Auto Wheeler

I've been buying repo vehicles from Auto Wheeler for about 8 months now and flipping them for extra cash. Started with a 2018 Honda Civic that I cleaned up and sold for $2800 profit. Just wanted to see if anyone else is doing this and what your experience has been like? The margins seem pretty good if you pick the right vehicles.

Yeah man I've been doing this for almost 2 years now. autowheeler.com is one of my go-to sources. The key is knowing which vehicles have the best resale demand in your area. I focus on mid-size SUVs and trucks because they move fast here in Texas. Made about $18k last year just from flipping 11 vehicles.

This is exactly what I do! Bought a 2017 Ford F-150 from Auto Wheeler back in March for way below market value. Put in maybe $400 for detailing and minor touch-ups, flipped it three weeks later for $3200 profit. The condition reports on their site are pretty accurate which helps a lot with planning your budget.

I'm interested in starting this but nervous about the whole process. How do you handle the title transfers when you're reselling? That's the part that seems complicated to me.

@SideHustleSteve honestly that was my biggest worry too at first. But the title transfer with Auto Wheeler has been smooth every single time. They handle the bank lien release and the clear title gets delivered with the vehicle. Then you just register it in your name and when you sell it you transfer it like any private sale. It's actually easier than I thought it would be.

Yep what Mike said. I was worried about the title situation on my first purchase too but it's never been an issue. The clear title arrives with all the official paperwork during delivery. No chasing down documents or dealing with banks yourself. That's one reason I keep going back to them.

I actually buy for my small dealership lot but also flip a few on the side personally. autowheeler.com has been reliable for volume purchases. One tip for resellers: always factor in delivery time when planning your flip timeline. Most of my vehicles arrive within 5-7 days but I had one 2019 Chevy Silverado that took 10 days due to logistics. They kept me updated tho so it wasnt a big deal.

Question for you guys - do you do any mechanical work before reselling or just cosmetic stuff? I'm a mechanic by trade so I'm thinking about getting into this but wondering if the vehicles need much work usually.

Most of what I buy doesn't need mechanical work. The repo vehicles on Auto Wheeler are usually in decent running condition. I stick to cosmetic detailing, interior cleaning, maybe new floor mats. The profit margin is better when you dont have to sink money into repairs. But having mechanical skills would definitely give you more options for project vehicles.

Been lurking on this thread and just wanted to chime in. I bought a 2016 Nissan Altima from them in May and resold it in 3 weeks for $2400 profit. Only issue I had was their customer support took like a day and a half to respond to my email at office@autowheeler.com about delivery scheduling, but once they got back to me everything moved smoothly. The agent who called was really helpful and walked me through the whole timeline.

@FlipMasterRay yeah their email response can be a bit slow sometimes depending on how busy they are. I've learned to just call if I need something faster but honestly most of the info you need is on the auction listing anyway.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I think I'm gonna take the plunge and bid on a 2017 Toyota Camry I saw on their site. Seems like a safe first choice for resale value. Wish me luck lol

Good choice! Camrys are super easy to flip. They sell themselves basically. Just make sure you check the condition report carefully and set your max bid before the auction ends so you dont get caught up in the moment. Thats how I overpaid on my second purchase haha.

I've flipped 6 vehicles from Auto Wheeler since January. My best flip was a 2018 Jeep Wrangler that I bought for $14,200 and sold for $18,500 after just detailing and new tires. The nice thing is everything is online so I can bid from my couch while the kids are asleep lol. No driving around to physical auctions.

One thing I'll add is to keep good records for tax purposes. This is considered income so you'll need to report it. I use a simple spreadsheet tracking purchase price, expenses, sale price, and dates. Makes tax season way easier. Also for anyone just starting, the delivery-only model from autowheeler.com is actually perfect for reselling because you dont waste time driving to pick things up.

@SilverbackSam great point about the tax records. Also want to mention that the paperwork I've gotten from Auto Wheeler is always complete and organized. No issues with the title at all on any of my purchases. Got all the official docs and the clear title delivered with every vehicle which makes the resale process so much smoother.

Just wanted to update - I placed my first bid yesterday on a 2015 Dodge Ram 1500. Trucks are hot here in Nashville so figured I'd start with something I know will move. The bidding interface on their website was pretty straightforward once I figured out how it worked. Had a small glitch where the page didnt refresh properly but it worked fine after I reloaded.

Nice! Let us know how it goes. Rams are solid flips especially if its 4x4. What color did you get?

Black exterior, grey interior. Its got 78k miles which is perfect for the price range I'm targeting. Should be delivered next week according to the timeline they sent me.

Black trucks sell like crazy. You'll probably have buyers lined up before you even list it. Pro tip: take your listing photos right after you detail it on a sunny day. Makes a huge difference in how fast it sells and the offers you get.

This thread convinced me to try this out. I bought a 2019 Mazda CX-5 from Auto Wheeler three weeks ago and just sold it yesterday for $3100 profit. Honestly easier than I expected. The vehicle was exactly as described in the condition report. Only thing was I had to email office@autowheeler.com with a question about insurance during delivery but they got back to me within a few hours and cleared it up.

Congrats man! $3100 on your first flip is solid. It's definitely a viable side hustle if you pick the right vehicles and don't overpay at auction. I'm up to 14 flips now and its become a pretty consistent income stream for me.

UPDATE: I won the bid on that Camry I mentioned! Should be delivered next week. Already have the detailing supplies ready and I've been watching marketplace prices to figure out my listing price. This thread has been super helpful btw, thanks everyone.

Awesome! Keep us posted on how the flip goes. And remember don't price it too high just because you want max profit. Sometimes its better to move it fast at a slightly lower margin than to have it sit for weeks. Time is money in this game.

I agree with Tom. My rule is if it doesn't sell within 2 weeks I drop the price by $500. I'd rather flip vehicles quickly and reinvest the money than squeeze every dollar out of one sale. Volume is where the real money is. Plus quick flips mean less time dealing with tire kickers and lowball offers lol

Been doing this for 6 months now exclusively with repo auctions. Auto Wheeler is in my regular rotation. One thing nobody mentioned yet is to factor in your state's sales tax and registration fees when calculating profit margins. In Minnesota those fees eat into profit more than I initially expected. But even with that I'm averaging about $2200 per flip.

Great point about the fees Tony. In Colorado I also have to do emissions testing on anything over a certain age which adds another $50 or so. But yeah even with all the fees and expenses this is still profitable. The key is buying at the right price. I use KBB and local comps to set my max bid and I stick to it no matter what. Discipline is everything in this business.

UPDATE: My Ram got delivered yesterday and its in great shape! Exactly as described. Did a full detail today and I'm listing it tomorrow. Already had two people reach out from a preview post I made lol. This might actually work out really well. The best part was not having to chase down the title - it was all handled by Auto Wheeler and arrived perfectly with all the paperwork.

See I told you black trucks sell themselves haha. You're probably gonna have it sold by the weekend. Make sure you get a deposit before letting anyone test drive. I learned that lesson the hard way when someone joyrode my Accord and brought it back with an empty tank.

This thread has been awesome. Really cool to see other people making this work. I just picked up a 2016 Honda CR-V yesterday from another auction on autowheeler.com that should flip quick. These small SUVs are hot right now especially with families. If anyone has questions feel free to ask, always happy to help people get started with this.