Has Anyone Parted Out A Car?

sunflower-n-ks · #1 03/12/10, 01:58 PM

I have a 90 Geo Prism, which was made by Toyota and is the same as a Carola. Was an extremely reliable car. Had some mechanical problems that I didn't get all taken care of and it has sat for over a year. Mice got into it and tore up the inside. The front end is wrecked, but still drivable. High milage.
It has 4 tires with only about 1 k miles on them. A battery that was used for maybe 50 miles and a tune up not long before it started its untimely retirement. The only mechanical thing I know needs to be done is an alternator. Doubt if it would sell for much as it sits.

The neighbor hood boys offered a bit for it to junk, I could keep the tires and battery if I want. 13 inch tires are next to impossible to find used around here. Should sell for something.

I wonder if parting it out would bring more money. And if so would it be enough more to be worth the trouble?

Danaus29 · #2 03/12/10, 02:15 PM

Depends on demand and your location. We're still trying to sell a tranny and block from our '91 E-250. A few calls but obviously no takers. I would probably try posting it as an undriveable parts car. Mom sold her Metro that way. There were a lot of people wanting to drive it home (with a broken frame) so it took longer to sell since she wouldn't sell to those people, but it sold within 2 weeks and she got what she asked for it.

wendle · #3 03/12/10, 02:53 PM

You might try ebay, craigslist, or see if there is a local online auction you could sell on .
If I knew you were close I might be interested in those tires. Try looking on ebay , type in the year and model of your car, see what parts come up, and prices.
I have bought parts for my 89 and 91 civics on ebay, partly because they are getting harder to find. Body parts, wiper motor, block, seats, motor mounts, etc. are worth something. It just depends if you want to spend the time to take them off, advertise, package, and ship them.

sunflower-n-ks · #4 03/12/10, 03:25 PM

I am in EC KS. From looking for used 13 inch tires for it I know there are almost no used ones in this area. Even some places have to order in new ones.

With both the engine and tranny good in it it should be worth something. All glass is good except the windshield which is cracked.

Before I let the boys take it I will advertise it. I can catch a couple of bigger city's ads since I am between them.

blufford · #5 03/12/10, 03:54 PM

The headlight switch sells for 150.00. Ebay past sales show a motor that sold for 400.00. Fuel Pump 60.00, Axle assemb. 53.00 and AC compression 35.00. Your newer battery and tires have got to be worth at least half of their retail. You have to decide if you want to do the work and whether its worth it. When you get through selling parts then you should be able to get scrap price for whats left.

The last several beater cars that I have retired have been listed on Craig's List for several hundred dollars and have sold within days. They were also barley running.

**clovis** · #6 03/12/10, 05:37 PM

Don't forget the catalytic converter. It could be worth $$$. Check ebay for completed sales of Toyota catalytic converters.

OntarioMan · #7 03/12/10, 07:36 PM

Well, I think the keywords are "worth the trouble". There is no doubt that the parts from a car are worth far more than the car, the problem is finding buyers, removing the parts, shipping (if required), etc.

Around here, in the rust belt, you may sell parts for later 90s and newer, but there are almost no early 90s vehicles left on the road... aside from say sportier cars and some trucks.

What I do is advertise the entire car, as it sits. If the only offers I can get are from scrappers, then I pull good tires, stereo and good battery and scrap it.

If that headlight switch is worth $150, definately keep that. Door mirrors are sometimes easy sells as well... and they're easy/cheap to ship.

OntarioMan · #8 03/12/10, 07:39 PM

Metros are the latest "cult car", with a fairly large following... kinda like the old VW Beatle. In many places, there is quite a demand for Metros, running or not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danaus29

.... Mom sold her Metro that way. There were a lot of people wanting to drive it home (with a broken frame) so it took longer to sell since she wouldn't sell to those people, but it sold within 2 weeks and she got what she asked for it.

**clovis** · #9 03/12/10, 10:14 PM

Definately cut the catalytic converter off and sell it on ebay. They sell for $$$. Make sure you put the words "scrap catalytic converter" and "import". You cannot list the make of the vehicle in the title or description due to EPA regs, but not to worry, the scrap CC buyers will know exactly what it came from.

The CC alone should bring at least $100, and they are easy to remove.

sunflower-n-ks · #10 03/13/10, 04:34 AM

Thanks for all the information.

What happens to the motor when it is scraped? Is it part of the weight value or is taken out to sell separate. Or, could I sell the engine and still scrap the car? I see the boys go by with what looks like only the metal body of cars on their trailer. Gotta admit it looks like from what they haul by they have cleaned up a few farms of junk.

Looking at the local Craigslist, there are some fix/scrap cars listed for several hundred dollars. As much or more than older running cars.

The metros do sell high here also. And very quick. There are frequently ads for the older prisms also and the price stays up fairly high. Not as much as the metros. Comparing the prism to the metro that a neighbor has, the prism is much, much the better car. His is always in the shop for a new engine, or other costly repair. Besides the usual upkeep, the prism had a timing belt go out. That cost because I was 30 miles from home on the highway.

OntarioMan · #11 03/13/10, 08:24 AM

The engine is just more scrap weight and gets crushed/shredded right along with the rest of it.

Basically, you can scrap anything made of metal. A car with an engine, without an engine, a car with 3 engines in the trunk and 2 transmissions in the backseat, whatever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunflower-n-ks

What happens to the motor when it is scraped? Is it part of the weight value or is taken out to sell separate. Or, could I sell the engine and still scrap the car?

wendle · #12 03/13/10, 11:15 AM

If the block is aluminum then you will get more per lb. than steel. Bad part is that to get the best money out of it you have to remove all the steel , this means every bolt, bracket, pistons, and it could have steel sleeves to remove as well. If the engine runs I would try selling it first before scrapping.
There are plenty of folks out there fixing up the little cars like that. I know it's getting harder and harder to find parts. Body parts are worth something too if you are willing to take them off. You could also try posting the entire car on ebay, and would probably get more than for scrap.

**clovis** · #13 03/13/10, 11:28 AM

Yeah, definately...if that is a running engine, it is worth more as an engine than as scrap, but you already knew that.

sunflower-n-ks · #14 03/13/10, 12:36 PM

When the car was parked, it was running. There was a problem that I had conflicting opinions on the cause of. Now I think it was both the battery and the alternator, plus needing a tune up. I am 30 miles from nowhere and new to the area with some slightly unfriendly vibes here. Anyway the car had left me in a dangerous situation on the hiway at night and I felt I needed a safe vehicle and it was middle of winter to boot, so got another vehicle. Also an old thing, but plenty of room to haul feed. Anyway, that left the car to deal with. It got the tune up and a new battery and then needed the alternator. Had not figured out how to get that put in it. It has been started and run but not driven as it is no longer tagged. I have no reason to believe the engine is not good, or anything else on it except the alternator. My brother referred to the engine as a "little aluminum one" so I will assume that is what it is.

It is great to know what some of my options are now though. Wish I had someone to work with to get it parted out. I knew there had to be some value in parts, I didn't realize they are potentially worth as much as they are. One of the boys that offered to buy it has been after it for a while and he offered me more than they normally pay. That tells me something also. I bet if I sold it to him within a week he would be driving it.

It has been a reliable and fun car to drive and allowed me to have a job driving that paid enough to save to buy my little place out here.

**clovis** · #15 03/13/10, 04:14 PM

The parts are pretty easy to pull, IMO, at least for the most part.

To get good money for the engine, it needs to be running, so a buyer knows they are getting a good motor. I think I'd leave it in the car until it was sold, and possibly hire someone to pull it for you (after you've been paid), or discount it. "$350 if I pull it, $200if you pull it", or something like that.

ChristieAcres · #16 03/21/10, 03:20 AM

My DH has parted out cars, stripped them, etc... for years. Right now, he has three cars that were given to him, and is expecting two more. Everything he does requires hard work. Since he was trained as a mechanic, in addition to being a welder/machinist, it sure helps. What he doesn't sell out of them, he will deliver himself for scrap. I'd save myself the headache & sell the vehicle whole to the highest paying buyer. It wouldn't matter to me if someone else had to work hard and could fix it, then using it for transportation. Especially, if I couldn't fix it, myself, or couldn't afford to pay for it to be fixed.

GoldenCityMuse · #17 03/29/10, 11:30 AM

If you have time & are mechanically inclined, you can scrap it out yourself. If you work full time on something else, then sell at all at once, and be done with it.

Wis Bang 2 · #18 03/29/10, 12:01 PM

A freind of my dad scrapped cars. He would remove the running gear and run the rest over w/ a track loader & stack 'em on an old flatbed to go to the scrapper. Once a month a guy came in w' a pickup w/ a compressor and small crane. He would dismantle the engines and transmissions into the individual metal components filling multiple 55 gal drums which made their own trip to the scrap yard.

We scrapped a few cars at the local scrap yard, they had to have the gas tank removed -or- drained and punctured...since dad knew the guy, we also got the chance to strip off a front end, once, to fix a smashed 70 Nova...

sunflower-n-ks · #19 04/05/10, 08:32 AM

The car has been started. It started on the first try, and runs great. If I get the alternator replaced, I will probably keep it. It appears that the mice did not get into the engine. (Sigh) another ?? driving the old thing........ oh well. It will need a muffler and brakes worked on, but still cheaper than anything else old and used.

Thanks everyone for some great information

**clovis** · #20 04/05/10, 08:39 AM

So why not just fix the car? An alt should be a cake walk to repair.

If you need a second car, I'd definately keep it.

FWIW, sometimes you can score a brand new rebuilt alt on ebay for a fraction of the auto parts store cost.