4 Ways Car Shows Have Made Life Tougher For Car Enthusiasts

Let’s make one thing very clear. Reality television is not reality. I can say that for a couple of reasons. One, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some reality television stars in my travels, and they’ve told me flat-out how un-reality many things are. Two, as someone with 20-plus years in and around the auto business, I simply know better.

I know that sometimes you can go into a potential sale with a lowball offer and go home with a car, but not always. I know that many car guys out there can fix the brakes on their neighbor’s sedan, but that’s a far cry from charging big bucks to build a custom street machine for your co-worker. And just because you see a 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda sell for $350,000 at a televised auction doesn’t mean your 1972 Barracuda with a slant six is worth $100k.

Legitimate petrolheads generally understand what living the car life is really about, and just how much work it takes if you want to make a living at it. A few weeks ago I talked about how Top Gear misled the world on American performance cars, but now I’m going to talk about how auto-based reality shows have misled the general public into thinking they can be high-rolling, fast-talking, hard-driving, profit-turning car pros.

1. Buying cars for half price

Of all the sins reality television has brought upon the motoring world, this is arguably the biggest. This is especially true if you spend quite a bit of time on the sales side, either professionally or just as a hobby. That’s not to say you shouldn’t toss out a lowball offer—it’s all part of the business. But experience tells you when and where you can make that happen; otherwise it’s just a colossal waste of time for everyone involved, and nobody wants that.

Here in the States I’ve definitely noticed an uptick in folks coming to look at cars I have for sale who clearly have no knowledge of cars or what things are worth. Better yet is when these “buyers” get angry after I refuse their pennies-on-the-dollar offer, as if that’s going to change my mind. For the readers who aren’t so savvy when it comes to car shopping, here’s a tip—if you want to get a good buy on a car, do pretty much the exact opposite of what you see on television. And for crying out loud, don’t get angry when sellers laugh at your whimpy offer.

2. Selling cars for twice the price

I can’t go after the lowballers without also talking about the dreamers. There’s nothing wrong with trying to get the most out of your ride, but once again, don’t just follow what you see on television—especially some of the more prominent live auctions where pride, ego, and mass quantities of alcohol turn such events into spectacles of insanity.

The old adage in the car business is that a vehicle is worth whatever someone will pay for it. Put that someone on live primetime television with beaucoup bucks and a little bit of booze, and they will almost always shell out stupid amounts of cash. Unfortunately, Joe Somebody sees this spectacle and gets the idea that his rusted Mustang out behind the barn must be worth that much too. Well Joe, get your buyer drunk and put him on TV, and maybe you’ll luck out. Otherwise you’ll find real-world market prices are far less lucrative.

3. Anybody can work on their own car

Here’s a special shout-out to the legit mechanics who’ve fixed the dumb crap people have done to their cars because they saw somebody on TV do it. To be fair, the internet is just as much to blame on this front if not more—between YouTube videos and forum “How To” sections it’s a wonder more people haven’t spontaneously combusted from dumbassery. Perhaps it begins with the best of intentions—you see guys on TV installing cold air kits, and though you don’t know why that matters, you decide to fabricate one on your own with parts from the local hardware store, because $150 for the proper part is just too much.

And then a couple of months later your engine starts to miss after racing someone, and you discover parts of your cold air kit were sucked into the engine. $1000 later you’re back on the road with the stock airbox, because your $20 mod was dumber than a helmet made of spray cheese. And yes that’s a true story—the smashed piston and bent valve pictured above are mine; the result of an inflated ego and bad advice. I’m sure there will be other stories in the comments, because frankly, I look forward to laughing with you as much as you’re laughing at me right now.

4. It takes more than just a keen sense of cars to make money

It’s one thing to buy a $1000 winter beater, fix it up while you drive it for a few months then sell it for $2000 in spring. You just made a grand, but how much did the car insurance cost? How much were the registration fees? How much did you spend on parts? How many hours did you spend wrenching on it? Presumably your time is worth something—I’m not suggesting working on cars isn’t enjoyable for some people, but my point is this: if you’re going try and make a career in the car business, you also have to actually understand something about business.

If you open up a small shop, obviously you’ll have expenses to keep the lights on and the heat going. You have tools to pay for, insurances to cover, taxes to pay. Just because you see people on television drinking beer because they made $5000 on a flip doesn’t mean they’re actually banking $5000. So before you decide to quit your day job to buy and sell cars, make sure you talk to actual business pros because I promise you this—it’s not nearly as easy as they make it out to be on television.