Car / Auto shop info for beginner?

Hello all, I'm kind of a car nerd and so I thought it would be fun to get paid to tour around and look at some cars. I have at various times in my career been in sales and so think I must be one of the few people who actually enjoys talking to salespeople.

I've never done this before, and just intend it to be a part time / weekend thing -- what would be the best steps to do this? I did a brief search on the forum and see that a company called Bestmark does a lot of auto shops, but folks also seem to suggest that there are other companies that might pay a little better.

Thanks for the help in advance!

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

Already a member? Log In.

Probably not the best of shops for a new shopper. I would rather suggest that you try some other types of shops first because there is a lot to remember and observe with car shops. You also need to realize that on most shops your role is to mostly state a simple scenario and observe what the salesman tells you, not exercise your own expertise. You need to stay as unmemorable as possible if you want to shop the location again in the future.
BestMark has some car inquiry shops, but most shops I see on their board are for oil changes of a specific model. They also offer web and phone shops for cars.

Intelli-Shop offers test drive shops. The fees are low, but sometimes you can get a bonus. This is a great way to learn about cars. The fees range from $17-$35

SeeLevel has car negotiation shops. You don't even look at the vehicle, you just get the lowest price you can. The fees range from $55-$100.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
I LOVE car sales shops. I actually did start doing them as a newbie, but I can see why the advice here is that they are not best for newbies. They are definitely harder than a fast food assignment. You need good attention to detail, good notes/good memory, and really good writing skills. It helps to be car-knowledgeable.

I'm a car buff. It helped, too, that I did my first two with a family member who was already a mystery shopper. She went with me and pretended she wasn't interested, but later when she sat with me and I did the reports, she made suggestions and said things I had forgotten to look for. She read my report when I finished and said "What about this," "what about that?" She also made me re-write one of my narratives because she said my grammar was horrible. It was. Because she was a hard editor, I didn't get any editing questions when I submitted the reports. After those 2 shops, I went out on my own and I got a lot sharper. I've done a lot of car shops now and a lot of other kind of shops, too.

Try Monterey Mystery Shopping Co. They do car and motorcycle shops. I did my first two shops with them. They are my favorite.
Does anyone think he should sign up for shops with Bestmark because they are constantly sending me emails asking if I know anyone who will do their $14 to $17 shops that take over two hours from phone call or email to filling out how your day went.



Honey I have done hundreds of BMs in the past and never saw any shop even when they considered them "Big Bonus" to exceed $25 even after four months past due.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2016 05:55PM by GuyFawkes.
Guy, you are correct. I've seen the bonuses with Intelli-Shop and SeeLevel. I've never seen the Best Mark car shops go over $17.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
thanks for the feedback, all! appreciate the commentary about narrative and learning, but I'm sure I'll sort it out !
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login