How come repair shops have cars for sale? (truck, buy, sell)
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As safe as anyone. Just depends on the car and the person who fixed it. Some people do it because they already have the skills. Easy side income by buying a car for cheap, fix it, and flip it. Think of all the house flippers all over the world, buying beat up houses, fixing them, and flipping them for a profit.
My local shop/mechanic has a used car dealers license.
Sometimes he sells used cars on consignment.
Sometimes a customer spouse has died and remaining spouse sells extra car to mechanic/shop.
Sometimes shop/mechanic goes to dealer only auctions.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We once had a truck that died, the transmission needed a rebuild. We took it to our local transmission shop and asked for an estimate. With the quote of $2,600 being more than the truck was worth we declined and were going to donate it. The owner of the shop had been looking for a truck for his kid, so he offered to take it off our hands and not charge us for the diagnostics ($150). We agreed, and I suppose he rebuilt it and gave it to the kid or he might have sold it. I suppose there are times when a customer can't pay for the work and the mechanic gets the title.
Exactly, if you are in the repair business, eventually someone brings in one that they don't want to pay what it will cost to do the job, and/or, sometimes people just disappear. Sometimes people want to sell the car to the mechanic when they can't or won't spend what is needed to repair. After all, the car is already there. Maybe it was towed there, they don't want to pay for more towing.
This is not unique to the car repair business. For example many dry cleaners will have good used clothing, freshly cleaned no less, for the price of just the cleaning.
Sometimes the used car business grows bigger than the repair business.
How well do you know the owner of that repair shop? If not at all, then beware.
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