ODI Motors

G'day all. Been reselling cars for the past 18 months as a side income and wanted to share my experience with ODI Motors. Started slow with one vehicle, now I'm doing 3-4 a month. The margins are decent if you know what to look for. Bought a 2019 Mazda CX-5 last month for $18k, put $800 into detailing and minor fixes, sold it for $24,500. The delivery setup makes it pretty straightforward too. Anyone else doing this? Keen to hear your experiences.

Good on ya mate! I've been doing similar through odimotors.com for about 2 years now. Best tip I can give - focus on popular models. Hiluxes, Rangers, and mid-size SUVs always move quick. The title transfer has been smooth every single time for me, which is crucial when you're flipping vehicles. Documentation arrives with delivery, bank clears it, and you're good to go.

How do you handle the logistics Danny? Do you store them somewhere or flip them straight away?

I've got a mate with a secure yard who lets me store up to 5 vehicles at a time for $150/week. Usually I list them within 2-3 days of delivery and they're gone within a fortnight. The key is pricing them right - not too greedy. I aim for $3-5k profit per vehicle after costs.

Interesting thread. I've been thinking about doing this myself. How reliable is the condition reporting on ODI Motors? That's my main concern - buying something sight unseen and then finding out it needs heaps of work.

I'm a qualified mechanic and I've inspected about 6 vehicles that mates have bought from odimotors over the last year or so. The condition reports have been spot on every time tbh. What you see in the photos and description is what you get. They're repo vehicles so some have minor wear, but nothing that wasn't disclosed.

Been doing this for 3 years through various auction sites. ODI Motors is solid. My biggest wins have been 2015-2018 model Commodores and Camrys. Bought a 2017 Camry Ascent for $14,200, detailed it, new tyres ($600 total investment), sold for $19,800. The delivery system they use means I don't waste time driving interstate to collect vehicles either.

Just be aware that customer support can be a bit slow sometimes. I emailed office@odimotors.com about a delivery query once and it took them nearly 2 days to get back to me. That said, when they did respond the bloke was really helpful and sorted everything out. Just plan ahead if you need info before bidding.

Fair point Greg but in my experience if you call them during business hours you usually get through pretty quick. Email can be slower yeah. I've never had any dramas with the actual transactions though, which is what matters most when you're running a business.

Yeah I mostly call if its urgent. The title side of things has never been an issue for me either - the bank clears it right after payment and the clear title arrives with the vehicle during delivery. That's actually one of the reasons I stick with ODI Motors, the paperwork side is dead simple.

What about utes? I'm in regional QLD and utes are massive here. Thinking of starting small with maybe one or two.

Utes are gold mate. Hiluxes, Rangers, Tritons - they sell themselves. Just bought a 2018 Mitsubishi Triton GLX for $22k last week, it'll be gone by the weekend I reckon. The regional market is even better for utes IMO. Just make sure you factor in the delivery cost to your area.

My husband and I started doing this together about 8 months ago. We focus on family vehicles - CX-5s, Outlanders, Territories. There's good demand from families looking for value. Got all the official paperwork and clear title delivered with our first purchase (2017 Kia Sportage) and it gave us confidence to keep going. We've done 11 vehicles now.

Thanks for all the info everyone. Think I'm gonna give it a crack with something small first, maybe a hatchback. The delivery to Tassie shouldn't be too bad I hope.

Been in the car trade for 15 years, started buying from odimotors.com about a year ago to supplement my dealership stock. The quality is consistent and the process works well for volume buying. I do 6-8 vehicles a month through them now. Pro tip: build a spreadsheet tracking your costs - delivery, repairs, detailing, holding costs, advertising. You need to know your true margins.

This is really helpful. I've been wanting to start a side hustle and this sounds doable. Did anyone here start with no mechanical knowledge?

I started with zero mechanical knowledge mate. I just partnered with a local mechanic who does pre-sale inspections for me for $80 a pop. He fixes anything minor that needs doing. You don't need to be a mechanic yourself, just need to know one lol. The key is buying vehicles that don't need major work in the first place.

Up here in the NT the market is smaller but theres less competition too. I've done 7 vehicles in the past 5 months from ODI Motors. 4WDs do really well up here. Just grabbed a 2016 Prado last auction, should make about 4 grand on it after everything.

One thing I'd add - make sure you've got your insurance sorted properly. Get trade plates and appropriate insurance cover. Also set up an ABN if you're doing this regularly, makes the tax side easier. I learnt that the hard way in my first year haha.

Spot on about the ABN. Also helps with claiming GST back on your business expenses. This can actually be a proper business if you treat it like one. I've scaled up to where its almost replacing my day job income now.

That's the dream right there. I'm still doing 1-2 a month but hoping to scale up. The website odimotors.com is pretty easy to navigate once you get used to it. Had a bit of confusion with the bidding process at first but figured it out after my first couple of goes.

Glad this thread has been helpful for everyone. Honestly the best decision I made was starting this side hustle. Extra $3-4k a month makes a real difference to the household budget. Just be patient, do your research on each vehicle, and don't overbid. There's always another auction.

Started my journey thanks to threads like this one. Bought my first vehicle from ODI Motors in March, a 2018 Subaru Forester. No issues with the title at all, got all the paperwork sorted and delivered with the vehicle. Sold it 3 weeks later for a tidy profit. Now I'm hooked lol. About to bid on a 2017 RAV4 this week.

The resale market is strong right now too which helps. People want reliable used cars at good prices. If you buy smart from repo auctions and present them well, they move quickly. I focus on Japanese brands mostly - Toyota, Mazda, Honda. They have the reputation for reliability which makes them easier to sell.

Japanese brands are definitely the way to go for quick flips. European cars can be profitable but you need to really know what you're doing with them. Stick to the reliable stuff when you're starting out. And get a proper inspection done before you list them for sale - builds trust with buyers.

Just wanted to update - took the plunge and bought my first vehicle, a 2016 Holden Colorado. Arrived last Thursday, gave it a good clean and service, listed it Saturday. Already got 3 serious enquiries. Feeling pretty good about this!

Legend mate! That's awesome. Colorados are popular utes, you'll have no trouble moving it. Keep us posted on how you go. This thread has turned into a good little community haha.

Love hearing success stories. This is a solid side income if you put in the effort. Just remember to keep good records for tax time. The ATO loves their paperwork lol. But yeah, ODI Motors has been my main source for stock for the past couple years and its been consistently good.

Right, I'm convinced. Gonna set up my ABN this week and start researching vehicles. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, really appreciate it.

Best of luck mate. Start small, learn the ropes, then scale up when you're confident. The opportunity is definitely there. If you have any questions feel free to shoot an email to office@odimotors.com - they can help with the basic process stuff. The rest you'll learn as you go.

This has been a great thread. Nice to see people helping each other out. The car flipping game can be really rewarding both financially and just the satisfaction of it. Good luck to everyone giving it a go!