It helps to specialize on 1 brand or even model car to get familiar with procedures. But then the pool of cars gets older each year and are harder to find to fix. I did a few gm trans and figured out dropping subframe was a major pain. With no lift. Now I work on motors.
Sounds like (if not already) you need to be hanging around your mechanic friends helping them out with their projects as much as possible learning the tradeâŠ
You still didnât answer the question⊠It doesnât matter if you have 250K worth of tools, if you donât know how to use them, you could get hurt among other thingsâŠ
I am ALL for new/young people learning the trade, we need more out there, but you donât start running a marathon before you can even walkâŠ
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So you start by doing your research as what would the value of the vehicle be if itâs repaired and ready for sale. In this example, you didnât give the engine/trim/drivetrain or options the vehicle has, so I did some estimating. I went with the SE trim level with AWD, and a power driverâs seat. Per NADA such a vehicle with the mileage (80k miles) tends to sell for around $4900 -$5200 (Retail) USD around where I live. Or about $7k CAD. Selling it private party would be less, you could reasonably expect to sell it yourself for around $3700-$4000 USD or about $5200 CAD. Youâd be paying $2500 right off bat. So you would need to keep repairs around $2000 CAD all in to make this a little bit profitable. You didnât mention which crossmember needs replacement, but the retail cost could be anywhere From $150 to $700 USD for the part. But if you donât know how to replace it or lack the necessary equipment, youâll have to farm the job out. With labor the job will be anywhere from $1000 USD to around $1500 (in an area with an average cost of living. That would be around $1400 CAD-$2000 CAD. And thatâs just for the repair, chances are itâs going to need more than just the crossmember repair. You can see where this is going.
Basically, in order to make any profit at all doing this. You have to know how do almost everything yourself and have friends in the automotive repair business, who might be willing to give you discounts for the regular business you provide them. When youâre paying full labor rates and/or full retail for parts, itâs next to impossible to turn a profit flipping cars one at a time.
Itâs one thing to restore a car for your own use/enjoyment as a hobby. Lots of people do that. But as a side-hustle that youâre trying to make some extra cash with; itâs a money-losing proposition 90% of the time.
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THIS bears repeating. My advice is to buy a car that you would like to drive, fix it up, and keep track of all the money you spent to get it into good condition. And of course, keep track of your time, and âpayâ yourself at least as much per hour as your regular employer pays you. Then, see what you could get for it, but donât actually sell the car. Most likely the results will be eye-openingâŠas to how much money you âlostâ. However, at least you will still have the car to drive.
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If the educational system in your area is actually attempting to educate people in a broad sense, then there will be free (or low-cost) classes available at a public vocational-technical school, which is usually run on a county-wide level. You could begin with their basic auto maintenance and repair class, and then progress into more technical topics, such as engine rebuilding, front-end repair, and electrical/electronic diagnosis.
In my neck of the woods, those classes are taken during the day by HS age students, and the same courses are offered in the evening to working adults.
The first things you need, before any experience or specfic knowledge, is mechanical aptitude and an insatiable curiosity about how things work.
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I used to work with a guy at a parts store whoâd buy cars from the tow yard auction that were makes he had some experience with, get them working again and use as a commuter for awhile before selling it on. Mostly VWâs and Fordâs but there was a 80âs Buick Centry at one point. Heâd been working on his 1970âs Lincoln Town Car and a Myers Manx as his fun cars for awhile before I met him.
A cousin learned in the late 80âs on VW Beetleâs, Fastbacks, and Squarebacks. Had a dozen shared with a friend that they mixed the parts to make the best cars. He now owns the house that was built by his dadâs side of the family almost 100yrs ago with a much smaller plot of land. When he lived north of Seattle he bought a Mercedes Diesel wagon from the late 1970âs that for him was like a Chevy guy working on a similar year Malibu, He flew to Texas to buy some sort of Brazillian VW but decided it wasnât in any kind of shape to road trip home and bought a green TDI New Beetle driving it back to WA from Texas.
Concur about the need for curiosity, but I wouldnât say a would-be diyâer needs any particular mechanical aptitude as a pre-requisite to get started. Getting the ducks in a row before starting a task (by asking for guidance from someone who has done it before, and/or from a repair manual), then following those instructions carefully, taking as much time as necessary, not rushing the job, Iâd say l those are the personal attributes needed for a diyâer.
The main failure mode Iâve noticed for unsuccessful diyâer is they try to work too fast, and injure themselves, or further damage what they are trying to fix. This sort of work takes quite a bit of time even if you already know how, and it takes probably 2-3 times as long the first time you do it.