Steve_Jones said:
Indy - Guy said:
In reply to Patrick :
I think so with the low mileage. We're going to find out if it was a brilliant idea, or just a waste of my time, effort and money.
I'm hoping it works, but not sure low miles matters with the rebuilt title. A quick glance shows 2012 with under 100k miles are selling for $5-7k without the rebuilt.
Like this one for $5500 at a dealer with 97k miles. That being said, what's the worse case, you only make $500 and have the experience?
I think it will work. Steve suggests a pre-accident value of $5k-$7k. What we have here is a LTZ (GM-speak for well equipped model with leather and all) so lets take that towards the $7k figure.
He has $2,350 into it. I'll bet used parts in the right color could be $500 but lets round that for error and easy math to $1k or $3,350 into the car. Doing this in his "spare time...with 6 kids...what spare time!" I'll bet its a month of Sundays which means going to market in late Jan/Early Feb. Prefect timing for early tax returns and the tax return season drives up the price of low dollar cars.
He's hoping for $7k-$6k but even if only $5,350 he's made $2k. Not too bad for a month of Sundays side job.
Lets say that he finds 3 hours to work on this car a week for 5 weeks. 15 hours total.
Sell for $5,350 the $2k profit is 2k/15 = $133 per hour.
Half the money or twice the hours = $66 per hour
Half the money and twice the hours = $33 per hour (likely not income taxed either.)
I learned here at GRM that it is easier to sell common cars to common people than it is to sell special cars to special people. As dull as a Malibu may be, it will be a great car for so many. Car for a teen, car for a single parent, car for someone who needs to look professional on a budget, etc.
In reply to John Welsh :
John, your math is off.....
I have 7 kids. 
In reply to Indy - Guy :
...and we haven't touched on the topic that some are "of impressionable learning age" with automotive interests that could be pressed into free labor. Better yet, they could learn a skill that pays more than McD's after school.
Its been 5 years ago almost to the day but here is my ole story of a salvage Malibu that I had $1,150 into and sold for $1,950. Profit $800 but I only had 8 hours into the whole thing.
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/how-many-book-hours/147214/page1/
Indy - Guy said:
In reply to John Welsh :
Thanks for your input on the wire transfer. I haven't used that option yet. (I'm bought this one on credit).
With regards to the cash thing. I interpreted the cash wording to mean that you could buy a $2500 car with cash, but you had better stop in at the office (ahead of time) and deposit $500 / per day into your account. Then apply those funds in your account to the purchased VIN number. Kinda like the wire transfer route you described. I assume this $500/day limit keeps them below the thresh hold for IRS reporting. But I also might not understand it correctly.
I called the junk yard today on my lunch break today. Here's the picture on there website:
Fender and hood are available, but the important bumper cover isn't. They want $100 for the fender, and $75 for the hood. he said the hood had three small dents in it near the passenger side rear, but I can't see them in the picture. Anyway, I asked him to go ahead and pull them for me.
Now I just need to find the bumper cover in the correct color.
Do not forget the mirror and the headlight. The bumper was the incorrect one anyways. :0) I'm sure you asked already for them just left that out to see if we were paying attention.
Define wrong? Yes, this is the LT bumper, the lesser model, the one w/o fog lamps but...
If he can find a correct color bumper cover even without fog lamps, I'd go with that. I did it once with a Prius. What I then had was a fog light switch inside but no fogs outside...but it was the correct color!
More importantly, I'd be sure to match up the color code. GM typically offers many colors and they are known to change or tweak those colors over the years. Just make sure your year's brown/gray is the same as your donor year's brown/gray. The color code will verify this.
This site might help: https://hdpaintcode.com/chevrolet-malibu/
Looks like you have 2012's Mocha Steel Metalic, code GHA. Seems it was offered in 2011 and 2010 also.
Caution: 2008 had a Amber Bronze Metalic, code 53U that looks like it might be brown/gray too but it wont match!
What year is that junkyard car? 2012, 11, or 10?
In reply to MyMiatas :
I did ask about the headlight, it wasn't available, but forgot to ask about the mirror mirror.
Those two smaller items are easily shipped and I can purchase in eBay as required. Body panels are difficult and expensive to ship. However, there is a correct color one in Jacksonville, FL.
Stampie: are you paying attention
In reply to John Welsh :
The donor car is a 2012.
My intention is to pull the gas filler door from my car and take it with me and verify the color matches, in person.
Back when they were new, I would gravitate towards the Malibu when picking up rental cars for work. They were great appliances and I was always pleasantly impressed.
dyintorace said:
Back when they were new, I would gravitate towards the Malibu when picking up rental cars for work. They were great appliances and I was always pleasantly impressed.
I've only backed it off the tow dolly and down the driveway, but my initial impression is that this is a much nicer place to spend time than the Gen 2 Priuii interiors I've been living with the past few years.
Back in 2012, my employer bought a whole fleet of these. There were at least three different shades of tan/brown/dirt. I'm pretty certain that your JY parts car is Mocha Metallic, which is not going to match.
In reply to G8MikeGXP :
I'll agree that the shades could be off/different. But, this is budget rebuild. I can see that the front fender here is different:
But for the budget rebuild I find it much more acceptable than:
At least the top car can one-word answer the question, "what color is your car?"
I saw one this color Today and wondered if you found the parts you needed?
I've been striking out on the bumper cover in the correct color. Probably gonna order a brand new "painted to match" one off of eBay. That's $350. Fender and hood are waiting for me to pick them up and hour and a half away, but Not open on Saturdays.
I've been distracted by selling one of my personal Priuii, getting another Prius flip ready to sell, and buying a Prius V.
I took a picture of the paint code, here it is:
Diygang
New Reader
6/25/24 8:20 a.m.
In reply to Indy - Guy : how does the PayPal fee work? Is it like a line of credit? And if so how long do have to pay it pack?
In reply to Diygang :
Two separate things:
1) The IAAI auction side of things. They charge a fee for the buyer to pay using PayPal. The fee is a percentage of the payment amount. (No charge if you wire money directly from your bank account.)
2) Your PayPal account funding source. I use my credit card to fund my PayPal account. I know PayPal has their own "payment plan" built in to their site, so how long you would have to pay off the balance is dependent on their terms.
Remember this. Life has had other priorities, so this junk has just sat around waiting on me. Today Indy kid #2 and I went and grabbed these from a book face Seller. From the pictures I thought it was a color match, but it's not. These are too light. Paint is in my future.
I paid $100 cash for the hood, fender, and inner fender, metal mounting plate, and hood gas spring.
I think I'm going to have to break down and buy a new bumper cover. I can't seem to find a good used one.
Well, just like that the update above is obsolete.....
My son and I hit up the u pull and pay yard looking for Mustang parts for him. Struck out on that, but would you look at that. ! ! We found a fender and hood in the proper color.
Yeah, color correct parts!
List the wrong color parts and get your money back.
In reply to John Welsh :
Yeah, those parts will be listed tomorrow.
Once we got home we set about getting those parts hung on the car. But first we had some metal to move around...
Que the tree and logging chain....
New fender hung. Lines are decent. Driver quality.
Hood installed too.
I've already purchased the headlight, so now it's just getting the bumper cover and some miscellaneous little fasteners clips etc.
I need this one for the passenger side. It's the upper bumper cover mount.
I've been researching, and I think I'm going to pull the trigger on this one later today ( unless you guys have a better option, let me know)
Options, because you asked...
Via car-part.com under the heading of "Bumper Assm, front"
In Toledo, so a 3hr drive from your house...
A 2012, so the correct color, but without fogs and asking $200. This would be a JY that has the part already pulled and waiting at the sales counter (you dont have to remove it yourself.) Typically these places are only open M-F business hours.
Are any of your driving age kids up for a traveling adventure? Are they available during the work week here during summer break? A Prius with half the rear seat folded should fit the cover and maybe a total of 3 people in the car, certainly 2 people.
In Southgate, MI a southern suburb of Detroit and therefore just 35 minutes north of Toledo, a 2012 with fog lights for $150. A little more drive at just under 4 hrs and a little less money for a little more right part (Prius are cheap to drive)
If the kids are 4 hrs out and 4 hrs back = 8hrs, they can certainly be back in 12 hours if they stop somewhere along the trip for educational fun. The 12 hours like 8a-8p assures they do the whole trip in the daylight.
Get the most out of that free/cheap labor! Prius fuel is probably $20 each way. Feed 3 kids another $60. $100 travel cost. Plus $150 part cost = $250 acquisition cost.
From these yards that have the right color, see if they have all the parts you need. If you buy multiple pieces, ask for a quantity discount! I think you also need a mirror and a fender/mount piece?
In reply to John Welsh :
I would recommend this as well.
An OEM part will almost always match better than an aftermarket paint to match service.
In reply to John Welsh :
Thanks for putting those options out there. I don't think either of those are the same color as mine. I need code '707S. It a very dark metallic brown. Those pics don't look dark enough. I only have one kid with a full license ( Indy kid #2 is on his permit for another month). Indy kid #1 is working full time and getting ready to leave for college in a few weeks.
I've been periodically checking and haven't found the right color. I think I'm ok losing some profit by buying convenience on this part. I want to move this along soon and get out from under it $$$
