Is it worth me starting a sideline selling cars from home?

[Trevor555]

SnowStar said:

Definitely have a go, but if you really want to make some coin, watch the classifieds. A profit of a grand is easy to make on local, ready to sell cars people just need off their drives.

This would be my advice also.

You can get it bought, cleaned, and advertised, in one day.

Get your trade insurance sorted, apply for trade plates, and off you go.

I did it back in 1999

[The Mad Monk]

CaptainSensib1e said:

bloomen said:

You'd be much better off not bothering with cars. Parts would be vastly less painful. People have a need for them and they don't turn into needy freaks when buying them either.

I'd agree with this. Just buy write offs, strip them for parts and you should make a tidy profit.

That will go down really well with the neighbours.

[Jimmy No Hands]

I did the odd part exchange and entry level "classic" while working full time, in the trade. However I had access to cheap incoming vehicles, I had trade insurance anyway, access to a ramp and valeting equipment and a mechanic. It worked incredibly well, and I even got to enjoy the vehicles myself for a number of weeks / months which is the way I justified it to myself. So more of a personal pursuit, and I was happy to break even if I had enjoyed using the car.

If I were to step it up a level, I'd probably rent a small unit (maybe with a mate to half the cost?) and I'd stick to the ~£1,000 - £2,000 level as I believe if you buy correctly then consistent decent profit shouldn't be too hard to attain. A lot of private sellers cannot be arsed with decent pictures, a full valet, an informative advert etc. and capitalising on that isn't that difficult. Well prepared and presented cars will always sell, accentuate the plus points and try find a cars USP. I very rarely see adverts, sometimes even trade, that are attractive. Mechanical inspection done locally, stick a ticket on and factor in a little wiggle room.

Would I do it from home? Personally no.

[TurboDicky]

The Mad Monk said:

CaptainSensib1e said:

bloomen said:

You'd be much better off not bothering with cars. Parts would be vastly less painful. People have a need for them and they don't turn into needy freaks when buying them either.

I'd agree with this. Just buy write offs, strip them for parts and you should make a tidy profit.

That will go down really well with the neighbours.

And the mrs as you slowly fill up the garage with miscellaneous car parts

[derin100]

bloomen said:

I would pay substantial amounts of money to not have to deal with the utter mindlessness that is the buying public.

You'd be much better off not bothering with cars. Parts would be vastly less painful. People have a need for them and they don't turn into needy freaks when buying them either.

This is very, very true!

Not as a side-line to make money but more as a hobby to allow me to own cars which I couldn't at the time have justified owning (a young growing family etc.).

Firstly, even if I sold the cars at more than I'd bought them for by the time I'd done what I needed to do to get there was no real profit in them. Breaking-even was an aim which was sometimes realised but often a 'bottom-line' loss was the norm.

www.bmwclassics.co.uk

Secondly, you need as others have said, to take account of the stress, frustration and aggravation entailed with dealing with some potential buyers. Obviously, those are not all I've encountered and I have met some really nice people through having done it in the past but I have also come across many, many complete idiots!

After an enforced lay-off from renovating cars for health reasons and now retired, I have again recently taken on a car to renovate as a means of keeping me occupied. Once done, the intention is probably to sell it but I'd genuinely forgotten but have now been quickly reminded that ultimately there's going to be no financial profit in it for me.

The car is nearly 30 years old and I'm already steeling myself for the day when I come to sell it and the onslaught of the plethora of idiots that I'll have to deal with who expect a brand new car for peanuts. I never learn....

If you have the space, time on your hands and where-with-all then the parts selling suggestion seems significantly more attractive to me as a way of making some money. Many cars in parts now far outstrip the value of the car as a whole.

Good luck!