Man takes massive risk by buying 2018 Fiat Van sight unseen from eBay for $938 to see if he can make a profit

Anyone who’s tried flipping cars knows an eBay car can go either way, and this 2018 Fiat Van was no exception.

YouTuber 110.Octane rolled the dice by buying the van sight unseen for just £770 (around $938), fully expecting things could go wrong.

With no roadworthiness certificate, poor photos and a vague listing, it looked like the kind of advert most people would scroll straight past.

Instead, it turned into a winter road trip filled with crossed fingers and cautious optimism.

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The van has seen better days

Collecting the Fiat van felt like a test of commitment.

It all started with a four-hour total commute in freezing conditions, which is never ideal.

The situation was made worse by the realization that he left his OBD scanner behind, which he needed to check whether the car had any issues.

Given that the used car didn’t come with a roadworthiness certificate, the missing tool added quite a bit of stress.

Still, first impressions weren’t all bad.

While the car’s interior has definitely seen better days, the seller was friendly, and helped him clear out the back of the van.

The seller was friendly and helped him clear out the back of the van, and even threw in a set of spare wheels.

Before heading home, there was one big hurdle to clear: the roadworthiness certificate, or also known as an MOT in the UK.

Missing rubber pads on the clutch and brake pedals meant an instant fail, so a last-minute Screwfix run and some creative trimming were needed to get things compliant.

Thankfully, a late-night MOT slot in Birmingham saved the day, and the van passed without drama.

The Fiat van went through a remarkable transformation

Back home, he got to work cleaning up the eBay car.

A leaking battery had left acid damage on the driver’s seat, forcing a replacement, but a £50 ($67) scrapyard seat did the job nicely.

A new battery, basic service, tyre swaps and a deep interior clean completely transformed the van.

The old Fiat Van quickly became a presentable, solid-looking vehicle with surprisingly good bodywork for its age.

Suffice to say, this might be one of the most satisfying car transformations we’ve seen thus far.

Crucially, some of the biggest red flags from the listing turned out to be overblown.

While the listing said there was oil loss, it ended up being within normal manufacturer tolerances.

And there was no insidious reason behind the lack of MOT either; the previous owner simply outgrew the van, and decided to keep it parked away.

The bad photos and poor description definitely didn’t invite many buyers, but this created an opportunity for the YouTuber.

With minimal spend and a quick turnaround, the numbers told the real story.

With just under £1,300 ($1,750) in profit, his gamble paid off, proving that flipping cars successfully require guts.

Follow his journey by watching the full video below:

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