Author Topic: Salvaging a car  (Read 5465 times)

Tempe

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Salvaging a car
« on: November 28, 2013, 12:58:39 AM »
I bought my first car 5 months ago, and as of yesterday after a meeting with a light post it might be a goner ( I was not in my car when it happened, and the driver is fine.) We are going to have someone take a look at it, but I am looking for experiences from anyone who has had someone else salvage a car for them before. How do you find out what is a decent price or what advice do you have? Besides the right front tire and right side where the quarter panel was shredded away the rest is intact (besides the tow truck guy stealing the intact left headlight that popped out) . I know there are some parts right off the bat that have decent sale price (because we just put the damn things in)

On the other hand, has anyone went ahead and salvaged parts from a vehicle to sell that you deemed non fixable? (We haven't had someone look at it, but generally damage like this costs the cost of the car if it can be fixed anyways.)

I also had no clue the tow truck would charge  250$ right off the bat because the cops called them *sigh* They take advantage of people being in shock, although I know they need to be prompt to move vehicles out of the way of streets. I had the minimum car insurance so I won't get anything for collision or the 300$ tow.

« Last Edit: November 28, 2013, 01:00:14 AM by Tempe »

Junior667

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Re: Salvaging a car
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2013, 02:05:13 AM »
What is the year/make/model of your car? I have had good luck selling wrecked vehicles on Craigslist, eBay and local classifieds. A lot of what will determine the value is how desirable that particular model is, it's scarcity and condition.

I wouldn't worry too much about that light, chances are all the mounting tabs were gone even if it looked intact.

You are right about the towing companies though, what a rip.  I had to pay for the tow and "storage" even though it had only been at their yard for about an hour until I got a trailer to pick it up. The cops even told me at the time I had to use the service they called. I'm sure someone enjoyed a nice little kickback for that "referral".

Tempe

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Re: Salvaging a car
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2013, 11:51:35 AM »
It's a 2003 hyundai sonata and was in good condition before. I might as well give it a try on craigslist and see what offers come in.

Yeah, the tow truck guy said he would have waited if another was on the way, but we didn't know it was so high.

Junior667

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Re: Salvaging a car
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2013, 08:43:05 PM »
I did a quick check on eBay and my local Craigslist and wasn't really coming up with anything.  Have you had anyone look at it to determine if it is repairable? Parts should be available at your local pick and pull since it is a common and slightly older vehicle. You may be able to get it back on the road and recoup some of your investment by driving it for a while longer.

Tempe

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Re: Salvaging a car
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2013, 10:48:53 PM »
We haven't had a chance for someone to look at it yet with it only being two days and with thanksgiving. I'm hoping we can this weekend. Thank you for doing your own search.

Bakari

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Re: Salvaging a car
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2013, 02:38:08 PM »
It doesn't matter if it costs as much as the cost of the car to have it fixed, it only matters if it costs more or less than it would cost you to replace it.
If it would cost more (including taxes and registration) to buy a new one, than you should get it fixed, even if it feels wrong to spend the car's "value" on repairs.  Convince the shop that does the estimate that you only need it functional, not to "look" perfect and new, and the repair bill may drop a lot.

On the other hand, if you can buy a cheaper car that still meets your needs, this may be a perfect opportunity to downgrade.

If you do replace, you can probably get a free quote from a couple local wrecking yards so you know what you can get for it if you just sell the whole thing all at once.  That can help you decide if its worth the effort to part it out.

Good luck whatever you decide


Tempe

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Re: Salvaging a car
« Reply #6 on: December 05, 2013, 10:41:25 AM »
Thanks for the reply. We had someone look at it today and it isn't worth fixing and or might not even be fixable beyond the damage they already tallied up. I'm going to make some calls and see what we can get.  If the quotes suck I'm going to move it to the backyard to part it out, I don't need the instant money from a salvage yard and I want to get as much money out of the car I can. With the two year registration I paid for 3000$ is going down with it if I don't

thurston howell iv

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Re: Salvaging a car
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2013, 11:03:11 AM »
Shop around on CL and ebay. I purchased a non-op car that had lots of good parts. I gutted it and sold most of the parts I could and stored a few. Towed the shell to the scrap yard and made an additional $300+... In all I've tripled my money and I haven't yet sold all the pieces.

Tempe

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Re: Salvaging a car
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2013, 03:47:05 PM »
Shop around on CL and ebay. I purchased a non-op car that had lots of good parts. I gutted it and sold most of the parts I could and stored a few. Towed the shell to the scrap yard and made an additional $300+... In all I've tripled my money and I haven't yet sold all the pieces.
I am planning to do the same. We are going to park it behind the fence in the yard and gut it.

Tempe

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Re: Salvaging a car
« Reply #9 on: December 05, 2013, 03:49:53 PM »
What about the person who was driving the car? I know if I totaled someone else's car I would want to do my best to make that person whole
It was my boyfriend that did it. He is going to be putting money towards a new car but I will need to chip in some money. He is going to be the one doing a lot of the gutting of the car with my help.