Fixing a car before you sell it should raise its value. That is the theory, at least. So a small South African car crew decided to test it on a 2007 BMW 523i they had bought from the big used-car buyer WeBuyCars.
The crew behind @TheRustyPistonGarage call the BMW the long lady. After they fixed what was wrong, they cleaned it up and took it back to the same company to see what it would pay.
Why The BMW 523i Was Cheap
The host says they got the car for a low price because it had running issues. When they bought it, the engine was hunting at idle and struggling to settle. That kind of fault scares off most buyers, so it can mean a bargain for someone willing to dig in.
He says they paid about $2,530 for it in total. (All prices here are converted to US dollars at the Nov. 6, 2026 exchange rate and rounded.)
They traced the rough idle to a leak in the PCV system. Because the valve cover carries that system, they replaced the whole cover. On top of that, the car got a full service with new plugs, fresh oil and new filters.
As a final touch, they added a small black spoiler to the trunk lid. Then they gave it a cold start, and the host says it sounded pretty good. He also says it was the first car the crew had fixed up, so they were proud of it.
Adding Up The Bill
Before going back, he lists what the car had cost them. Registration came to about $80. The valve cover was about $180, while the service kit added another $100 or so.
All in, he says, they were at about $2,900.
He wanted a margin of about 20 percent on top, so he set his asking figure at around $3,600. To get an offer, he first filled in the company’s online form. For example, it asked how long they had owned the car, whether it had finance on it and what they hoped to get for it.
He also checked the company’s own listings for similar cars. However, he found the prices all over the place, from about $1,800 to about $4,200, so they gave him little to go on.
What The Buyer Said
The next morning a buyer from the company came out to see the car. According to the host, the buyer found the BMW already on the company’s system from before. He says the offer made before they bought it had been about $1,800.
“doesn’t matter the work we’ve done on the car or anything, they’re not willing to budge.”
Rather than accept that, he says the crew would advertise the car locally instead.
He says taking a loss of about $1,600 on it is definitely not worth it.
His conclusion comes from one visit, so treat it as his take. In his view, if you buy a car from the company and fix it, it will still not go above the original amount it paid. Still, the video shows only one evaluation of one car.
Lessons For Anyone Flipping A Car
- Work out your total cost before you list a car, including registration and small parts.
- A fix that matters to you may not change the number a big buyer uses.
- Get offers from more than one place before you decide.
- A private sale takes more time, but you set the price.
- Keep receipts, because they help a private buyer trust the work you did.
Where Things Stand
The BMW 523i is running well and still with the crew. For now, they plan to advertise it locally and see what a private buyer will pay.
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