I Flipped a $600 Car.

I hope you all enjoyed this video. It took me over 35 hours to make so please drop a like and subscribe if you haven't already.
The act of flipping a car is simple. You buy an automobile at a low price and resell it at a higher price for profit. Well it’s not just that simple because the most difficult part is actually finding a good deal.
Using my prior experience, I ended up searching for a car on Copart.com which is not a sponsor of this video. Copart sells clean, rebuilt and salvage title cars that go through insurance claims. They do also sell donated vehicles that sometimes if you get lucky don’t have any problems.
The auctions are held 100% online so that means you can buy cars from different states
In order to bring this car to run mechanically sound, there are a few items that need to be done to this car. Let’s break it down. As previously mentioned, this model of the Ford Focus has a few common issues, the valve cover gasket will need to be replaced, along with the engine mount. This car will also need a fresh oil change along with a complete full detail inside and out.
The first item I decided to tackle was the valve cover gasket. In order to replace the valve cover gasket, the coils needed to be taken off.
The timing of this flip turned out very well. While I was repairing the car, I found out that my brother in law was looking for a cheap car to buy. So I decided that instead of posting the car up for sale for around 2.5k - 3k, I would just sell it to him for 2k and immediately secure the profit. And that is what I ended up doing. With the sale secured, let’s break down the cost, the true profit and the hourly rate.
I won the car for $675. After all the fees, I ended up paying $943. The total cost of the parts came out to $102.34. A detailed breakdown of the parts that I bought, you guys can find down in the description while you’re dropping a like on this video.
The car detail was $350 and the trip permit that I purchased for it was $34.
So all in, this car cost me $1,429.31 bringing my clean profit to $570.69. Based on that profit I walked away with a $71.34 hourly rate. If I would have waited for a buyer at even 2.5k, my profit could have been $1,070.69 and my hourly rate would have been $133.84. Not too shabby.
Here is the detailed breakdown:
Bought: $675
Fees: $268
Gasket: $13.98
Engine Mounts: $40.98
Spark Plugs: $10.39
Oil Change: $36.99
Car Detail: $350
Trip Permit: $34
Total Cost: $1,429.31
Profit: $570.69
Hours: 9 hours - 1 hour for filming
Hourly Rate: $570.69 / 8 hours = $71.34
My videos are not financial advice so please take it as a grain of salt. I hope you have a good laugh out of it as well. Enjoy the video and please share your feedback, like, and subscribe!
#finance #flippingcars

[@JRGarage]

Great video and flip!

[@mikhaxl]

Wow appreciate it! Feels awesome hearing that from the OG car garage! 🤝

[@zaceriah8576]

Great video man! I love your video style - informative and fun. Thanks!

[@anilvirginia]

Great video. Really enjoyed your process and how you explained everything you were doing. Definitely looking forward to more flips!

[@GeRoMe848]

Great video man. Well done work. Cool to see someone local doing this so well

[@chewbacag914]

Awesome video! Excellent work! You covered all the bases with plenty of detail. Can you do a video on the easiest Honda to flip?

[@raygomez2000]

The guy who did the detail probably earned a higher hourly rate.

[@mikhaxl]

Haha perhaps. Not sure how long it took him but probably more than 7 hours.

[@santosf1107]

Actually that detail was a good deal he removed the seats and the carpets plus buffing it that made a big difference 👍

[@joestewart8966]

I can assure you, he most definitely did not yield a higher hourly rate.

[@xur1317]

@@joestewart8966facts, 71 an hour is great

[@huerosapo]

He would have made more on the car had he not hooked a homie up plus that 350 for the detail was absolutely worth it.

[@mr.g.culinary]

So with due respect, the title and thumbnail are outright deceptive or wrong.. it wasn’t a $600 but rather closer to $1,000 and you didn’t sell it for $3,000 but rather $2,000.. You did a nice job on the car, but why stretch the truth??

[@mikhaxl]

Thank you! I just wanted to show the amount I won it for (without fees) and the potential sale that could have happened if I weren’t in a rush to sell. I would have actually gotten about 3.5k for it judging by it’s great condition. Thank you for the feedback.

[@mikestech1197]

also the thumbnail is almost the same as buddy's diy

[@kevinj7051]

Because he wanted more views obviously. KZbin is a business also. I understand dat.

[@lukes2219]

@@kevinj7051could just make better content instead of piggybacking. That’s how you actually get views.

[@LunaDaSavage]

Karens always finding something to complain about 😂

[@Brysonandmason320]

To anyone watching this something to take note just cause you see engine oil like seen in this video doesn't mean it popped a head gasket there can be a few variables to this, 1. the car sat at an auction site for a set amount of time and the engine went through cold mornings and hot evenings causing condensation to form in the valve cover which can cause the oil to look like this. 2 the oil cap seal if equipped can cause moisture build up causing the water in oil, dont panic with out doing further testing its simple to say its one thing just by looking at 1 piece of evidence but its better to rule all variables out. This was a great video but a bit misinformative.

[@Minho_Lee1999]

I was thinking the same thing. Probably a condensation since it's sitting a while at the auction lot.

[@ildarmingazov2304]

Good for you! Best regards from Kazakhstan! Tararabit.

[@aca2983]

I have a 2011, which is about the same mechanically. You covered 2 of the main weaknesses on the car: valve cover gasket, engine mounts (espec. the passenger side). Sway bar end links are the other one. I have read that OEM engine mounts are getting hard to find, and aftermarket ones always fail fairly quickly. I have seen used Focuses, usually between 06-11 with the Duratech engine with 200-300k easily. They are not perfect cars but easy and relatively inexpensive to fix and will last with good care.

[@landonk4566]

I have a 2010 focus. And I also have a lot of shaking in the dash. Which new motor mounts would you recommend?

[@rogerpratchet]

@@landonk4566 try to find that one that have "hydraulic" in it's description. Cheapest that have only a rubber insert are trash.

[@UrAuntie04]

Got a 2011 Focus SES here, had bought it in 2022 and had to have the engine mounts and valve cover gasket fixed as soon as I purchased it, and recently had problems with my power steering pump. Other than all that she runs like a beauty at 184K and no check engine yet

[@InPropheticTimes]

I've never seen anyone detail under the carpet... of a car. That's insane level of detail, kudos to that guy! Also, you're a nice bro for hooking him up for $2k... you could have got @ least $3.5K

[@Guynhistruck]

Yeah, it's very rare you would go to that length. I upcharge like a MFer for that service level just because of the things that could (and often do, even if you're careful and know what you're doing) go wrong when you're stripping it down to metal and wiring. If he charged any less than like $600-750, that was a serious favor, and that's assuming a bare clean without any kind of protective coatings or anything.

[@Obstone0]

@@Guynhistruck He charged about $350 for the detail, it's shown in the fees of the video. I agree though, that detailer should be charging a minimum of $500, especially since he's going above and beyond by cleaning the engine bay, cleaning the carpet outside of the car and also putting a protective sticker over the carpet for an even more premium feel.

[@Guynhistruck]

@@Obstone0 yeah, I'm an idiot for missing that. Absolutely ridiculous deal, though. I'm in a huge major city, so prices are naturally inflated compared to most everywhere else in the country, but even where I used to live in the middle of nowhere that'd still be around a $500 job like you said. I'm impressed by the level of work he was willing to put in for the price, but also feel a bit frustrated on his behalf: people pay you for your expertise, track record, and the quality of job you do, not your time or labor. Seems like he's got all of those in spades, so it seems like the work was very undervalued and he really deserves more. No slight to the creator here, because a deal's a deal. It's more that it's sad to see people who do such high-quality work charging so little, while many huge shops do mediocre jobs and charge insane prices for it, and everyone is just ok with that.

[@sneakerfreak2002]

That’s not detailing . More like reconditioning & light restoration. I wouldn’t even get out of bed unless I was paid 600 to 1000 dollars to deal with that mess

[@DxProDuctioNn]

Enjoyed watching this video! Really like the editing and all the information. Would love to see more car flip videos.

[@mikhaxl]

Thank you! Just posted one today. 😁

[@firashaddad8634]

Good job bro Just a tip before you start the car you need to check the oil the cooling and you can actually go see the car in the copart yard

[@Gdsamplify]

Bro think he's Buddy's DIY 😂😂😂

[@joelsantana3772]

Not even close

[@joelsantana3772]

You dickeating heavy

[@Richardv24]

Shhhhh! We need these KZbinrs!

[@nonameno7096]

Buddy diy hasn't posted anything in ages !!! He's the best in this game

[@macmondays1804]

So? At least he’s hustling. What about you? Stop hating and go get your own. You pussy ass nigga.

[@sergey_ilushin]

Привет, Миш! That was a great video and a great flip, well done!!!

[@TheChaldeanMan]

This was a well made video 🙌

[@rukhsanabibi3836]

This came out Amazing 🎉🎉🎉

[@hyoufs8318]

Great watch, and I'm in no place to critique as I've never flipped a car before but I feel like you spent a bit too much for the cars worth. For a 2-3k car I ain't looking for it to be prestine so a 350 detail seems a bit wasteful but still it was fun to watch 👍👍

[@willmart1969]

good video. I flip cars as a part time. Your video help a lot.

[@tonyfurneaux3399]

Hi Mik, thanks for sharing your vid, very good apart from music being loud and crap lol. Please remember the volume of the music should be louder than your vocal. 😁

[@jamesmarshall7907]

Great work 👍

[@Norday]

Great video! Keep doing

[@danieljoseph7407]

Love the work❤

[@mikhaxl]

Thank you!

[@derekgardin1512]

That little bit of milky oil you saw as likely from it being started a bunch of times and not brought up to temp while at the auction. The duratec is a pretty robust engine (I have ones with 400k on them still going strong) and isn't known for blowing head gaskets.

[@mehgusta]

i bought an 05 hatch for $400 daily drove it 70 miles per day to work & took multiple 600 mile round trips across florida lol ran dry of oil one night somehow. no oil light, nothing. just gave er some sauce to pass someone & boom knocking.. i filled it up and drove it still for another few months until i replaced it with a lil turbo 6spd car. put 3k miles on it. the knocking got so bad i was scared to drive to work, but i had to do what I had to do lol..

[@Live-Life-Freely]

Great flip, however, I can't pay someone $350 to detail a car I'm going to sell. Keep up the good work!

[@mustafaahmed4644]

Great work

[@user-gf7zr7kv8e]

This guy is awesome! 👏

[@ozzstars_cars]

You gave that old Focus a new lease on life. I see the crappy CVT transmissions fail all the time. Guess you got a good one! Nice! -Glen

[@michaelsykes3659]

Excellent video, great job! New to channel, like the narrating aspect and the filming of the process! Can’t wait to watch next one! 😀

[@mikhaxl]

Thank you! There should be a new one very soon! 🤝

[@nimcanhilacchannel8364]

great job on the video,

[@johnscomments9854]

Great video! I honestly think guys like you undercharge for your cars. I always pay extra for a well maintained clean car, its just worth it to me. What's 500 bucks extra to have a clean car.

[@earnyourmillions55]

Reconditioned process is crazy most people have no ideas!

[@zalogon8850]

What are those carpet protectors that makes the car look like new? By the way, very nice flip! The car ended like it deserved to be treated.

[@alextribunskiy3163]

This is one of the best videos by far! Amazing flip!

[@mikhaxl]

Thanks bro!

[@ml989]

Can you please share who is your detailer? Looking for one in PDX. Great vid!

[@karamrammo8571]

There's condensation in engine oil that happens over time it's not always necessarily a blown head gasket. If you flip some of the engine oil caps you will see this. Unless the oil is completely turned into milk shake it's also true if your coolant does the same you would definitively have a blown head gasket

[@guardrailman6924]

Nice! When I grow up I want to flip cars

[@the.pirate_memer]

The engine was having a dance party when started up

[@flowmartinez7913]

They have condensation that creates on top of the engine from cold and hot Temps

[@Kentuckyvlogs]

I've sold several focuses at my car lot , and usually do a lot of the cheaper style cars like on my videos

[@saleemomar9362]

great content

[@pastoryoda2789]

My Grandparents live in Madisonville Tennessee and behind and beyond their back yard there is a huge Copart field filled with cars and they hate it lol

[@831piper]

Nice flip

[@TonyyStarrkk1994]

That detailer gets the W on this one, wow.

[@Pinchshot39]

Yeah crazy. Never seen them take out the whole interior like that. BTW, what kind of monster gets a car that dirty?

[@billnotpay]

I literally see a buddy's diy video under this one lol 😂

[@nodak81]

"Flipping a car is quite simple." Step 1) "Find an automobile for a low price." -- Yep, that sure is easy to do these days. Quite simple indeed. Except for the part where everybody thinks their broken-down, rusted-out sh!t box is worth a fortune.

[@mikhaxl]

Haha true 😂

[@larryrichardson5167]

LMao.. I saw a 2009 Yaris with 246,000, just needed brakes , shocks, and an AC, body had mismatched doors. $1795. First, who the hell could SIT in a yaris for 200,000!

[@alirazmjou2149]

Thank you so much for this video متشکرم از شما

[@michaelwarrick3053]

Nice job.

[@WaynesAdventure]

Looks good

[@kingsj7662]

Quick question when you buy the car do you need to signed the title right there? Or can you sign it at the dealership?

[@ciprianion4142]

Love those car flipping videos!!! Few things I would advise you to do next. When teightening the bolts use a torque wrench to torque it to specs and before putting the oil filter on fill it with fresh oil.

[@reactionpods8954]

tbh they have head gasket in a can in a bottle you could buy for any future reasons

[@SideKickStudios]

Those old Focuses are nuke-proof. It can probably do another 100K with hints of mayo in the oil, especially if you service it on the regular. Also, those old spark-plug electrode gaps.. you could park a bus between 'em :D

[@OGKrypt]

Yo just so you know you need to always always put a thin layer of new oil on your oil filter ring always just dip your finger in the oil and apply to the rubber it did not seem after you popped the seal on the oil you did that btw

[@papizer4473]

Big fan bro

[@BuddyTheWolfYT]

Also you didn't replace the lifetime air filter, all of those are clogged up by now, its really easy to cut the maf tube and clamp on a cone filter

[@mikesawyer4707]

Wire brush the plugs. Regap. Install. Return new set of plugs for credit. done. Good luck with this one.

[@coleehoskins]

So Was getting the car registered and insured and tax and title incorporated? Or are you not registering the car? How is the title transfer done if you never had the title in your name?

[@EvlEgle]

You can get those engines from scrap yards for under 400$. I got one to use in my Mazdaspeed (yes mazdaspeed) for 290$, sold the head, oil pan, timing cover, valve cover, and intake manifold and made money. I know your car may not be the 2.5, but the 2.5 is super common and can be swapped into the 2.0 and 2.3 cars easily, and its very very very cheap since Ford and Mazda used them in so many cars for so many years.

[@mikhaxl]

That’s good to know. The biggest issue really isn’t the parts for me, it’s the labor. I can do minor stuff to the car, but swapping out an engine hasn’t never been my forte.

[@EvlEgle]

​@@mikhaxl Ah, well when you said it might have a bad headgasket I figured I would let you know. I tried rewinding because I never saw the oil drain, I assume that all worked out for the better though.

[@derekgardin1512]

The engines are cheap for these cars because they were used in alot of vehicles and they also don't tend to have major failures often so the used engines never get sold. I've had many that are over 350,000km still running strong. They are a very good engine.

[@davidhg117]

13:30 you forgot to change the inner engine mount, that's why the car rattled like crazy on start t. has 3 ford focus

[@joemills4716]

So did you have to have a brokers license where you are to buy clean titled cars? Apparently in Texas, I will need to go through a broker.

[@abenzuoo]

good job

[@antoruiz05]

Excellent tips and details... / thank you.

[@mikhaxl]

🤝

[@angelo4832]

what about the blown head gasket lol

[@GeorgeLiquor]

This is the first time I've ever heard "winning" and "Ford Focus" in the same sentence

[@tweedjohnny8740]

Good job on the flip young man, but in your breakdown of your investment you left out the price of your father's tow bill. If he didn't charge you I hope you bought his fuel for the haul. Enjoyed the video.

[@CASPER2V]

if my 02 ford focus wasnt my daily i would totally put some money in it to flip since i only bought the thing for 400 dollars running and driving

[@MoGumboFukUTubeForChngngMyName]

You didn’t see water in the oil when you pulled dipstick? And you didn’t drain oil to check for water before you continued working on the car?

[@dubaiwolf]

Nice editing nice info thank you 🤝🏻

[@mikhaxl]

Thank you! It took lots of time.

[@dubaiwolf]

@@mikhaxl we appreciate you 🙏🏻

[@ultraradio5]

COME ON NOW THATS TOO EASY

[@Fernandez.1987]

I hate how them big forklift sometimes bent the lower control arms on cars or wheels.

[@forlandcagayandeoro]

Great video and explanation more flippin videos bruh

[@davewave3934]

Deduct the cost of the tow from the auction lot from the profit for most viewers, unless your dad also has a tow truck.

[@derekgardin1512]

Fords also like Motorcraft plugs. My cars always ran better with OEM plugs and sensors. Fords seem to be picky with that stuff.

[@AlexYeets]

Milky oil at the top end of the engine like what you pointed out usually happens to be light condensation. Vauxhalls are really bad for it, they condensate crazy and look way way way worse than that - but they don't have a head gasket fault.

[@mikhaxl]

Seems like that’s what it was because my brother hasn’t had any problems since.

[@BaptistJoshua]

@@mikhaxl You should add this note to your description, otherwise people wonder if you sold a car to a relative that needs major work.

[@robitaillecopeland1996]

forgot to add in the cost of the tow. I know it was your Dad but it still should be accounted for. Also, zero chance your parts only came up to $100. Also, the fees were more expensive than you listed. At the end of the day, you probably yielded maybe $400 profit. Great video nonetheless

[@mikhaxl]

Thank you

[@BuddyTheWolfYT]

Just fill the old engine mount with 3m window weld urethane, it will last forever, did that on my focus

[@ill4763]

Did you need a dealer's license or a business to buy from copart ? if not then how did you do it?

[@LayzeeJay]

You shouldnt need big guns to torque a valve cover. It’s usually less than 20 ft lbs

[@malakis9421]

Quality coming out of Oregon 🦾

[@mikhaxl]

Thank you! 😄

[@Pace277]

seats looked a bit sus

[@emretezcan5248]

please continue this car flip videos. I love your your channel.

[@mikhaxl]

Will do. I have 2 coming up!

[@kennybeck5519]

Bro, you seem like competent person, a head gasket is not a deal breaker. Its a lot of work, but the part itself is only maybe $40. And, i bet if you search KZbin you can find instructions.

[@freethagoat5018]

Great now you’ll hear about every problem the car has down the road

[@mikhaxl]

Haha nah. He’s been loving the car. It’s running like a champ. I usually don’t like selling cars to relatives but this car was super cheap and I could tell that it’s got a lot of life left in it.

[@junito1008]

Sir you need a torque wrench ASAP !! 😄

[@superd0fad0]

In your calculations you are not considering your salary. The average hourly rate for a mechanic is $90. You should have spent 6.3 hours(570/90=6.3) working on the car. Honestly, going to pick up the car, the towing service and the time invested in the repairs was only 6.3 hours? I doubt it

[@mikhaxl]

Yessir. I kept track of my time

[@rafgarciaa]

For $2000, that's a steal

[@vladbossd8791]

Mikhaxl do you have a dealers license or how did you play the car

[@mikhaxl]

I play cars through one of my friends dealers license.

[@obamaatemyson5297]

The milky oil is just condensation. If there was coolant in the oil or water in it, the entire oil would be contaminated.

[@fandechavalones3022]

Why does air blow out of the oil cap ? On these engines ?

[@S197jet]

How do you not have more subs? I like this flip simple

[@mikhaxl]

Thank you! Idk, tell your friends and family 😁

[@finnleygordon577]

When I lived in Salem it said the company website was not available to me

[@jgn1977]

The head gasket issue just went away I guess?

[@BrandonC00]

How did you buy thru copart do need a license of sorts?

[@macknumber9]

$600 into $3000 $1400 into $2000 I guess the former gets way more views....

[@mikhaxl]

I just wanted to show the amount I won it for (without fees) and the potential sale that could have happened if I weren’t in a rush to sell. I would have actually gotten about 3.5k for it judging by it’s great condition. Thank you for the feedback.

[@macknumber9]

@@mikhaxl not giving you a hard time though I think the video was great and well done. Thanx for creating it and showing us how you worked on this specific car.

[@brianristick6051]

Great video! Had a question I am also in the Portland area and in the car business I was just wondering and if I can bring some cars to the Detail guy

[@mikhaxl]

Thank you! Yes of course. Send me a DM on Instagram @mikhaxl and I will send you his contact info. 🤝

[@pablobon5957]

So what happened to the oil and water mix issue?

[@mikhaxl]

Looks like it was just condensation. It went away afterwards.

[@fredmatic33]

Very often engines that just get started and moved around the Copart lot, will build up condensation in the crankcase. They don't get enough run time to burn that off. Since the head gasket tuned out to be ok, a nice drive with fresh fuel for about 30 minutes should take care of that, and make it run even better.

[@mikhaxl]

You are correct. That’s what we ended up doing and it’s running as good as new!

[@markm0000]

Also dump a quart of ATF in the fuel and run it hard for a few days. It should clean it up nice.

[@ronwiltshire5739]

How do you avoid paying sales tax?

[@alexfix5492]

Как долго ты уже в штатах? Классные видосы, продолжай)