Well i used to always think it was gay when people asked you guys what they should do about buying a car, but now i need to so i guess its not so bad. So heres the story, i sold my 400+ horse Nova this winter to get a more practical car and i have been looking at ls1's on the internet and magazines, but have never seen any around here really (Southern Indiana). My mom came home the other night and told me she saw a Z28 for sell a few miles from my house, so i go look at it. Its a 96 Z28, T-tops, A4, white, perfect inside and out, literally the cleanest f-body i have ever seen, 100,800 miles, $6,000. To high i think, so i wait a couple days and go back, drive it, tell him its not really what im looking for cause i want an Ls1 m6, so the most ill go is $4,000. Im sure he is gonna take it cause it has sat there for 3 weeks and he needs it to be gone. Now i think if i buy it i'm going to drive it for a little while i try to sell it and save some more money for an ls1. What do you guys think? I know i can make money off of it cause this guy oviously doesnt know how to sell cars, he didnt put it in any magazines or the internet, just parked it by his house, and f-bodys dont sell good around here(everybody wants a 4x4). So im thinking i can put it on ebay or the traders and get at least $5000 or more cause of the condition, it is literally the most perfect Camaro i have ever seen, even though i dont like the color. My friend is a wholeseller of cars and has a lot, he told me he could easily sell it for $6000 at the Indianapolis auction he goes to every week. So does it sound like a good investment or am i just dreaming?

 

Reread the post. You've already answered your own questions. If you can buy any car and turn it around for a profit, WHY would you NOT buy it.

 

i say buy it and drive it you might fall in love.

or here is what i did with my supercharged Tbird.. i took my younger friends (was still in highschool) out in it and showed them what it woudl do and turns out one kid made his dad buy it for him as a graduation present. i paid $2800 for it and sold it for $5000. the kid was happy, dad was happy he didnt have to buy a new car, and i was happy cuase i got to buy a cooler car.

 

I also just recently purchased a '96 SS with M6, T-Tops, red with graphite leather and 78k miles. Paid $6,600 on Ebay just to give you an ballpark idea on what something similair is worth.

My two cents on buying a car and then trying to sell it again for a profit. This can sometimes be a good idea but in that situation I think there are two things that are against you.

#1 - Profit Margin. If you can buy the car for $4,000 and sell it for $5,000 this gives you a $1,000 margin. One thing you have to keep in mind though is that you will have to pay sales tax on the car (Which at 5% would be $200). Unless you trade in the vehicle at a dealership, (in which case you would definately be losing money) you can't get that money back. Then you have to figure what your time and money involved in selling it again. You would probably have at least $150 to $200 to do this. Your profit is already down to around $700.

#2 - Timing - This car will always be worth more during the spring and summer months when the potential buyer can visualize handing you the cash and pulling off the T-tops and cruising home. You're now closing in on the end of June and primetime for selling this car is diminishing. If you aren't able to get rid of it within a month or two you would probably have to hang on to it until early spring to get the $5,000 back out of it.

#3 - Luck (If your like me anyway!) - You buy the car for $4,000 thinking you will make a quick grand. Two weeks later the tranny goes out and you have to drop $1,000 for repairs. Now your just hoping to break even. Right about then you find that perfect LS1 you have been looking for, priced cheap even. Now you need cash fast. You drop your price to $4,500 but still no takers. You end up having to hold onto the car all winter. Spring comes and you just want to get rid of the thing. You drop your price to $4,000 and find a buyer. In the end you end up $1,500 to the red and missed out on buying the car you really wanted!

 

make the 4k offer first and see if he will accept it....