Rant - Screw All The Craig's List Cheapskates!

I browse Craig's List daily checking out jobs, what's for sale, rants and raves, just about anything that's interesting. I have come to the conclusion after about a year of checking and posting ad content that most of the people on C.L. are flaky, inconsiderate, cheap-ass bastards looking to take advantage of anyone stupid enough to be had.

In May of this year I was looking through the labor gigs and found an ad that was posted for someone to help restore an Austin Healy Sprite. The ad wasn't very specific so I responded with a reply as to what was needed to be done on the car. I do mainly engine and heavy-line repairs but after thirty-five years of working on cars I can and do most anything. Not being a specialist in British auto repair I was mainly just being curious. Most of the techs I know DO NOT like working on British cars and neither do I. They tend to be problematic. But being the nosy shit that I am, I sent a reply to his post. I never heard back from the poster so I just assumed he was another rude and inconsiderate C.L. flake

Well fast forward two months to mid-July and I get an email. It seems the Sprite poster finally got around to answering me. His new project was an Isuzu Trooper. The Sprite had been put on hold. What had happened is this; his Son had pulled the transmission and transfer-case out of the Trooper to install a new clutch and a junkyard transmission. Then his Son ended up disappearing leaving the Trooper torn down in the front of this fellow's house. He wanted an estimate from me for what I would charge to re-assemble the truck. This is not a difficult job, just heavy, nasty, dirty grunt work. Just what I specialize in.

I decided to go up to his house and check it out before I agreed to a price. You never know when someone is handing you a crock of shit. I head to the other end of town (at five dollars a gallon for gas) and take a look. This fellow lives up in a very nice and somewhat exclusive part of Rancho Palos Verdes where the homes list for well over a million dollars. Not exactly South Central Los Angeles. I looked the Trooper over and decide to take the job. Since no one was home when I got there I left and decided to give him my estimate via email.

After returning home I referred to my Mitchell OnDemand labor and estimator guide for a price on the job. The labor guide shows 7.5 hours to do the complete job from start to finish. I cut the labor in half since the truck was already torn down and applied my $50.00 an hour flat rate giving me a total of $175.00 for the job after rounding off the time. The customer was to supply the parts.

I then sent him an email with my estimate. Now that was one week ago and counting. No reply, no phone call (we did exchange numbers) not a damn thing. My best guess is my price is too expensive for his budget. Now keep this in mind - last year I worked in a Classic Car restoration shop in Torrance where the flat rate was $140.00 an hour. Most of the shops in the South Bay are around $100.00 per hour flat rate these days. My rate is low because I have no overhead and I usually work alone. Not exactly expensive if you ask me.

All of this leads me to the conclusion he is a cheap-ass bastard looking to take advantage of someone. I personally know a couple of dumb-asses who would probably do this job for a case of beer and a fat hooter. This fucker knows it too. I'm sure he'll show up at Home Depot or the day labor hiring center on Pacific Coast Highway and try and hire an illegal. I don't blame the guys down there. They're just trying to survive. I just get pissed off at shit-stains like this who exploit and take advantage of the situation.

I hope he calls back because I need the money. Doesn't that suck?