Classic Car "FINDERS FEE"-How do you become a finder?

Question

They have ads in Hemmings Motor News offering commissions for finders of pre and post war vintage cars (Rolls Royce, Bentley). How does one go about becoming a FINDER for classic cars? What procedures does the buyer (who i would be the agent for) use to verify the vehicle i find if it is accross the country for sale (or even outside the USA)? Anybody with experience? Is a used car dealers license required to work as a classic car finder?Thanks

Answer 1

many of the things you are asking will very from state to state. here, if you are not actually the one buying the car- just finding it, then you would not need a dealers permit.

you have to have connections. you might want to find a few vehicles that you can locate buyers for at first. you have to have a good eye as far as spotting the smallest blemish in the paint or interior. you have to have a good understanding of the mechanics so that your ear is trained to pick up a noise from a belt/engine whatever.

as far as if the vehicle is across or out of the country- most of the people buying these cars are wealthy. flying out to look at the car is not a big expense in their eyes. if you have a good reputation many won't even care, they will trust your instinct and that you know exactly what they're looking for.

many people, unless what they are looking for is very very rare or uncommon, are turning to ebay. that, coupled with the economy, means the market for the service you want to offer is not very big. also, there are already many experienced "finders" out there. the price of classic cars is going down, think of it kinda like the housing bubble. the market value of these cars has, in some cases, already dropped tens of thousands of dollars.

definitely check out the big, well known auctions- barrett jackson for example. subscribe to the collectors magazines. befriend the local chapters of the classic car clubs in your area. get a d**n good idea of what different years/makes/models are worth.

here are some links, both big names and people i know personally

http://www.barrett-jackson.com/

http://www.motoexotica.com/

http://www.fastlanecars.com/Public/FastL...

http://ww2.collectorcartrader.com/

this is not something you can get into right away and expect to support yourself in a comfortable lifestyle. it will take a lot of work, getting to know the right people, finding good clients and building your reputation.