6 Ways To Ensure Your Car Is Worth Something When It's Time To Sell

I never intended to own so many old used cars. One Michigan winter I decided to park my nicely modded 1989 Ford Taurus SHO to keep it out of the salt. I happened upon a fixer-upper Dodge for $400, put $600 into it, cleaned it up nice and then sold it for $1800 in the spring. After that, finding a seasonal winter beater with potential for profit became standard operating procedure at the Smith residence.

But I digress. I love Wheeler Dealers even if the free labour poor Edd puts into the rebuilds isn’t quite true to life for most of us. I’m a modest shade tree mechanic; I’ve pulled engines but never put them back, so I tend to keep my fixer-uppers fairly mild on the fixer part. Give me a high-speed polisher and a paint gun, however, and I can make just about anything look good.

I don’t flip cars for a living, but to sustain a cheap used car addiction it’s a good practice to at least get your money back from the investment, if not make a little on the side. If you’re an average car guy like me, here are some tips for making a good, inexpensive used car flip.

1. Low mileage sells itself

Whenever possible, I’ll try to score a car with low mileage. Even if it’s a bit of a wreck, this is something buyers always like in a car. That’s doubly so for a cheap used car, because most buyers at this price point want something that won’t bleed them dry in repair costs.

That said, low mileage certainly isn’t a guarantee of trouble-free motoring, but when it comes to making the flip, buyers can look right past major issues and still shell out decent coin for a car with fewer turns on the odometer.

2. Cosmetic rust is okay - structural rust is a dealbreaker

When looking at older cars, I’m not instantly turned away by rust. That’s partly because I’m decent with body filler and a paint gun, and if the rest of the car is decent, you can often buy a rusty car pretty reasonably. However, you need to inspect such cars very closely, because if there’s rust in structural areas, run away. Forget any crazy ideas you might have about fixing it, because if the rust is that bad, there’s likely all kinds of hidden damage you can’t see. It’s not worth the time and effort to go that deep for something you’ll only break even on at the very best.

3. Skip anything with fuel leaks, interior coolant leaks, and transmission problems

These three items fall into my general “run away” category simply because such problems are often quite expensive or labour intensive to remedy. Despite seller claims to the contrary, I’ve never encountered a “minor” fuel leak that was a simple fix. If a line or fuel tank is rotted, there’s almost certainly more damage elsewhere. Coolant leaks inside the car usually require removing the entire dash to fix, and frankly I’d rather pull an engine. As for transmissions, occasionally the problem might be computer related, but for the average Joe figure spending at least a grand to remedy a transmission, and that could be more than you paid for the whole car.

4. Double down on resale red

If I can find a cheap red car with a spoiler and sunroof, I know it will sell easily. There’s a reason it’s called resale red - young buyers looking for their first car are drawn to such things, and hey, red cars with spoilers and sunroofs are sporty, whether they’re an actual sporty car or a 90bhp econobox.

5. Actually fix the easy fixes

If the car needs brake pads and rotors, spend a little bit of cash and fix it. For that fact, take care of all the simple fixes instead of just trying to pass them on. Buyers always balk at “it’s an easy fix” because, if it’s easy, why not just fix it? If you want top dollar for your flip, invest in taking care of the easy fixes - it always pays off on the other end.

6. Dress it up

Even if it’s a rusty pile of garbage, at least give it a good interior scrub and polish. If you’re good with filler, fix up some of the rust or at least smooth it down and paint it. Clean up underhood with some degreaser and rags - don’t just blast it with a power washer because you could damage electrical equipment. Spend a few quid for a used CD player, stick some floormats in it. In general, show that you care about the car, because that attracts buyers. I’m constantly amazed at the people trying to sell cars that look like they were left in a sandstorm for years. At the very least, clean cars are easier to sell and often they’ll bring more cash in the long run.