Scrapping a used car

[MikeH]

Anybody scrapped an old used car?

I have a 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan that is been draining my money for about a year and I've had it.

Stalls intermittenly. I have a couple of options on why but all require additional troubleshooting and investment in electronics which I can't return if they aren't the problem. Airbag light is on. Rusting pretty bad everywhere, needs a new exhaust. All the window seals are popping off. Hood latch cable handle broke and I can't find the parts to replace it. Junk yards don't have anything this old.

Drive train is still decent (165K miles), new water pump, brakes good. Tires and battery new.

Local junk yard offered me $150. That's it.

Auto salvage guy said I could strip it and sell the steel or he would buy for $275 and strip it down himself.

If I donate it to charity can only deduct the value it actually sells for which would probably be only a couple hundred bucks.

Car is probably worth $700 if I get it running consistently but I"m afraid it will just keep breaking so not sure I"m gonna bother.

Just curious if anyone stripped a car for the scrap and how involved it is. I read a couple of very brief articles on how to do it but not very convinced it's worth it.

Looks like I have to remove the tires, drain all fluids and remove the gas tank. Not sure about the interior or glass.

If anybody has done this and can give me an idea on how much you could expect to get for it I'ld be interested to know.

[Ruffuss]

My hunting buddy had a 80's something Dodge 4X4 ext cab pickup he tried to sell for the better part of three years. Last spring he stripped anything he thought he could sell(radio, bed liner, cap, good BFG's, and converter) filled the bed with steel and old farm iron. Drove it to Eagles in 3 rivers and sold it for $1800. Did it in the spring when scrap price was up(Load limit still in affect, so no big truck loads of steel were coming in). You can call for prices weekly. Oh yeah he got $80. for the converter, $10. for the liner, $50 for the cap and $200 for the tires and wheels and put the radio in the tractor.

[bone]

if its goin for scrap, sit on it till next spring youlle double your money. not sure where prices are now but in march they were $240 a ton, usually summer prices are $110-$120

[ghiastein]

I have dropped of 2 cars at the scrapper.

YOU MUST HAVE A TITLE FOR A VEHICLE

My 86 GTI I had a title. All that I did was to remove stuff off of it that I wanted, loaded it on a trailer and hauled it away. I believe I received about $200 or so.

A Bus that I scrapped did not have a title. So I stripped everything off it then cut up the rusty body. I believe it was about 3 or so trips with the metal in my pickup bed. I believe I received about $150 total. I was afraid that not having a title they would not accept it but they did not care. It was just scrap metal to them.

Just FYI aluminum, copper, brass, and catalytic converters are valuable. It may be worth your time to remove certain metals if you can find the right place recycle them. They only want the certain metal if it has any other type of metal inside ex. Transmission. Only the aluminum is wanted not the gears or other stuff inside.

I purchased a set of tires and rims form a rolled over SUV for my Blazer for $75. New tires but thrashed rims. I recycled just the aluminum rims and got $50. So my slightly used tires only cost me $25.

[dansam]

Id cut off the roof off the van and make a beach cruiser out of it.
Hell its only going to get you 150 anyway. Have some fun with it.

[bone]

A title yes, THE title depends where ya go, and even that depends on how many times ya been there and if they know ya.

ive aquired extra titles over the years for cars ive cutup building oval track cars. i hauled in a 79 F250 earlier this year and they took a caprice title, once there crushed and on the semi all they do is count the cars and count the titles ;D

[drwingtipshoes]

Aug 2, 2010 15:15:49 GMT -5 MikeH said:

If I donate it to charity can only deduct the value it actually sells for which would probably be only a couple hundred bucks.

OK, Mike, first off, my degree is in accounting.

Just to make sure you are clear, you can only deduct the value of the car from your taxable income - NOT YOUR TAX DUE. So, depending on your bracket, you will only see 15-25% of your deduction going into your pocket.

In addition, since it's a charitable contribution it'll have to go onto Schedule A which means that unless you otherwise have enough deductions to exceed the standard deduction, you probably won't see a single dime, incrementally speaking.


I'd take the $275 and be done with it.

[bone]

dixie motor speedway in birchrun is having a 100 lap enduro on the 8 track oct 3rd, $750 to win ,$1000 if it can be done in a minivan! knock the windows out chain the doors shut and run it LOL, youlle get the same amount for it scrap if its folded like a taco from an intersection hit! ;D

i can hear the anouncer now " and here come the GOODVOLKS" chrysler minivan outa turn 2......"

[MikeH]

Aug 12, 2010 9:31:33 GMT -5 bone said:

dixie motor speedway in birchrun is having a 100 lap enduro on the 8 track oct 3rd, $750 to win ,$1000 if it can be done in a minivan! knock the windows out chain the doors shut and run it LOL, youlle get the same amount for it scrap if its folded like a taco from an intersection hit! ;D

i can hear the anouncer now " and here come the GOODVOLKS" chrysler minivan outa turn 2......"

hahahhaha that would be so cool. You just know though everyone would be gunning to T-bone me. Is it a figure 8? It's still got plenty of horsepower for straight runs but the shocks are debatable for 100 laps.

[MikeH]

maybe I'll save it for next years crash derby at the Hudsonville fair

[bone]

it is a figure 8, weve got 2 cars together for it, working on a third ;D

this grand am has won 4 flagpole races and an oval enduro
the delta we have dubbed the "canopener" there will be every kind of car u can imagine...bring the minivan, cost ya $25 to enter

[rx403]

i gave my old crown victoria to my mom to donate last year to volunteers of america last year and i think she got around 200$ seen it sell in the auction for the lowest price of 200$. it didnt start or run so a junker guy bought it and scraped it. i would go with what the others and saying and get it in the bump and run or what ever it is. then get rid of it ;D i get to play with cars like yours all day and am pretty good at diagnosing if you needed help.