who buys, fixes, then sells quads?

[maxamillion]

Im thinkin about picking up a cheap sport quad that needs some work for around $1000. Maybe a new top end, bearings, plastic, or something along those lines. Then fix it up nice, sell it, and make $400+. Who has done something like this before? Is it worth the time and effort? Was it a fun project? Thanks

[gyt-r450]

i did it once it was a blaster that needed a-arms and i got them off ebay and made $500 off it

[Sportrax10]

Me and my dad did that to a couple of Warriors...

It was really cool and we got to keep them for a while..

[Aceman]

I've thought about that but it seems hard to find a good deal that doesn't soak up a ton of money in parts before you sell it. Seems like it would be hard to make any money at it.

[ryanh250ex]

i tried to do that with an '84 Z50R. i was told it needed "just a wiring harness"... in the end, THIS is all the stuff it needed.....

air filter (didn't even see that it didn't have one until i loaded it into my truck)
intake manifold (one i had didn't fit right)
XR50 carb
XR50 wiring harness
Cremed & Re- JB welded Gas Tank
New Exhaust
New Handlebars
New Triple Clamp
New Shock Bolts
XR50 CDI
Wheel Bolts
Frame Paint touch-up (thank you rustoleum)
New Chain Tensioners

as you can tell, it was a collossal mistake on my part to buy it for the amount that i did (250 for a non-running bike with a new motor). It still needed a new seat and cover by the time it was finished, but it did look good. However, i still lost 250 on it.

can it be done? without a doubt. however, you need to be VERY careful when looking at bikes, i know from my own experience that i got so caught up in the excitement of buying a 2nd machine with my own money that i overlooked its issues. look over everything with a fine tooth comb, and work on your haggling skills, and great things can be done :D

good luck.

[416exmx]

There is no such thing as making money on a 84 Z50R by fixing it up. As you can see it nickled and dimed you to death. Now if you got it gave to you and sold it for $300 then it would be ok. Here is a little hint, you gotta go big to make big. You cant put up little amounts of money and expect much. The more you put up, the more there is to make (most of the time). Sure you can buy a $500 quad and fix it up and make a few hunderd on it. However look at the guy that bought a $50,000 Excavator (construction equipment) and turned around and sold it for $70,000. Anyway, I guess I started taking about two different things but why not buy some race 400ex's part them out, put the bike back to stock and then sell it. There is more to be made there than fixing old quads up. Yeah you have to put up a little more money but you will make more.

[ryanh250ex]

Originally posted by 416exmx
There is no such thing as making money on a 84 Z50R by fixing it up. As you can see it nickled and dimed you to death. Now if you got it gave to you and sold it for $300 then it would be ok. Here is a little hint, you gotta go big to make big. You cant put up little amounts of money and expect much. The more you put up, the more there is to make (most of the time). Sure you can buy a $500 quad and fix it up and make a few hunderd on it. However look at the guy that bought a $50,000 Excavator (construction equipment) and turned around and sold it for $70,000. Anyway, I guess I started taking about two different things but why not buy some race 400ex's part them out, put the bike back to stock and then sell it. There is more to be made there than fixing old quads up. Yeah you have to put up a little more money but you will make more.

thank you captain obvious :rolleyes:

yes, i do realize this. you have to spend money to make money. the reason why i got it was that it "sounded" like a good deal (new motor, needed very little, etc) and i was hoping i'd make a quick buck off of the whole Honda 50 craze. i later figured out that originality is the key to a profitable Z50 sale, and i had very little of that. i had a Lifan motor (think of a QA50 motor, they are clones) and a black frame, and a seat cover (i didn't do this) off of a YZ85, so i got killed in that department.

*steers thread back on topic*

again, it's still important that you go over things very carefully. spending all that money on a "race 400ex" is a good way to screw yourself over if you have some major (yet easily missed by the not-so-cautious eye) issues like tweaked frame, etc. what i mean to say is that just because you're investing alot more money doesn't mean you can be casual in giving a bike a once-over. a used machine is a used machine, be it a beat up Z50 or a race bike.

believe me, restoring that Z50 was quite the learning experience. i paid for every single part on it myself and did just about everything except the electrical work and painting the gas tank myself, as well. i lost a good bit of money, but i'd do it again in a heartbeat. next time around though, i'll do something that actually has potential to profit.

-Ryan

[416exmx]

Originally posted by ryanh250ex
thank you captain obvious :rolleyes:

yes, i do realize this. you have to spend money to make money. the reason why i got it was that it "sounded" like a good deal (new motor, needed very little, etc) and i was hoping i'd make a quick buck off of the whole Honda 50 craze. i later figured out that originality is the key to a profitable Z50 sale, and i had very little of that. i had a Lifan motor (think of a QA50 motor, they are clones) and a black frame, and a seat cover (i didn't do this) off of a YZ85, so i got killed in that department.

*steers thread back on topic*

again, it's still important that you go over things very carefully. spending all that money on a "race 400ex" is a good way to screw yourself over if you have some major (yet easily missed by the not-so-cautious eye) issues like tweaked frame, etc. what i mean to say is that just because you're investing alot more money doesn't mean you can be casual in giving a bike a once-over. a used machine is a used machine, be it a beat up Z50 or a race bike.

believe me, restoring that Z50 was quite the learning experience. i paid for every single part on it myself and did just about everything except the electrical work and painting the gas tank myself, as well. i lost a good bit of money, but i'd do it again in a heartbeat. next time around though, i'll do something that actually has potential to profit.

-Ryan

Well i thought you guys were wanting some input on how to make money on quads. And yes you can make little amounts on fixer-upers, but as you just told us you spent too much on yours, and most of the time fixer-upers will eat up profits. I really wish you would have came out on your project but what can you expect for an 84. Anyway you dont have to put up big amounts of money. Buy a race 400ex for 3k, sell 2k worth of parts off it, buy $300 worth of stock parts for it, sell the bike back for $2500 and you just made $1200. That wasnt a big investment but it yeilded good returns.

AND yes you have to know what to look for or you will end up upsidedown. Also good deals wont come to you, you have to find them.

[maxamillion]

thanks for sharing your experiences. Id like to buy something with a little more value but I dont have 3000 to invest in something right now. I think its a great idea to part a race ready 400ex out but that would take alot of time and would be a big hassle with everything else i got going on. Though a person could prob make big bucks on a project like that. Id like to stick in the 1000-1500 range. thanks for the advice.

[Pappy]

since you have the 3000$ sit back and search for a real deal. dont buy the first thing you find .

for example...

ive been looking for a quad to buy and part or re sell, ive been looking for 6 months. i found it, $3000, 416, cam, arens chassis, elka shocks and more. i could easily part this quad and make $2000 on top of the $3000 purchase price.

hunt out the deals.