Auto Flip Insider #2

Warning - Some elbow grease may be required.

This Week’s Flips

• 1995 Mitsubishi Delica Starwagon - Bozeman, MT - $8,750.

• The extensive description features a list of recent maintenance & upgrades, the ownership history, and enough photos to pique anyone’s interest.

• The L300-series Mitsubishi Delica is well known for it’s relative reliability, stellar off-road performance, and extreme maneuverability.

• Only two of these L300 StarWagons have sold on BringATrailer.com - selling for $13,750 (78k miles) and $17,400 (140k miles).

• Craigslist ads with this comprehensive of descriptions are hard to come by. There are plenty of questions left for an interested buyer to ask, but you can probably hold off on asking until after the test drive…

• 1979 Honda Z50R - Coeur d’Alene - $2,250

• This Craigslist ad ticks almost all of the boxes - Enough photos to ensure you’re not wasting your time, a seller that knows the difference between a 3-speed and a 5-speed, and a mention of original paperwork.

• This article on Motorcyclist gives a great outline on the history of the Z50, and features enough old-school photos to get a Honda fanboy picturing what he/she would look like sitting on the saddle of one of these incredible little bikes.

• Dozens of these classic minibikes have sold on BringATrailer since the start of 2023, fetching anywhere from $3,00 up to $25,500.

• Make sure you bring a tool kit, a helmet, and a ramp before leaving home, and you might just strike gold. It wouldn’t be the first time that this happened to someone in Northwestern Idaho…

• 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D Diesel - Winfield, Kansas - $3,000

• When it comes to turbo diesel Mercedes vehicles from the 1980s - if the ad says “runs and drives”, that’s usually a good sign. The fair asking price leaves enough room for notable maintenance & upgrades without braking the budget.

• In 2024, the W124 chassis was the quintessential vehicle for an environmentally-conscious DIYer who lives near the Autobahn and wishes he grew up in the 80s. Can you name another RWD sedan with a roomy leather interior, a 3-decade long reputation for reliability, a range of 580 miles on a single tank of diesel, and enough torque to rip smoky donuts in your favorite country club’s busiest parking lot.

• Seven of these 1987 W124 Mercedes models have sold on BringATrailer.com, driving off the auction block between $8,500 and $15,600.

• A 15-word description leaves a lot to be desired, but it also does wonders in dissuading other potential flippers from reaching out. After you’re done asking questions about the car, make sure you remember to ask the seller if he’ll pick you up from the airport…

• 1964 Honda CA77 Dream - Winnemucca, Nevada - $2,900

• A no nonsense description, a single crisp image, and an asking price that’ll just barely put a dent in your first born’s college fund.

• Since its inception, the Honda CA77 has been affectionately referred to as the “Honda Dream”. This stunning example of 1960’s Japanese engineering featured a top speed of 100mph, sipped fuel at a rate of 100mpg during normal use, and carried an original MSRP of roughly $600.

• This stroke 250cc engine makes just enough power to go wherever you need to go, so long as you’re not in a rush. The combination of the simple description and the harlequin-style Chevy in the photo’s background make me think that this has the potential to be a great buy.

• Fifteen Honda CA77 models have sold on BringATrailer.com since the end of 2020, commanding selling prices as low as $4,111 and as high as $24,652.

• Seller lists a clean title and a modest 3,600 miles. The only question here is whether you still have space in your garage after buying that Z50 from earlier…

It wouldn’t be a Flip Forecast without at least a couple that you should probably consider holding on to.

Here’s a few potential keepers:

• Any 1970s Ford F100 with a single cab, long bed, and bench seat is worth investing in. The only way that this investment will pay off, however, is if you measure success purely in the amount of fun you have driving to work each morning…

• The Volvo 940's value has remained stagnant after hitting rock bottom 10 years ago. Powered by the reliable and easy to maintain B230FT engine, these marvels of Swedish engineering are often found in great working condition for very little money. This turbocharged RWD 90s shitbox will likely take you to the end of the Earth before needing anything more than an oil change every 3,000 miles…

Don’t let 274k miles scare you away from an OM606-powered Mercedes. The asking price on this one doesn’t leave enough meat on the bone for any sort of successful flip, but I’m sure your wife will be okay with you parking another reliable Mercedes next to the house for the next 25 years (as long as you let her drive it, too)…

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