Car Flip Profit Calculator
Put every cost in one place and see the sale price you need to break even, and what you keep above it. You enter all the numbers.
Updated October 2026. Runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
- Total cost in the car
- $8,559
- Break-even sale price
- $8,734
- Profit at this sale price
- $1,241
- Margin / ROI
- 12.4% / 14.5%
The formula
- Total cost = purchase + auction fees + transport + repairs + title and tax + (days held x daily holding cost)
- Selling costs = sale price x selling cost %
- Profit = sale price - selling costs - total cost
- Break-even price = total cost / (1 - selling cost %)
- ROI = profit / total cost; margin = profit / sale price
Worked example
- Example inputs: $5,000 car, $1,059 auction fees, $400 transport, $1,500 repairs, $300 title and tax, 30 days at $10/day, 2% selling costs.
- Total cost: $8,559. Break-even sale price: $8,734.
- Sold at $9,000: profit $261. At $10,000: $1,241 (14.5% ROI). At $11,000: $2,221.
FAQ
How do I calculate profit on a car flip?
Add everything you put into the car: purchase price, auction fees, transport, repairs, title and tax, and holding cost for the days you own it. Subtract that and the selling costs from the sale price. What is left is profit.
What is the break-even sale price?
It is the sale price where profit is zero: total cost divided by (1 minus your selling cost percent). Anything above it is profit. Anything below it is a loss.
Where do I get the auction fees number?
Use the Copart or IAAI fee calculators. They add the buyer fee, internet bid fee and flat fees for your winning bid. Paste the total into the auction fees field.
Is the result a promise of profit?
No. It is arithmetic on the numbers you enter. The sale price, repair cost and days to sell are the inputs that move most, and they are estimates until the car is sold.