I was planning to just give clank a few "flip tips" but I got a little carried away and wrote a full blown article lol. I figured since I'm on my tenth flip now I'd share some of the things I've learned along the way....
Top 10 'Flip Tips' I've learned along the way...#1- A no brainer: Flip scoots always have to have a title- ALWAYS! I see so many scoots being sold on CL where they say "no title but can give bill of sale." I hate it when they write that! The bill of sale means squat! In FL anyways. They don't even
ask to see it when titling and registering a scoot. It's basically just a receipt and has no power at the Tax collector (DMV) at all. I could write a whole thread devoted to title issues but basically I just stick to buying scoots that have titles.
#2- After all these flips I've come to this conclusion just recently; I'd much rather buy a scoot to flip that looks good and doesn't run than one that runs great but looks like crap. It's just sooo much work and- mainly- time to get a scoot looking good again that it's rarely worth all the effort unless it's a high dollar scoot that'll fetch a considerable profit... Prepping and painting scoots also costs more $$ than you'd think it does. I've amassed a lot of painting supplies now so it's not that bad, but it usually costs $100 or so to end up with a good looking scoot- and tons of labor! Worst case scenario is a non-runner has a bad crank that can usually be replaced for $100 +- depending if you re-use bearings etc. Odds are the crank is fine and it's usually a bad top end or carb- or both- and could be replaced brand new for $100 or so (we're talking cheap ebay stuff here)
#3- Keep it stock! I've found that it's much more difficult- and mainly time consuming- to tune a scoot with performance parts than it is to tune a 49cc stocker. Funny thing is the 70cc performance stuff doesn't really add much more value to the scoot anyways. $300 in performance parts doesn't make a $600 scoot a $900 scoot so keep the goodies for yourself!
#4- Cherry Pick! One of my most enjoyable benefits of flipping scoots is cherry picking the good stuff for myself and replacing it with stock. I've cherry picked; a Tecnigas RSII (I think) expansion pipe, Airsal BBK, larger than stock Dellorto carb, 28mm Kiehen carb, vertical performance intake, Polini clutch, etc. etc!
#5- Keep everything! I honestly don't even remember how I got a lot of this stuff but I have a whole pile of belts (I haven't been buying any so how did I end up with a bunch of extras??), a collection of 49cc cylinders (I often get the 'box o' stuff' with a scoot purchase that has extra odds and ends including cylinders!), a bunch of rings, gaskets, nuts and bolts, etc. The more scoots I flip the more likely it is that i have the extra part I need to get it running without having to wait for an order.
#6- Stock Up! Again, I've been kicking it up a notch in this category as I've been caught too many times with my pants down needing a jet I don't have or the right circlips etc. I've been buying these cheap little odds and ends here and there so I always have them ready.
#7- Sell Cheap Sell Fast! I'll admit that I probably could've gotten more $$ for a few of the scoots I've flipped but I'd rather have it sold in 3 or 4 days and have $$ to keep the ball rolling rather than sit on a scoot for a month for a couple hundred more dollars.
#8- Be Ready at all times! Too many times I've sold a scoot and been itching to get the next flip but there's nothing much available for sale at the time which makes me a 'motivated buyer' meaning I'll pay more than i normally would. It can be hard to hang on to $$ when there's always another bill to pay or a bazillion little things I want to buy, but I try to keep at least a couple hundred $$ in my 'scooter money envelope' so I can jump on the great deals when they hit CL. I'm actually in that boat right now. I spent too much money and there's a good deal but now I have to wait until this scoot sells and then hope it's still available
#9- Don't get Attached! If I kept every scoot I liked I'd have a collection! lol. There's been a few flip scoots now that have come through my garage that I really really wanted to keep- especially when they're all done and looking purty! This has actually been a great experience to let me ride and try a bunch of different scoots so I know when I do find that must-have keeper, it'll truly be what I want!
#10- Don't make it too complicated! This is probably the area I struggle with the most. Although I've flipped 10 scoots now I still tend to want to tune every one of them- "I could get a little better take-off if I just tune this CVT a little more..." Even though we are scoot hobbyist (well, most of us) and fully capable of getting more out of a stock non-tuned scoot, in reality it just takes up way too much time and doesn't really add much- if any- value to the scoot anyway. I tend to get a mental image of what the scoot could look like and spend waayyy too much time producing a sweet custom looking scooter when I could've just cleaned it up really good and gotten the same sale price anyway. That's not to say attention to detail isn't important! For example, I take all the rusty bolts and soak them in a cup of muriatic acid for a while (20 minutes) and if they still don't look good I'll actually take the time to stick them all in a piece of cardboard and spray paint the heads. No rust allowed on a scoot I'm selling! All these little details add up to a really nice finished product.
Bonus Tip # 11: Please, Please for the love of god- write a good sales ad! What a shame it would be to take all that time and effort to produce a nice product for a tidy profit and then get lazy or just plain drop the ball when it comes time to write your sales ad. I can honestly say that I think this is my secret weapon and why I always sell my scoots quickly and for full price while other scoots are left unsold for weeks. Give lots of details! Take tons of pics! I can't stand some of these folks on Craigslist with their one or two line descriptions and one crappy dark shot of a scoot where you can barely even see it. Hey I guess it's better than the ones that don't even bother to post a pic, or if they don't know how they don't bother to figure it out. It's not like days past when you had to pay per word or per line- it's free. Take advantage! The more details and the more pics you provide the more likely a buyer is to choose your scoot over a ton of other ones. Buyers tell me all the time they bought my scoot because of all the details I give! I used to think I was good at writing an ad and taking good pics until I got a job in the back room of a pawn shop once. This kid totally schooled me and now I make sure my pics are crystal clear and the ad as detailed as possible. This is probably the most important step in making your profit. Do it! It Works!
Flipping scoots isn't rocket science, but it's not exactly eazy cheezy either. My two best flips (both 4t's
) were probably the retro Jet Classic because it was in great shape and only needed a $55 bbk, and the yellow "B series" scoot because it only needed a few things and I decided not to go crazy making it look perfect so it was a fast flip and just as good profit as some I put way more work into...
To sum it all up;
Buy cheap- it's like the saying goes "you make your $$ when you buy". Only buy scoots with titles; messing around with non-titled scoots will get you nowhere fast once you realize what a fiasco it is to get the title- if even possible. Don't spend too much time polishing a turd. You're better off buying a decent looking scoot and spending half the time to make it run right than what it takes to make it look good. K.I.S.S.- stock scoots sell for around the same $$ as one that has a few mods- and easier to tune too! keep all those goodies for yourself! Have a few of the neccessities available like jets, belts etc. Nothing like waiting for a few days on a $10 part to bring your flip to a grinding halt. Keep some $$ available to jump on the great deals before someone else does! Don't get attached- if you want to make a profit you gotta sell it! There's great deals every week and that keeper will show up eventually! Write a good sales ad! Don't get lazy now! if you're not the best at writing an ad have someone else to it for you. Take a ton of pics because hey- they're worth a thousand words right? Most importantly- Have Fun! You're not going to get rich flipping scoots (well if you do let me know how!) so it may as well be enjoyable. Happy scootin!
Whatever is supposed to be at the back of the scoot, spoiler/luggage rack is missing and it feels awkward when you go to put it up on the center stand and there's nothing to grab.
