[olddog]

I understand that there are a lot of people out there in the world who want to do this or that, but never seem to plan and and never manage to come up with the money. If you sell them something, they may never come back with the money and actually complete the sale. So I understand a manufacturer wanting to know that they are dealing with a real sale.

What I do not and never will understand is how this industry continues to operate on a give me all the money (or at least half), and maybe I will build your car, when I get around to it, plan. I'm pretty sure operating this way leads good people into temptations that are risky to say the least. Often times your money goes to building someone else car and they have to sell two more to get the money to build yours.

It would seem to me to be a fair and equitable model to put 110% of the money to build your car into an escrow account, managed by a 3rd uninterested party. As the car is built and the builder proves the progress made, the money is released at mile stones that were negotiated up front. This was once typical with home builders.

Perhaps some of the builders are doing exactly what I am saying, but when I was looking 10 year ago, none would even consider my proposal.