Are these Vloggers just a scam? SOL or Shmee etc???????

[KHK]

What's up with SOL and his Huracan? It's never in his videos. Has he already put too many miles allowed for his lease?

[Horsey McHorseface]

KHK said:

What's up with SOL and his Huracan? It's never in his videos. Has he already put too many miles allowed for his lease?

Maybe it got Lizard Licked. Featuring in an upcoming episode.

[ThatnameagainitsTGE]

He's been super busy travelling all over the place, and still is at the moment - it's safely tucked up ready for him when he's able to drive it again. Not a bad problem to have! Also, at the risk of sounding like a nit picker, it's not on a lease

KHK said:

What's up with SOL and his Huracan? It's never in his videos. Has he already put too many miles allowed for his lease?

[red_slr]

Seems like a lot of cash flow to tie up to me for such little use esp as its a business.

[Swole]

nyxster said:

I was thinking of doing a YT channel 'ride-on lawnmower lifestyle'

episode 1 - buying a lawnmower WITH CASH!
episode 2 - getting the mower wrapped! AMAZEBALLS YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!
episode 3 - larini exhaust on the mower. OMG WHAT!
episode 4 - i striped this MILFS lawn! (clickbait, possible sequel on pornhub)
episode 5 - i crashed the mower into the pool! (more clickbait, it was a paddling pool)
episode 6 - should i get a new mower? (clickbait, theres still 24 lease payments to go)
episode 7 - I took the mower to Dubai! (clickbait, theres no actual grass in dubai because i'm in an apartment)
episode 8 - mower gold digger prank gone sexual! (clickbait bs, i'm cleaning the patio)
episode 9 - getting the mower detailed! OMG I NEARLY DIED.
episode 10 - cutting the lawn (finally.) GONE SEXUAL.
episode 11 - Trimming her patch! (bird in a bikini, getting desperate now)
episode 12 - OMG I'M BUYING A LAMBORGHINI!!

etc.

Well summarised. I love watching YT, a lot of car stuff of but I have to go through my suggested videos daily which have "I BROKE MY FERRARI!" (dropped his toy car in the bath) plastered over the thumbnail and select "not interested". It saves minutes of my life, watching total bollcks.

I do sometimes give a click to read the comments though and most of them read "when I leave school, I can't wait to get one of these cars", "I couldn't come to the meet because I was in school", "my dad owns a Lamborghini" (Ford Mondeo).

The best part about what, 99% of these vloggers, is that they NEVER explain the true cost of "owning" a supercar in the BS videos they put up apparently explaining the cost. They might touch on fuel and tyres, but wouldn't you know, they forgot to mention anything about the £900 per month lease/PCP cost.

Everyone just wants to look like they MADE IT in this world, without actually knowing why. It's all just a show for other people, but turn off the camera, close the curtains at night out of view of that shiny car on the drive/street, and you're still living in your parent's home/some hell hole with brown carpet, sitting in your pants and eating cans of Value baked beans. It's ok though, because when you do make £10 from you YT videos you can treat yourself to Nando's.

[jon-]

red_slr said:

Seems like a lot of cash flow to tie up to me for such little use esp as its a business.

Just because it's not leased, doesn't mean it's not financed.

[red_slr]

jon- said:

red_slr said:

Seems like a lot of cash flow to tie up to me for such little use esp as its a business.

Just because it's not leased, doesn't mean it's not financed.

No I know its financed I am talking about a waste of 2000PCM (or whatever) when the asset is basically parked no doubt depreciating and costing to insure etc. As a business that's not a great idea?

[BuzzBravado]

nyxster said:

I was thinking of doing a YT channel 'ride-on lawnmower lifestyle'

episode 1 - buying a lawnmower WITH CASH!
episode 2 - getting the mower wrapped! AMAZEBALLS YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!
episode 3 - larini exhaust on the mower. OMG WHAT!
episode 4 - i striped this MILFS lawn! (clickbait, possible sequel on pornhub)
episode 5 - i crashed the mower into the pool! (more clickbait, it was a paddling pool)
episode 6 - should i get a new mower? (clickbait, theres still 24 lease payments to go)
episode 7 - I took the mower to Dubai! (clickbait, theres no actual grass in dubai because i'm in an apartment)
episode 8 - mower gold digger prank gone sexual! (clickbait bs, i'm cleaning the patio)
episode 9 - getting the mower detailed! OMG I NEARLY DIED.
episode 10 - cutting the lawn (finally.) GONE SEXUAL.
episode 11 - Trimming her patch! (bird in a bikini, getting desperate now)
episode 12 - OMG I'M BUYING A LAMBORGHINI!!

etc.

You joke, but over 200k people watched this guy vlog on his mower.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvtlKYhjHL0&t=...

[red_slr]

Swole said:

The best part about what, 99% of these vloggers, is that they NEVER explain the true cost of "owning" a supercar in the BS videos they put up apparently explaining the cost. They might touch on fuel and tyres, but wouldn't you know, they forgot to mention anything about the £900 per month lease/PCP cost.

Rob Spaghetti did a video a couple of days ago where he said his 488 is $3500 per month. He is pretty good at being up front about costs.
Daniel Hurlbert also did a full costs video on is 430 whilst his wife was sat next to him... she was not that happy by the end LOL.

The young kids are the ones who like to do the cloak and daggers stuff and make out like they are making millions from you tube, investments and "businesses" when in fact they are living off a trust fund.

[twoblacklines]

red_slr said:

The young kids are the ones who like to do the cloak and daggers stuff and make out like they are making millions from you tube, investments and "businesses" when in fact they are living off a trust fund.

The problem is, if any young "Kid" has something (and by young people mean under 40), people immediately assume, and therefore speak as fact, that said young person must have a trustfund.

There are a lot of sub 25 year olds doing what I do and making 6 figures a month/week and in some cases a day...they drive ferraris and people say "trustafarian tt"....

Then remember that most of the youtube audience are £30k a year, 9-5 workers or unemployed people, they just can't relate so they think it is impossible.

Even in the case of your quote, unless you can prove they have a trust fund...how can you say "in fact" when it is not actually factual?

Because unless you work for the HMRC or their countries specific revenues agency, there is no way you can prove anything.

For all we know Seb Delaney could be

on a trust fund
an options trader (lol)
an affiliate marketer
a drug dealer
a scammer

Edited by twoblacklines on Wednesday 21st June 12:04

[nyxster]

BuzzBravado said:

You joke, but over 200k people watched this guy vlog on his mower.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvtlKYhjHL0&t=...

I know, I was aware of that when I used it to make a snarky point - Youtube is great for that kind of topic that is interesting for a lot of people but never features on mainstream TV. in last month I've watched channels dedicated to jet washers, deep fat fryers, steadicam rigs, vaping kit amongst others and each one directly influenced and determined my buying decisions in a way traditional vendor marketing doesn't. I work in the business and brands are only too aware now mow much peer reviews influence consumer opinion which is why they are now actively looking to sponsor these channels because the ROI for marketing spend is amazing.

I think it is important to differentiate the channel creators who are really creating valuable content by giving you a decent insight or education in their niche - there is a guy who has more subs than most of the supercar lot just doing tutorials on building perfect tamiya models for hobbyists who makes really informative guides vs (what i was snarking at in the title) clickbait ixygen thieves with no apprant point to their content beyond narcissistic self promotion like Mo vLogs who just relies on his sister.

A good example of good vs bad car channels - I can't say I would ever buy a purchase decision off anything shmee produced - it's just too 'omg i'm in a supercar guys'. The channels generally i watch when I'm interested in owning a car

This one is dutch, but this is the video that convinced me to hunt down and buy a 6.2 NA rather than a new model - great production and not just ten minutes of selfiecam filler waffle;

https://youtu.be/ElDt9Zuiefk

and this guy, who will absoloutely drive the wheels off anything on his videos - because going flat out on german autobahns is much more indicative of the car's capabilities than crawling about knightsbridge

https://youtu.be/873dI4hDRXI

for a 'proper' owner vlog, this guy does a fantastic job of actually explaining what its like to own, service bills etc. Most of the vloggers just focus on latest fotm machinery like the huracan with nothing new to add - vlogs featuring super rare cars that very little content features are always great to watch - the 964 turbo 3.6 is a good example

https://youtu.be/_sEhsBh5q5k

Part of the issue I think is the guys with the most interesting cars tend to be petrolheads who share their metal out of enthusiasm and don't need to clickbait or spam fotm content for the masses to we for cpm's. The car spotter turned owner channels that are going all out to monetise as a primary business are really going to struggle to get the diversity of content that a trad funded show like top gear can because the cpm's are never going to cover the costs and the simple fact is that beyond a few occassions owning a supercar is dull as st.

Guys like TGE/JWW and Jon Olsson have a much better shot at creating interesting vlogs because they clearly have other interests that support a lifestyle beyond the car that is more interesting than going to Mc'ds in a huracan.

SoL is a nice guy, and clearly enthusiastic, but after his comment about being scared off a LP640 by 20k service bills I get the impression he's punching above his weight simply trying to compete with the guys who can fund their garages from much deeper pockets. He can probably make a nice living from his supercar spotting / test drive loaners features but trying to actually fund a lifestyle purely off YT revenue in a niche that is relatively small and keep up in the arms race of 'i've just bought xyz...' really just leads to the kind of mo vlog clickbait nonsense.

The fudging of costs imho is deliberate since for the spotter/owner channels a lot of the audience are sold on the idea that youtube will buy them into sc ownership - having run several supercars, as above poster stated its just not realistic - they'd be better off spending the pcp money on track experience days or investing in a business that will lead to those options down the line and get something realistic and quick like an old b7 RS4 or m3 so they actually have the driving skills to enjoy a car beyong tt lapping round knightsbridge.

I do like Jon's channel, and I think TGE's laid back persona gives his channel a lot of potential and he's very watchable but just needs to think about doung more work on storyboardingbhis content narrative - although given his other commitments props to him for getting anything out given the workload media production entails. JWW is also a great presenter and really not afraid to push a car.

I think in conclusion, the 'spotters', 'collectors' and 'journalists' are different propositions - it's painfully obvious that guys like shmee lack the media production, driving and journalist presenting chops to take on guys like Harris in the mainstream car reviews, and the spotters lack the funding for the lifestyles the collectors bring to the table, different audiences will find different channels interesting for their own reasons based a lot on peer-identification. Shmee is too cringe and geeky for the hoody and tats brat pack, the spotters will be too 'omg i'm buying a lambo' for the collectors and for deducated petrolheads Harris's experience and technical knowledge is what counts.

As for Mo V'logs - when i first watched his channel I thought it was quite sweet how his sister took care of her special needs brother so well.

Anyhow fascinating thread chaps, i've actually read the whole 194 pages. Working in socia media it has been a fascinating insight into the diversity of opinions and audience tastes on what makes a good youtube channel.

i'm going to get my mountfield wrapped now. YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENNED NEXT.

Edited by nyxster on Wednesday 21st June 12:51

Edited by nyxster on Wednesday 21st June 23:21

Edited by nyxster on Wednesday 21st June 23:22

[ThatnameagainitsTGE]

I'll be in the 1% then. I did a pretty upfront video on my F12 recently. Cost me over 6 months roughly what a brand new Golf would have cost me. Tried to tow the line between being crass, and being helpful.
If I hadn't done an extensive full paint correction and PPF on the F12, would probably have cost me less. And if I had bought a 458 instead of an F12 back then, I probably would have come out with a profit after the 6 months, (I knew this at the time, but wanted the F12).


I bought the F12 and my other cars for me, not for Youtube or the few £pm it makes. Youtube is a hobby and I enjoy creating content/sharing my experiences - and from what I can see, it seems to bring enjoyment to others. Not every 'young' guy on Youtube is being bank rolled by parents, or funding alone while living on the fringe of financial collapse eating beans in their underwear, just to front for social media. (although that happens I'm sure). Shockingly, as in my case, some people under 30 do make enough to afford these things, and finance them sensibly, then come out just fine, having enjoyed their experience. Some, wink, then may benefit from the interest generated by these cars to propel their online influence as a catalyst for other online endeavours.
Seems to be a section of viewers that seem insistent the above is impossible. Perhaps it helps them sleep at night. I'm not moaning, the comments and sniping are expected when you insist on putting yourself out there like I have.

Swole said:

The best part about what, 99% of these vloggers, is that they NEVER explain the true cost of "owning" a supercar in the BS videos they put up apparently explaining the cost. They might touch on fuel and tyres, but wouldn't you know, they forgot to mention anything about the £900 per month lease/PCP cost.

Everyone just wants to look like they MADE IT in this world, without actually knowing why. It's all just a show for other people, but turn off the camera, close the curtains at night out of view of that shiny car on the drive/street, and you're still living in your parent's home/some hell hole with brown carpet, sitting in your pants and eating cans of Value baked beans. It's ok though, because when you do make £10 from you YT videos you can treat yourself to Nando's.

[richatnort]

What's missing is the Shmee of everyday. Why can't we get someone who goes round trying out 320d or A4's all the boring day to day stuff not the exotic stuff. Just like Shmee with his 7 car garage i'd happy have a 320, a4, focus, etc

[red_slr]

Jamie_FYD does exactly that (well almost).

[AyBee]

richatnort said:

What's missing is the Shmee of everyday. Why can't we get someone who goes round trying out 320d or A4's all the boring day to day stuff not the exotic stuff. Just like Shmee with his 7 car garage i'd happy have a 320, a4, focus, etc

Because the figures wouldn't work. Shmee would have about 10 subscribers if all he did was review bog standard cars that everyone sees 20 of each day! He's 'selling' an aspiration, that's why people watch and subscribe.

[Dave Hedgehog]

AyBee said:

richatnort said:

What's missing is the Shmee of everyday. Why can't we get someone who goes round trying out 320d or A4's all the boring day to day stuff not the exotic stuff. Just like Shmee with his 7 car garage i'd happy have a 320, a4, focus, etc

Because the figures wouldn't work. Shmee would have about 10 subscribers if all he did was review bog standard cars that everyone sees 20 of each day! He's 'selling' an aspiration, that's why people watch and subscribe.

exactly, i cant imagine wanting to watch a channel about cars i have zero interest in buying

[Digga]

BuzzBravado said:

nyxster said:

I was thinking of doing a YT channel 'ride-on lawnmower lifestyle'

episode 1 - buying a lawnmower WITH CASH!
episode 2 - getting Pistonheads graphics on the mower wrapped! AMAZEBALLS YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!
episode 3 - larini exhaust on the mower. OMG WHAT!
episode 4 - i striped this MILFS lawn! (clickbait, possible sequel on pornhub)
episode 5 - i crashed the mower into the pool! (more clickbait, it was a paddling pool)
episode 6 - should i get a new mower? (clickbait, theres still 24 lease payments to go)
episode 7 - I took the mower to Dubai! (clickbait, theres no actual grass in dubai because i'm in an apartment)
episode 8 - mower gold digger prank gone sexual! (clickbait bs, i'm cleaning the patio)
episode 9 - getting the mower detailed! OMG I NEARLY DIED.
episode 10 - cutting the lawn (finally.) GONE SEXUAL.
episode 11 - Trimming her patch! (bird in a bikini, getting desperate now)
episode 12 - OMG I'M BUYING A LAMBORGHINI!!

etc.

You joke, but over 200k people watched this guy vlog on his mower.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvtlKYhjHL0&t=...

[KHK]

Unless SOL is flush with cash and doesn't care about throwing money down the toilet in depreciation costs I don't see him buying his cars cash. I would assume he's leasing based on how quickly he switches cars.

Living state side I've seen exotic car dealers around here give one year leases with minimum down, basically a rental for the driving season. Most exotic owners I know down here lease because borrowing rates are super low and for tax purposes.

[AyBee]

KHK said:

Unless SOL is flush with cash and doesn't care about throwing money down the toilet in depreciation costs I don't see him buying his cars cash. I would assume he's leasing based on how quickly he switches cars.

Living state side I've seen exotic car dealers around here give one year leases with minimum down, basically a rental for the driving season. Most exotic owners I know down here lease because borrowing rates are super low and for tax purposes.

Read TGE's post - he says it's not leased, not that it's not financed

[jon-]

richatnort said:

What's missing is the Shmee of everyday. Why can't we get someone who goes round trying out 320d or A4's all the boring day to day stuff not the exotic stuff. Just like Shmee with his 7 car garage i'd happy have a 320, a4, focus, etc

Lots of people will have tried, you probably just don't know of them as either you've not searched, or they've never got the views to make it worth while.

There's a niche everywhere. I make (bad) videos about tyres, and for some reason, people watch them (latest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPyg3ilw3KU&fe... )

If no one has done the crappy car reviews, start it up Regular car reviews certainly does, but they have a certain style that isn't for everyone.