, but I have chatted with one of the CM editors (who has signed up) and he gave me the OK to post here.
Feel free to ask any questions here or you can always contact me at support@jewelorjalopy.com.
Thanks!
Ian and Kim Lomax
Jewel or Jalopy
Just out of curiosity, how are you handling indemnity insurance or similar for this venture?
Supposedly a bunch of shops got out of the high-end car inspection game simply because they got exposed to massive lawsuit related risks when the person who bought the car on the strength of the inspection then decided the inspection was off and the car wasn't what they wanted.
Great question. We have good terms and conditions, and expect the inspectors to as well. The contract is between the buyer and inspector, we are a venue, not a service. We don't take a cut of the inspection fees.
Our position is that you'll never find every issue with a classic car, but without an inspection you won't know almost anything about it. The inspectors will relay what they find, but we don't expect them to offer advice about whether the car is a good deal or not. It's up the the buyer to decide if they want the car based on the inspection.
We also have a feedback system to rate the inspectors, so buyers can rate how well they feel the inspector performed
In one of the recent inspections I did for someone I was able to find a number of flaws that the dealer hadn't mentioned. The buyer decided he still wanted it, and used this info to negotiate over $500 off the asking price. That alone would have covered the cost of paying someone to look at it for him.
I hope that helps.
Thanks,
Ian
Just a quick note to let everyone know that we are now open for buyers to search for inspectors!
Sounds like my dream job, especially since I'm approaching retirement. Ex part time auto journalist and ex part time photographer but always had a real job in healthcare. Tell you what - you call me if you need anybody in Canada.
In reply to ian @ Jewel Or Jalopy:
I emailed you guys about this a few months back (about becoming an inspector) and got no reply... are you actively seeking inspectors now?
thanks
-ccrunner
I've been registered there for a while. Let me know if you need me to check out anything in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Thanks
James
TR8owner, we plan to expand to Canada shortly, and will let you know when we do so you can sign up.
ccrunner, my apologies, I never saw your email. I hope it didn't go into spam. But yes, we are still looking for inspectors. We've had a great response from the car community but we can always use more experienced inspectors.
In order to make sure you get notified once someone needs an inspector, make sure you subscribe to receive emails in the regions you are willing to cover. instructionsare on the blog, and on the registration complete page.
Thanks for the support guys!
