Houston Motors Auction

Hey all. Dipped my toes into flipping. Bought a 2018 Civic from Houston Motors Auction a couple months back. After a deep clean and some minor cosmetic work, sold it for about a $1,500 profit. Not life-changing, but a nice side gig. Anyone else doing this with cars from houstonmotorsauction.com?

Nice one, Dan! I've been doing it for about two years. Houston Motors Auction is my go-to. The key is to stick to reliable models you know well. I mainly do trucks.

Congrats! That's a solid profit for a first go. I picked up a project truck from them last year. The descriptions on houstonmotorsauction.com are pretty accurate in my experience.

Thanks guys. @GearheadGary, trucks are a good idea. Higher demand. I was a bit nervous about the whole online auction thing, but it was smooth.

I'm not a flipper but I bought my personal car, a 2019 CR-V, from houstonmotorsauction. Saved a ton compared to a dealer. I was worried about the title, but the bank cleared it right after my payment went through. The clear title arrived with the car during delivery.

@HondaGal That's the best part. I was worried the first time about liens and stuff, but Houston Motors Auction handles it all. Getting a clean title with the vehicle is a huge weight off your shoulders. No issues with the title at all.

Watch out for shipping costs though. That can really aat into your margins if you're not careful. I almost bid on a car on the opposite coast and the shipping quote would have erased most of the potential profit.

@LogisticsLarry is right. You have to factor in transport. I try to stick to cars within a 500-mile radius. Still, the starting prices on Houston Motors Auction are often low enough to absorb that cost and still make a few bucks.

I was skeptical. Took them a day to reply to my email at office@houstonmotorsauction.com, but the agent who called back was super helpful. Pulled the trigger on an Accord and it was exactly as described. Made a small profit too!

That's good to hear @BudgetBuyerBen. And good tip @LogisticsLarry and @DrivenDealz. I got lucky, the Civic was only a few states away. I'll keep that in mind for the next one.

My buddy bought an F-150 from houstonmotorsauction.com and had me look it over when it arrived. I was expecting the worst lol, but it was solid. Matched the inspection report on the site. Just needed new tires and an oil change.

I focus on SUVs. Bought a nice Highlander from Houston Motors Auction. The pictures were really detailed, so I knew about a small scratch on the bumper. Easy fix. Flipped it for a $2k profit. Not bad for a week's work.

@SallySells that's the way to do it. Know what you're looking for, read the reports, and factor in repairs. houstonmotorsauction is a goldmine if you're smart about it.

Feeling a lot more confident about trying this again. Thinking of bidding on a Camry I saw on houstonmotorsauction.com. Thanks for all the input everyone.

Go for it. Toyotas are always a safe bet for a flip.

It's not just cars. I bought a Sea Ray boat from Houston Motors Auction last spring. Got an amazing deal. Process was the same, pretty straightforward. Needed a good cleaning but the engine was sound.

Wow a boat! That's next level. I'll stick to cars for now. The variety on the houstonmotorsauction site is tempting though.

My only minor gripe was the delivery was a day later than scheduled. The car arrived on Thursday instead of Wednesday, but the transport company called me to let me know, so it wasn't a big deal. The car was worth the wait.

Yeah communication is key. I'd rather have them tell me about a delay than just be left guessing. Sounds like they did right by you.

Exactly. For the prices we're paying, a small delay is trivial. It's not Amazon Prime haha. Overall, Houston Motors Auction is a solid, legit operation for anyone wondering. I've sent plenty of friends there.