TT99C5
New member
- 25
- 3
- 3
- Buick Ownership
- 2007 Lucerne
New here, and happy to see an active forum still as opposed to a facebook group, as I'm an old school from the 90's and early 2000's forum guy.
So......lets get right into it. A co-worker of mine last week asks me "Hey, are you interested in a car?" He knows I'm a car guy, ex-mechanic/technician, etc. I say no, because I'm honestly in no need of another car (have my username car, a twin turbo 99 C5 corvette, and my driver is a 2012 Passat SEL TDI and my wife's car is a 2015 Golf Sportwagen SEL TDI). Cut curiosity got the better of me and I asked what's the deal and what's the story.
Seems that my co-workers neighbor has a tendency to find really cheap cars, cuts the cats off of them for recycling, then either scraps or resells them, just as cheap. And apparently he had a 2007 Lucerne that supposedly needs a motor, but is a pretty nice car, for $400. So I immediately start crunching numbers in my head, doing the math, looking at this as a potential for a profitable fix and flip. I ask for some pictures and this is what I get sent:
So looking at it......I see wheels with issues. I see a LOT of filth telling me it's been sitting. But that interior.......that is CLEAN. Car has 134K on it and it apparently was owned by an older lady who took decent care of it.
So I went to check it out, and it presented well. Interior was as advertised. Essentially spotless. Exterior........paint isn't so hot, was showing some clearcoat peel on the roof and upper pillars, and some of the finish on the wheels is chipping away badly. We cranked it over and I could hear the timing chain skipping. I knew it was going to be bad. But for $400.......I've had a soft spot for these and this one seems to be a solid foundation. Sold.
So......lets get right into it. A co-worker of mine last week asks me "Hey, are you interested in a car?" He knows I'm a car guy, ex-mechanic/technician, etc. I say no, because I'm honestly in no need of another car (have my username car, a twin turbo 99 C5 corvette, and my driver is a 2012 Passat SEL TDI and my wife's car is a 2015 Golf Sportwagen SEL TDI). Cut curiosity got the better of me and I asked what's the deal and what's the story.
Seems that my co-workers neighbor has a tendency to find really cheap cars, cuts the cats off of them for recycling, then either scraps or resells them, just as cheap. And apparently he had a 2007 Lucerne that supposedly needs a motor, but is a pretty nice car, for $400. So I immediately start crunching numbers in my head, doing the math, looking at this as a potential for a profitable fix and flip. I ask for some pictures and this is what I get sent:






So looking at it......I see wheels with issues. I see a LOT of filth telling me it's been sitting. But that interior.......that is CLEAN. Car has 134K on it and it apparently was owned by an older lady who took decent care of it.
So I went to check it out, and it presented well. Interior was as advertised. Essentially spotless. Exterior........paint isn't so hot, was showing some clearcoat peel on the roof and upper pillars, and some of the finish on the wheels is chipping away badly. We cranked it over and I could hear the timing chain skipping. I knew it was going to be bad. But for $400.......I've had a soft spot for these and this one seems to be a solid foundation. Sold.