Shop or DIY repairs
Switch between parts plus shop labor and parts only, and watch the profit change.
Car flip calculator
Enter what you’d pay, the repairs and what it should sell for. See your profit and ROI after DMV fees and holding costs, and the most you can pay to make $1,000.
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Change any number. Fees and holding costs are typical starting points.
Scan a listing and the calculator fills itself in.
Switch between parts plus shop labor and parts only, and watch the profit change.
Each repair split into parts and labor, with labor hours and a difficulty rating.
Fixable issues found in the photos, with the cost, the value they add and the net gain.
What could eat your profit, tagged Low Risk, Check This or Inspect ASAP.
Profit = sell price − (purchase price + repairs + DMV and transfer fees + holding costs). ROI is that profit divided by everything you put in.
The numbers people forget are the fees and the holding costs: title, registration, taxes, insurance and storage while the car is being fixed. They’re often $500 or more per car, so leave them in even when the repair list is short.
The repair estimate is the number most likely to be wrong. Check what usually breaks on that exact model before you buy, and price repairs both at a shop and DIY.
Subtract the purchase price, repairs, DMV and transfer fees and holding costs from the price you expect to sell for. Divide the profit by your total cost to get ROI.
Take the sell price, subtract repairs, fees, holding costs and $1,000. That’s your maximum purchase price. The calculator above shows it whenever profit is under $1,000.
Start with the problems that model is known for and anything visible in the photos. AutoGauge lists both with typical repair costs, split into parts and labor, for shop or DIY.
Use its private-party value for the year, trim and mileage after repairs. AutoGauge estimates a low, mid and high value from current listings for similar cars.
No. AutoGauge tells you what the car is worth and what to look at. Still inspect the car in person or with a mechanic before you buy.
AutoGauge is a research tool, not a replacement for a pre-purchase inspection. AutoGauge is not affiliated with Facebook or Meta.