OP wants to flip cars

[SpeculatorSam]

Henlo,

Some of y'all might be familiar with my rants and raves. I'm considering passing down the tradition that my grandfather did and getting intimate with sockets, pliers, and a ginormous flathead screwdriver. My background is that gramps enlightened me with some basic use of hand tools, had me fix some things around the house, and showed me that an engine is no more than a collection of moving parts that can, usually, be fixed with an understanding the part and a socket wrench. I'm a low-voltage electrician. I have read multiple books on the concepts of electrical circuits and finer points of security systems.

Hopefully that should be prerequisites to being able to dabble in cars on the weekends. inb4 "bro, just learn how to save your money" if you've already read "Millennial Finances". Miscers, besides some reading and watching, what do I need to know before diving into the sea of motor oil and curse words? Ultimately, I wanna learn for the profit, the lessons learned, and for the transferable skills gained in fixing things.

Thanks for reading

[elterrible987]

The guy that I knew that flipped cars focused on certain brands. Not really because they were better or worse than others but also more so that he was familiar with them and knew what to look for. Its probably the same with a lot that flip cars. Youre going to have to know what some of the common maintenance items and failure points are of a particular model and its likely very hard to have that level of breadth across all brands and models unless you are a full time mechanic.

TLDR some how youre going to have to get a little bit of expertise or atleast familiarity with specific make and models.

[Redfish225]

I love cars and building engines.
This is my camaro block, taking it in for boiling and magnaflux before rebuilding it.

[SpeculatorSam]

The guy that I knew that flipped cars focused on certain brands. Not really because they were better or worse than others but also more so that he was familiar with them and knew what to look for. Its probably the same with a lot that flip cars. Youre going to have to know what some of the common maintenance items and failure points are of a particular model and its likely very hard to have that level of breadth across all brands and models unless you are a full time mechanic.

TLDR some how youre going to have to get a little bit of expertise or atleast familiarity with specific make and models.

Doing a little research now. I do remember my grandfather talking about how much he hated YAMAHA boat engines. Throughout his entire life, every single one of his vehicles were Ford, Chevy, and Toyota. He was a full time mechanic by trade, ever since being assigned as his company's engineer when he served as a Marine in 'nam.

I love cars and building engines.
This is my camaro block, taking it in for boiling and magnaflux before rebuilding it.

Bruh, I'm gonna miss that 'ol 90's tv quality AVI. Also yes I like Harbor Freight too.

[HayZues Christi]

Join the riots

[LtGoose]

All you need is a Chilton Repair Manual for the make and model of the car and that's it. It's not some big mystery or secret trade passed down generation after generation.

[SpeculatorSam]

All you need is a Chilton Repair Manual for the make and model of the car and that's it. It's not some big mystery or secret trade passed down generation after generation.

Wow! I would've never guessed that mechanics more or less read the troubleshooter's digest! Well, I know that trade work isn't so much intellectually challenging as it is having enough love and care for the process that you can stick it to the end; stop when you're finished not when you're tired, etc. Really, if you can comprehend and understand moving parts, twisting and turning, push and pull, etc., then you can just choose a trade that gets you excited or that you can definitely understand. Like Warren Buffet's 3 or 4 companies you very well understand concept.

I like security systems and data, 'coz electrical current makes sense to me. Most people just don't take up a trade 'coz it takes time and effort. Not to glorify or romanticize blue collar work, but it does boil down to people not caring enough. I definitely don't like cooking, but it isn't hard to comprehend "okay, a protein, a fat, and a carb. Apply the right seasoning and the the right heat... some other culinary trade secrets that take years to master".

[SpeculatorSam]

All you need is a Chilton Repair Manual for the make and model of the car and that's it. It's not some big mystery or secret trade passed down generation after generation.

BTW not to spam a thread with multiple replies of my own, but my faimly does own an '89 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Just took it to get the brakes flushed, but now it's got like 2,301$ in repairs that local repair shop quoted. Am tempted to buy the Chilton GM 88-96 book, but I'd imagine that my first serious attempt at fixing something besides a headlight probably shouldn't be the vintage attention grabber that we're trying to get rid of.

[George2100]

I’m no professional, but I’ve been flipping vehicles as a hobby for 6 years or so. Imo you just need to find a niche. Mine is Harley’s and diesel trucks. Just pick a few that you like/are easy to work on and visit those forums to learn the specific tips/tricks for those particular vehicles. Also, in my area, diesel performance isn’t very big. For that reason, people typically call me for aftermarket performance parts.

[SpeculatorSam]

I’m no professional, but I’ve been flipping vehicles as a hobby for 6 years or so. Imo you just need to find a niche. Mine is Harley’s and diesel trucks. Just pick a few that you like/are easy to work on and visit those forums to learn the specific tips/tricks for those particular vehicles. Also, in my area, diesel performance isn’t very big. For that reason, people typically call me for aftermarket performance parts.

Thanks for sharing George. The first obstacle in all of this is the time spent waiting to save enough money to get a deal worth fixing. I read an article that said 500-2000$ I don't know if that's a good price range for the vehicle itself or not.

[Sal29]

Henlo,

Some of y'all might be familiar with my rants and raves. I'm considering passing down the tradition that my grandfather did and getting intimate with sockets, pliers, and a ginormous flathead screwdriver. My background is that gramps enlightened me with some basic use of hand tools, had me fix some things around the house, and showed me that an engine is no more than a collection of moving parts that can, usually, be fixed with an understanding the part and a socket wrench. I'm a low-voltage electrician. I have read multiple books on the concepts of electrical circuits and finer points of security systems.

Hopefully that should be prerequisites to being able to dabble in cars on the weekends. inb4 "bro, just learn how to save your money" if you've already read "Millennial Finances". Miscers, besides some reading and watching, what do I need to know before diving into the sea of motor oil and curse words? Ultimately, I wanna learn for the profit, the lessons learned, and for the transferable skills gained in fixing things.

Thanks for reading

If you're 7'0" 557 lbs(at that time) like this guy, then it should be easy. I doubt any Miscer could even flip power wheels though.

[SpeculatorSam]

If you're 7'0" 557 lbs(at that time) like this guy, then it should be easy. I doubt any Miscer could even flip power wheels though.

lol

I found this video earlier. Probably an ideal scenario and this guy defo been in the car game long enough. Either way this was what I had in mind. I would love to spend a weekend like this.

[chefwhat]

Similar to what other people mentioned, you have to focus on specific vehicles. I recommend checking out listings to see what things sell for in your area. Secondly, many new flippers often do not consider the different channels in obtaining cheap cars. For instance, take a look at government surplus auctions. Furthermore, they overlook the "marketing" aspect of it. I have seen car recently that could easily could have made additional $1K more if they just cleaned it out put an proper ad up. Lastly, be prepared to encounter the scums of world., especially if you are selling cars under $5k.

[SpeculatorSam]

Similar to what other people mentioned, you have to focus on specific vehicles. I recommend checking out listings to see what things sell for in your area. Secondly, many new flippers often do not consider the different channels in obtaining cheap cars. For instance, take a look at government surplus auctions. Furthermore, they overlook the "marketing" aspect of it. I have seen car recently that could easily could have made additional $1K more if they just cleaned it out put an proper ad up. Lastly, be prepared to encounter the scums of world., especially if you are selling cars under $5k.

Thank you for advice. I did notice that there's a commerce area on a single road in my closest major city that contains several mechanic shops. Each one of them is a "Ford and Chevy" shop, an "Asian Automotive", a "Euro Auto", the list goes on.

Another thong is that I do enjoy doing a weekly scrub, vaccum, and interior wipe of my parents cars. I'm a little more than hesitant to wax them, I worked at a carwash as a teen and have screwed up probably about seven out of seven waxes I did.

[Jax05]

Well, op, to start off buy the cheapest car you can afford to write off as a loss if it doesn't work out and go from there.

Problem with buying cheap cars in the $500-2000 range nowadays is that there's usually a good reason why they're so cheap. They need so much work, by the time you're done fixing it up you may just break even. With that said, if you can swap engine/transmission those could bring most profit.

[SpeculatorSam]

Not a flip car, but I did recently buy a 2000 GMC Sierra from a friend. From what I can discern, the engine runs well for the two hour drive I did. He did say it needed a tune-up. Could I buy a Chilton Repair Manual and do the tune-up myself over the weekend, or is that something I'd really ought to let a proper mechanic do first? I'm confident and all, but I'd imagine that my very first car/truck shouldn't be the first thing I work on, and I should buy a pos and practice on that first.

What are your thoughts? Thanks for reading misc.

[10w30]

If you're going to keep it you can get the repair manual.

2000 GMC and Chevy trucks are popular.

Tons of text/picture information on forums along with videos on youtube showing engine maintenance, parts replacement, suspension, interior, or body work.

[1320it]

If you are using a Chilton Repair Manual, maybe you should stick to a mechanic...

In all seriousness, I'd buy the factory manuals on ebay. It will be a lot more comprehensive and not much money

[SpeculatorSam]

If you're going to keep it you can get the repair manual.

2000 GMC and Chevy trucks are popular.

Tons of text/picture information on forums along with videos on youtube showing engine maintenance, parts replacement, suspension, interior, or body work.

If you are using a Chilton Repair Manual, maybe you should stick to a mechanic...

In all seriousness, I'd buy the factory manuals on ebay. It will be a lot more comprehensive and not much money

What's that, a repair manual from GM themselves? I've already got the owner's manual. I'll google it regardless.

[SpeculatorSam]

Update. I did the tune up myself; fluids, hoses checked, spark plugs, air filter, charged the battery and cleaned their terminals. Everything seemed like it was replaced recently. Someone did some b.s and soldered wires together and covered them with duct tape. I re-did the splices with beanies and used electrical tape. Sprayed engine with engine degreaser

I don't think I'll be doing the oil change myself, and my Uncle will help me on how to fix a stuck Horn. There's a deadfog light, will look at the later on. Kick-ass BOSS radio that I have to reset, probably coz I undid the battery while splicing and doing the tune up. I'll probably post pictures of beauty sometime.

I bought some parts; a lid for the fuse box, and a truck tool box.

[DoragonKingu]

How much will you list it for sale? Where are you going to sell it on? How much money are you into this truck so far?

[SpeculatorSam]

How much will you list it for sale? Where are you going to sell it on? How much money are you into this truck so far?

Not selling it. This is my truck and I love it with all my heart. I bought it for $3,000 cash. So far I've spent about $208 in small parts, including various light bulbs, a license plate light cover, fuse box/electrical wiring cover, coolant temp sensor, a bottle of MAF Sensor cleaner, an air filter, had the fuel injector cleaner because I wasn't willing to do that myself at the time.

Add another like $100 for hand tools and carwash supplies, like deep metric sockets, socket adapters for drill gun, socket adapters for a racthet, carwash soap, a spray nozzle, and various brushes. Harbor Freight is a hell of a drug I tell ya. I plan on buying a new headlight Assembly to replace the friggin bs the previous owner put in and he sawzall'd the grille to make fit. Will buy a new grille, coz I want this baby to look brand new like she came out the factory. The headliner is fraying so that's another $200, the instrument panel is cracked coz of Florida sun and lack of vinyl treatment. The previous owner was a painter so naturally there's paint stains all along the instrument panel. If I care about all that that's all gonna total up to like 800-1000 dollaps.