Yeah, I just want something I can enjoy and maybe make a few bucks. Plus I can stay at home and spend time with my family at the same time - no other job I can do offers that.

I just became debt free so I'd definitely never take out a loan for something like this! Now to just find the first project...

In NY if you get a dealers licence you don't have to pay sales tax on your purchase. Sales tax & paying someone else to do any repairs will really eat into any profits. I think if you get some cheap & fixem up nice you'll make some money. You know they have great resale value. GL

I've bought & sold plenty of toyota trucks over the years. They sell fast! i've sold a couple running & driving 4runners with rusted frames to a guy for export. Buyer said he don't care about condition as long as they drive and have clear titles. Just this pass Wednesday i bought a 1 owner 96 4runner with a seized 3.4 for $200. I'm gonna install a used engine, i told my wife i'm gonna flip it but i ain't making no promises.

Maybe as a broker but that is about it. Or if you like the business try and own a dealership.

If you want to make side cash increase your automotive DIY knowledge, invest in some good tools and start doing repairs. I paid my way through graduate school doing such. It is hard to find good AC repair for a fair price in the Southeastern US. My friend's father paid for his house by repairing GM 3800 engine leaking coolant elbows every weekend for seven years.

I tried flipping back in the day until the state busted my bubble and I go a letter from them advising me that u could only sell x amount of vehicles a year blah blah... Rig with blown head gasket on the 2nd gen were typically good turn around but I gave it up because free time is valuable...

I've toyed with the idea too. I honestly think just buying ones in good shape with awful ads and bad pictures you could make a decent profit. Buy one, take it home, detail it, change the oil, brake pads, spark plugs, air filter, whatever cheap easy stuff it may need and then post it all shined up with good pictures and a list of everything just done. A clean interior makes a huge difference too. It amazes me the pictures people will post of vehicles for sale on craigslist...

There may also be a larger margin for profit in newer Toyota's like a 4th or 5th gen or 2nd gen Tacoma. Just a thought.

This ad isn't as bad as what I'm picturing, but c'mon. I know you can back up and take a picture that involves the entire truck. Make it at least look like you're trying.
2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER

Or this ad:
Toyota 4 Runner


This is also another option. I'm not sure if you have much grass in your area of California, but lawn care is a super easy way to make a little side cash as well at a great hourly rate. Down south here you can pull anywhere between $25-40 an hour using just regular equipment, no need for a trailer, zero turn, anything like that.

Yeah I wouldn't register the cars if you're just gonna turn around and sell it. You're just adding another owner to the number of owners then and usually higher owners means less value in a consumers eyes.

Great thread BTW.

I am self trained in auto body, did rust repair fabrication & welding, refinishing & painting most every weekend for 15 years / while holding down an Eng. Technology full time job.
- started in high school, summer of grade 12
Went to college in mid 70's - weeks pay was +$100 at factory.
- bought a rusted out Datson B210 for $50, from GF's sisters husband
- made 34 panels out of 19 gauge & brazed them on / before mig welders were invented
- had it painted and safety checked after 6 months, of weekend work
- drove car for 3 full years, and sold it for $500 cash / therefore, free driving
^^ Lots of work / but a great learning experience / I got involved in buying GM "A" body muscle cars, and had the "rush" in building a collection.
- my last full time job position, was a senior buyer in a Tier 1 automotive supply plant / again, self taught...in an unrelated field, to my course of study

Did the same to a 1973 Dodge Dart / paid $200 and flipped for $1,800 after another half year, part time sheet metal & frame work.
Finally I got smart - bought a 1978 Olds Cutless for $1,200 / only 5 major rust spots.
- in 6 days, I had it painted and $1,000 for tires, gas tank & safety check
- sold it for $2,800 and realized a quick $600 profit / only worked 3 weekends
But $600 back than, was like a quick $2,000 today.

And I evolved again - I got to be what many would consider to be a professional buyer / +95% close ratio, when I wanted something.
- once I bought a 1978 GMC for $4,000 with new panels & paint job
- drove it free for 4.5 years / and sold it for $6,300

^^ I started to not flip the best vehicles / but wife and I would soon drive higher end cars & 4x4 truck/SUV ourselves.
Paying 20 to 25 cents on the dollar, compared to new models - our current stable of daily drivers, would retail new for $150,000.
^^ But only have 30'G invested (20% $$, compared to new) / flipping taught me to keep the cream puffs, for our personal use.
Nice vehicles on a Ford Topaz budget - that what makes the most money first...take care of your own DD's.
- drive them for 4-5 years / and sell above book value

Just sold our sons 2008 Nissan Rogue SL today, FWD with 172,000 Km.
- took 7 weeks and cleared $3,500 over what 2 dealers offered, against purchase of a new 2015 Lexus
- all I did was expertly detail SUV, one week / garage did the necessary fixes
Canadian Kijiji (equiv. to CraigsList in States) was nothing but a big waste of time (like usual) / just the low ballers, to ignore.
- but a decade ago, I invested in a retirement property (brick bungalow on +1.1 acres) / 2 miles outside city limits, on a very busy main road
- I sell good cars, but never cheap / buy low-sell high formula / takes PATIENCE
- seems to take me about 1.5 months to sell off our front lawn / but zero advertising costs
My buddy is a good used car dealer / I even amaze him, at my upped final sale prices.

^^ Quality sells.
^^ Buy below book value.
^^ Need a front lawn, to make a sale & worthwhile profit....like they say: Location / Location / Location !!

Need to have a gifted skill in buying & an even bigger talent in selling !!
- I lived on a dead end street once, does nothing for making an easy sale
- I know within 20 seconds, of walking up to a vehicle, if I'm making an offer / in Canada, rust free Import brands sells, just not the Big3 brands


Also takes knowledge and a keen eye - just like a good antique dealer / the task takes passion, for the auto hunt...a natural high.
Finding autos for sale, is the easy part / buying smart & selling smart with high traffic exposure, is the necessary flippers tool box KSF's.
- got the following ArtDeco designed ashtray, at work factory for free (I made it happen)
- saving for the basement games room, with 9 ft. Brunswick Gold Crown IV

Your wife must be a different breed than mine. Hours in the garage =/= time with the family in my household. Unless I'm fixing my wife's or daughter's car :o

I flipped cars and parted out cars to sell on ebay from age 16-22 as a side job. It even kept me afloat at the end to pay my bills for a year or so. I mainly would rebuild DSM's because they where easy sells and parts where wanted.

My buddy at work does this. He mainly only flips cars he likes and are fun. He finds good deals, drives and cleans/fixes them up. Then flips them. Right now he just rebuilt an 80's Buick Regal T Type he got for just trading a crappy trailer for. Guy didnt know what he had. Trailer worth $1k at most. Rebuilt motor, turbo and dynoed 260whp. Fun little car and will flip it soon.

He is in an everyday middle class job and just put down $20k on a 2016 Z06 Corvette Supercharged 650/650hptq. $89k out the door, and about to ship it to California for the Callaway upgrade ($10k). I have been in some pretty fast 400-650whp DSM's and this car by far is the most amazing thing Ive been in. I told him after a test spin this car has ruined every other car I have ever wanted to own. And all I want is this Corvette!!!! Simply amazing piece of equipment. So he is doing pretty good I would say.

I just did this last year here in Hawaii;where the demand is extremely high for any Toyota vehicle. I focused on 3rd gen 4runners. I managed to make a little over 2k in 5 months period. Made a couple hundred on one, lost a couple hundred on one and made around 2k on one. It's really hit or miss and a headache. If you come across the right vehicle for cheap, I mean cheap, and little work has to be put into it absolutely do it. Just make sure theirs a market for it.

I mess around with a few 4runners from time to time and have come out pretty well on most of them. They don't pop up as often as I would like but I keep an eye out for a deal on one that needs some work that I can get pretty cheap. Toyotas in general tend to bring top dollar around where I live (near Memphis, Tn). I bought a 96 4Runner, 2.7, 2wd about a month or so ago that was wrecked in the front. I have about $800 in parts so far plus the $300 I gave for it. I think it should bring somewhere between $2500 and $3000 when I'm done with it so not bad. I bought a 99 Limited 4Runner 4x4 w/E-Locker today for $1500 that is having a transmission issue. I have a transmission for it if I need to swap it and it's a super nice runner. I think I may keep it for a while. You can do okay at it but it's not consistent money. I may flip 2 to 3 a year on average. I enjoy fooling with them and gives me time to play in the shop. Not getting rich by any means but oh well

I'd bartend again before flipping cars. Serve martinis to hot sluts all night, then walk home with $200 after 6 hours or bust your ass for 8 days flipping a car for $500.

Oh, and don't try to play the market, you'll lose every time. Read "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham. History has taught us that those who try to time the market never come out ahead, and that it's better to just pick an index fund w/ low annual fees (.05%) to represent 60% of your profile. Then fill the rest out with a foreign index fund and a bond fund and you're golden.


He should've paid cash for that Vette. He's going to pay through the ass for financing on $70k over 6 years.

^This. I speak from experience when I say that that project in the garage can start to feel like a ball n' chain, and you'll miss out on lots of in-house family time simply because flipping is so time intensive.

I don't know how it is now but I worked at a Pizza Hut in the 90's as a delivery guy and made some pretty good tip money. I had a coworker who did this part-time,married w/2 kids,can't remember what exactly he did full time but he was some kind of "suit", we'd take home hundreds in cash tips on most weekends. We also saved money on meals, there was always extra dough to make our own pies and bartered with other local eateries.

I work as a auto tech so broken vehicles kinda find me. A couple years ago I bought this 04 tacoma TRD 4x4 with a blown motor for $500. The owner didn't want to pay for a engine replacement so he purchased a new truck instead. He was gonna sell it to a local pick & pull junkyard but i couldn't let that happen! I installed a salvage yard motor and all is good. I told my wife i bought it to flip but i kept it, lol. I bought this running & driving 190k mile silver 01 4runner also from a customer at my work for $1000 because it had a rusted frame, 4 or 5 rust holes. I took numerous pics of the truck & frame and listed it on eBay with a honest describition and a $2200 buy-it-now price, it sold in just 7 minutes. And i didn't do nothing to it. I just bought this green 1 owner 179k mile 96 4runner with a seized 3.4 for $200. (Window sticker for this 96 4runner SR5 was $31,800 and thats 20 years ago!) Price of metal is way down right now and he just wanted the scrap value. I just found a 99 3.4 engine from a reputable salvage yard with 116k miles for $700 so another engine swap is in my near future. I have use of a well equipped auto shop after hours so that makes wrenching a lot easier. I've sold plenty of vehicles over the years and imo Toyota's sell the easiest.

Attached Images

         

Why do the pics show up so large on this forum?