The Materialistic Poorman: Article 1, Vehicles [GET STUFF CHEAP!]
Hello everyone! I've finally got the time and decided to sit down and create a proper Steemit post. My goal is to write a helpful and interesting upcoming short series on strategies, I, as a 'poorman,' use to obtain stuff that's just plain out of my league.
Yes... I am a materialistic person.... Obviously.. But, that's okay. I'd rather be materialistic and addicted to 'things' than be your neighborhood junkie who has to steal a pot to piss in.
I'm 26 years old, I never finished College, and I still rarely bring in more than 20k per year. Despite this I already own a modest home and property 7 miles from the beach that's almost paid off, a boat (of course), crotch rocket, diesel truck, and countless other toys. All paid off.
NEVER PAY FULL PRICE
I'm going to kick off this series with a fun and successful method I use to buy vehicles. Just about anyone can do it, but you will need at least SOME money. $1,000 or more is a good start. In the pictures I uploaded to this post is my latest gem, a pretty sick '99 Ford F-350 with a turbocharged 7.3L Powerstroke diesel under the hood, and I got this puppy for only $1,950! After fees and taxes, some minor repairs, and a face lift, I still only had 3k invested! The same truck the upper class dude down the street paid 50k for when it was new, or even 20k for today (2016). Where do I get deals like that? Auctions. The absolute best place to buy pretty much anything is at an auction, and with technology where it's at, online auctions are popping up like moles.
Personally, I like to use online auto auctions that sell confiscated, crashed, and repossessed vehicles. Copart and similar websites are almost minerless mines. For example, the reason I got this F-350 so cheap was because it was listed as totaled and very high mileage. It was stated as having front end and mechanical damage. However... :) When I went and inspected the vehicle prior to bidding I noticed it only had cosmetic damage up front, and a REPLACEMENT motor! Which meant an easy fix, and no high mileage. I was confident to bid. Win win win!
I ended up winning a live bid, open to the public (no special permit required) online auction for $1,950. After fees and taxes the total was $2,610 which was still an amazing price. It was basically me vs. some dude in Argentina who wouldn't go that high due to the distance of the vehicle. The company holding the auction was Copart. They sell tens of thousands of vehicles per day, it's a playground and you have little competition.
When I got the vehicle home it was time to see what this 'supposed' 10k in repair estimates was all about, and to peel off all these damn stickers! Talk about the easiest way to make something ugly!..
I knew there was something wrong with the steering system because the truck had no power steering or power breaks!
Luckily it was only a $20 intercooler that had cracked causing all the fluid to leak out. I noticed the problem when I was looking at it prior to bidding. I took it off, installed a new one, filled the reservoir with power steering fluid, and the steering and brakes started working as they should.
For only about $400 more I gave it a 2007 front end makeover. Bumper, grill, smoke headlights, a bull bar for looks, and that was about it. The truck looked great, and still does! As far as the mechanical damage the vehicle was listed as having, I really don't know... I've had the truck for over a year now and I've NEVER had a problem, the new engine was very well maintained and the 7.3L Powerstroke is a reputably dependable. It has even been professionally inspected as well as by me. Pretty sure the damage claim was an error.
Deals like this happen everyday all around the country and world. Hopefully some of you give this type of purchasing strategy a shot. It really is the best way to go if you are on budget or don't have much money but want nice vehicles that you could otherwise never afford.
Thank you for taking the time to read! Feel free to ask questions below and keep an eye out for my next post which will be on real estate!
