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Struggling to make bank in Used Cars Simulator
15.10.2026 15:05
✏️ Edited
Struggling to make bank? Here's a simple breakdown of how to flip cars and actually turn a profit.
You can start using this method from the very beginning of the game. The more you add, the more you earn. If you run out of cash for upgrades (under $1,000), just run to the gas station and clean the attendant's car for a quick grand.
Step 1: Buy low
Buy a car cheap. On the computer or tablet, check the listed value vs. market value. The closer those numbers are, the more profit you'll make.
Example: We bought a Sportwagen Wolf for $3,256 – down from the $3,618 she originally wanted.
Step 2: Repair and replace
Fix damaged sections and order replacement parts. Be careful not to buy extra windows and mirrors – they come with the doors but are listed separately. Don't order duplicates.
Step 3: Add extras
Buy stuff that increases the car's total value. With your 10% higher sell price perk, this pays off. Examples: 6x nitro, new tyres, new rims, top up the fuel tank.
Step 4: Clean and paint
Clean the car to 100% and repaint to 100% coverage. The colour and patterns don't matter for value, so go wild if you want. It's purely cosmetic.
Step 5: Photos and listing
Take 3 photos. (We haven't confirmed if fewer photos reduce offers, but it doesn't hurt.) List the car at the highest possible price without triggering the warning: "Price is too high you won't get any offers."
In our case, we set it to $7,000 and slept for a day to wait for offers.
Step 6: Pick the best offer
Choose the customer with the highest offer. Load the car onto the tow truck to avoid wear and fuel usage, then deliver it.
Step 7: Negotiate the right way
Once you reach the customer, park in the circle. Take their offer (in our case, $6,800) and multiply it by 1.1. We rounded up to $7,500.
If you start high and try to work down, they get annoyed and won't accept $7,500. So nail the right amount on the first try using the ×1.1 method.
Don't be afraid!
At the start, you're told to jump the car, which causes damage. Don't be afraid to joyride a bit – the dirtier and more damaged it gets, the more repair and cleaning work you'll have to do for the quest, and all of it is free.
Pro tip: The scrap pile respawns if you stop repairing below 75% and go pick up more. This lets you earn early skill points fast.
After repairing this beauty using this method, we ended up with:
Level 3 skill points
The maximum 45 scrap
No negative effects (aside from taking a little longer)
Spring cleaning!
After dealing with our friends at the bar, I gave the truck a quick water blast for that sweet free XP. Then I delivered it, picked up 3 piles of respawnable scrap at the power station, and went to the shed.
After pulling off the planks, opening the doors, and cleaning up some rubbish, I took a moment to check out the shed and pick up some leftover pocket money. Painted a new sign too.
That left me with:
$5,050 cash to start up
48 scrap
Level 4 before even buying my first car
Not a bad start, if I do say so myself.
Player skill points
At the start, you level up fast. Spend your first points on:
Sell cars for 10% more
Buy cars for 10% less
Everything else is basically optional, but the sale price determines how much XP you earn. If you wait to get these perks later, it'll take much longer to level up.
After getting to and cleaning up our garage, I had 3 points. I used them to get:
5% better buying price
5% better selling price
That gives us a 10% profit margin – with the goal of reaching 15% once we unlock the full 10% sell perk.
Purchasing our first car
After wasting some money on food and water we didn't need (thanks, tutorial), it's time to buy our first car.
The game wants you to inspect three parts to see the value change. I suggest skipping this in the future – it doesn't affect the price. You get a tiny amount of XP, but it's faster to just sell more cars.
This lovely lady has a car for sale at $3,618. Multiply that by 0.9 to aim for a 10% discount, and negotiate up from there. She accepted $3,256, leaving us with $1,779.
Time to get to work!
After seductively running our hand along the sharp exposed metal (and probably getting tetanus), we load our fancy new wheels onto the tow truck and head home.
Back at the shed:
Inspect the car
Buy the missing parts (again, don't order duplicates – doors include windows and mirrors even though they're listed separately)
I also bought 6x nitro at $300 each – purely for completionism. It raises the sell price by the same amount.
Once I dropped below $999, I headed to the gas station, cleaned the attendant's car for $1,000, and finished up repairs, cleaning, and painting.
That got us the next level and the 10% higher sell price perk. But we're not done yet.
Upgrade the car
Before listing it, head to the lady's garage (location shown on the map). Drive the car in and lift it with the lever on the right-hand side. Talk to the lady next to the machine.
Upgrade:
Tyres to Speedhawk Elite
Rims to NitroBoostX
These have the highest value, but feel free to experiment.
Drive carefully back to the shed, stop by the gas station to top up the tank for that extra price boost, and then:
Take 3 photos
List the car (the tutorial makes you enter a specific price – just hit enter and then change it before listing)
Sleep to wait for offers
Reap the rewards
After listing our car, we had a few too many beers and passed out. The next morning, we checked the computer and found a sweet list of offers – seems like she's a popular one.
The bottom offer was $6,800. Not bad!
We:
Packed up the car on the tow truck (avoid damage/fuel usage)
Headed to our first customer
Multiplied $6,800 × 1.1 = $7,480 – rounded up to a clean $7,500
We bought the car for $3,256 and sold it for $7,500, making $4,244 in profit, minus the $1,000 from the gas station cleaning.
Another way to look at it:
We had $5,050 before buying
Now we have $8,211
That's $3,161 profit on our very first flip
Not bad at all – and we now have enough to start looking at cheap flatbed trucks for even juicier profits.
Going forward
I'd prioritise the following skill points:
10% lower buy price
Paint car part
Reusable lockpicks (if you're planning some five-finger discounts)
Note: for stolen cars, you'll have to grind off the number plate and put an "almost legal" one from the lake camp crew.
Shed upgrades to aim for:
Upgraded water-blaster nozzle – so you don't need to spend skill points
Upgraded roof – gives better clearance and lighting to see cleaning and painting spots easier
Everything else is purely cosmetic from my viewpoint.
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