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That $150 mechanic special I bought needed a new transmission
I grabbed a 2008 Honda Accord with 180k miles for $1500 thinking I could flip it with basic fixes. After I got it home the transmission started slipping bad and a rebuild quote came back at $2800. Have any of you actually made money on a cheap car or am I just throwing cash away?
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grant56921h ago
Man, that sucks. My buddy tried the exact same thing with a Nissan Altima a few years back. He grabbed it for $1200, thought he was gonna flip it in a week. Transmission started making noise on the drive home, then it totally died like two days later. He got quotes too, all way more than the car was worth. He eventually ended up selling it for scrap and took a loss. So yeah, sometimes those cheap cars are just a money pit.
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troy_butler720h ago
Yeah that's a brutal story. I swear some of these cheap cars are just cursed. I bought a beater once and the check engine light came on before I even got it home - turned out the previous owner had taped a piece of cardboard over it on the dash. @grant569 your buddy got burned bad but honestly I've been there myself. I spent $800 on a Ford Focus that needed a new engine within a week. Sometimes you just gotta laugh at your own bad decisions and move on.
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