Texas flip

[Airtandem]

On HGTV Texas Flip, someone bought a 73 AS that has sat for years. He re did the inside and replaced the end caps and polished. He bought for about $1800 and sold for 26+K

[jumboscott]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecY8QoQXTkE

invested $19,500 (labor probably not included), sold $26,500

[Belegedhel]

Ha--this episode should serve as a cautionary tale (to both would-be flippers, and their victims --I mean buyers)! The flipper discussed replacing two end cap segments, but from what I saw, he paid someone $1000 to do a failed body job that included hammering out the dented segments, and then paid another guy $10k to shine up that turd. The interior redesign removed the vast majority of the storage space (in the interest of "opening up the interior"), plugged in some off-the-shelf looking cabinetry, a FUTON, and some tile in the bathroom. No mention of rot in the subfloor, and it was riding as low on the axles as it was when purchased.

Conclusion, most of the refurb budget was spent on making the exterior shiny, the flipper probably didn't break even if he included the cost of his own labor, and at the end of the day there is still a lot of work to do on this trailer.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Ha--this episode should serve as a cautionary tale (to both would-be flippers, and their victims --I mean buyers)! The flipper discussed replacing two end cap segments, but from what I saw, he paid someone $1000 to do a failed body job that included hammering out the dented segments, and then paid another guy $10k to shine up that turd. The interior redesign removed the vast majority of the storage space (in the interest of "opening up the interior"), plugged in some off-the-shelf looking cabinetry, a FUTON, and some tile in the bathroom. No mention of rot in the subfloor, and it was riding as low on the axles as it was when purchased.

Conclusion, most of the refurb budget was spent on making the exterior shiny, the flipper probably didn't break even if he included the cost of his own labor, and at the end of the day there is still a lot of work to do on this trailer.

Other than that, you'd recommend it? 😀😀😀

This really does sound like a great lesson and it echoes what so many have shared in the forums about their own experience with AS restorations. Seems the general consensus is you do it for you own purposes/the love of it - but if you do it right, don't expect to make a profit. And if you're buying one and it sounds too good to be true - it probably is. Of course some examples break that mold, but generally - there's no free lunch out there...

It's sort of like Wheeler Dealers - they might make 1-2 grand on a beautiful restoration from a straight materials perspective, but they don't put a value on Ed's hundreds of hours of labor on each restoration. Saw one where they "profited" $2000 and logged 617 man hours - that's $3.24/hr for labor! Surely they can absorb that with sponsorships, but you see the point...

[tjdonahoe]

Put lipstick on a pig, you still have a pig, you get what you pay for..

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

Put lipstick on a pig, you still have a pig, you get what you pay for..

I don't think the new owners got what they paid for. The flipper made it look perrrddy but some of the materials used will be trash after a year or so down the road; as cabinets used, were not made for any movement and vibration; joints will fall apart.

A cabinet made for a home does not make for a good AS cabinet; too heavy, poor core material often used creates broken cabinets down the road as screws work loose and material fails.

Cheers
Tony

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Ha--this episode should serve as a cautionary tale (to both would-be flippers, and their victims --I mean buyers)! The flipper discussed replacing two end cap segments, but from what I saw, he paid someone $1000 to do a failed body job that included hammering out the dented segments, and then paid another guy $10k to shine up that turd. The interior redesign removed the vast majority of the storage space (in the interest of "opening up the interior"), plugged in some off-the-shelf looking cabinetry, a FUTON, and some tile in the bathroom. No mention of rot in the subfloor, and it was riding as low on the axles as it was when purchased.

Conclusion, most of the refurb budget was spent on making the exterior shiny, the flipper probably didn't break even if he included the cost of his own labor, and at the end of the day there is still a lot of work to do on this trailer.

I didn't watch the video but guessed this. And agree.

The trailer worth buying is still original. No matter if worn down. The template matters most.