Buy Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and other known reliable cars so you don’t have a bunch of pissed off customers coming back to you in a month. There are a few unappreciated gems out there, like the 1998 to 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis.

They’re owned almost exclusively by seniors, and they have the indestructible ford 4.6.

Low mileage examples are easy to find and they’ve usually been meticulously maintained.

Keep an independent mechanic on retainer and check out every single car you buy first.

Every single car, every single time. Even a Camry can be a POS if the owner never changed the oil. Never… and I do mean never, do business without a clean title in hand, or you can work directly with the lender if it’s not paid off.

Stay away from Chrysler, Nissan, Mercedes, Land Rover, Kia, Hyundai, and BMW unless they’re in perfect condition. In the flipping market, they never are. Better to steer clear entirely. Don’t even think about Tesla.

If you’re buying something that needs minor work, that’s where you can make real money, but that’s also where your mechanic is essential.

One small problem can lead down a rabbit hole of issues, and they’ll be able to tell you if it’s worth it or if it’ll end up being a money pit. I.e. if a car just needs something small like an alternator, you can probably buy it for $2000 under book value and that’s a $200 fix so you’ll make good money…if there isn’t anything else wrong.