Can You Buy a Whole Car From a Junkyard

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• #1

I am in the market for a geo metro to drive back and forth to work. Yes, I am extremely cheap.

The problem is, it is hard to find any for sale for a reasonable price. The ones I find on craigslist sell like hotcakes and I am unable to buy one up in time.

That being said, I thought about going to the junkyard and seeing if they had one. Maybe if they had one with minimal problems (warped head or something), it would be worth fixing. Has anyone done this, and if so, do you recommend it to a fellow cheap redneck?

Feb 26, 2006

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• #2

Sure...or at towing companies. Often, you can get a running car that was towed or impounded and not claimed. Many junkyards get wrecked cars that only need a small amount of repair, fix them up and sell them. You may have to fight for a title (on impounded or towed vehicles) or get a salvage title, which makes the car hard to sell later, but for a hoopdie...it's a cheap way to go.

• #3

The 3 cylinder ones often burn the exhaust valves. Take the spark plug fitting off a compression tester and put it on an air bubble - quick way to diagnose if it blows straight out the exhaust and nowhere else. If you can find one with a burnt valve or two just whip off the head, replace them (normal head reconditioning) and you're on your way. Since you said warped head that seems like a job right up your alley.

• #4

Or you can buy a bike.

Or a moped.

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord

Oct 9, 1999

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• #5

Since you are asking a noob question, I'm going to assume you're inexperienced concerning car repair, and have few, if any, tools.

If that is so, you are in WAY over your head buying a car with major problems. Trust me on this. Repairs that seem theoretically simple will have you, "Proud to be a Christian", learning and employing a whole new vocabulary!

• #6

Originally posted by: huberm
I am in the market for a geo metro to drive back and forth to work. Yes, I am extremely cheap.

The problem is, it is hard to find any for sale for a reasonable price. The ones I find on craigslist sell like hotcakes and I am unable to buy one up in time.

That being said, I thought about going to the junkyard and seeing if they had one. Maybe if they had one with minimal problems (warped head or something), it would be worth fixing. Has anyone done this, and if so, do you recommend it to a fellow cheap redneck?

The fact that you consider a warped head to be a minor problem has me concerned. But for the sake of completeness...

In my state you need to seek a salvage title. To do this you have to undergo an inspection where the vehicle is determined to be road worthy. It's a bit of a pain in the ass, I see cars all the time running around that would probably fail this inspection. I myself drove several in that category in my day (think 80s GM cars, bleh).

Just keep your eyes peeled in your local classifieds and pick up a beater for ~$500 :thumbsup:

Jul 16, 2001

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• #7

..in the pre smog check days I've heard of people doing that. not since. the problem with any vehicle selling that cheap is passing smog.

Aug 10, 2005

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• #8

Christine came from the junkyard of LeBay's house.

Great music, bad habits never die. :evil:

:laugh:

• #9

Originally posted by: Perknose
Since you are asking a noob question, I'm going to assume you're inexperienced concerning car repair, and have few, if any, tools.

If that is so, you are in WAY over your head buying a car with major problems. Trust me on this. Repairs that seem theoretically simple will have you, "Proud to be a Christian", learning and employing a whole new vocabulary!

not exactly the case. Up until about 3 months ago i was a diesel mechanic.

how exactly is this a noob question???

• #10

It's a legit question. And if it breaks down he can just carry it home and fix it.

Feb 26, 2006

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• #11

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Christine came from the junkyard of LeBay's house.

Great music, bad habits never die. :evil:

:laugh:

GTREAT book, MUCH better than the movie...

Jul 11, 2001

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• #12

I remember hearing about a guy (or directly from him, maybe) who would buy a $50 car and just drive it until it died and leave it there.

Jul 11, 2001

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• #13

Originally posted by: Quintox
Or you can buy a bike.

Or a moped.

Or mofo skates, my favorite. Skates are so easy to take care of it's ridiculous. They make a bike look PITA.

• #14

You *can*, but you'd be better off buying a cheapo car on craigslist. If you get something that needs a new HG and do the work yourself, you can get a screaming deal, much better than at a junkyard.

• #15

Yea I see tons of cheap cars on craigslist.

That's probbaly the best route. Plus most if not everyone on craigslist is willing to wheel and deal!

Jul 1, 2001

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• #16

Doesn't anyone sell really cheap cars out of the newspaper classifieds anymore? My parents got my first car for $150 that way, and we ended up selling it for $250 the following year!

• #17

My friend was about to do that once. I think they were gonna offer maybe $50-100. The car had a few fairly minor problems but solid engine and transmission, so that's a pretty awful price for it. But he was able to find someone who wanted to buy it and fix the things wrong with it, so both of them got a better deal than if he had to just sell it to the junkyard.

Another friend was about to do that last month. He was graduating and didn't want to deal with his car since he was buying a new truck for work. He waited too long to just sell it locally so he had like two days before leaving town to get rid of it. Since he was only going to get like $50 from the junkyard for it, he ended up just giving it away to free to some guy. That was on like December 24, and the guy he gave it to had a young kid and just needed something for work and/or school, so I thought that was pretty cool of my friend to do.

It was a 1992 Lexus ES400 or something like that. It had 200,000 miles or so, leaked power steering fluid, was kind of beat up inside, and had a couple of other problems, but I think the engine and transmission was solid. He seemed to think it was worth no more than $1000, and more like $500 (if he had time to sell it privately), but damn I would've thought it was worth way more than that. Even with price of Lexus parts, it would've been a steal for someone who fixed cars. I'd think all fixed up it'd be worth at least $1,500!

• #18

If the title says it was "junked" or something similar, no, you cannot buy it and drive it.

Aug 10, 2005

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• #19

Originally posted by: BoomerD

GTREAT book, MUCH better than the movie...

Indeed. Christine's revenge on Will Darnell was much better in the book IMO.

Jan 11, 2001

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• #20

Yes, though with todays gas prices I doubt you'll find anything worthwhile there in that type of car. Most yards will piece together all the juncer econobox cars and resell them to small lemon lots for resale.

Oct 10, 1999

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• #21

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Sure...or at towing companies. Often, you can get a running car that was towed or impounded and not claimed. Many junkyards get wrecked cars that only need a small amount of repair, fix them up and sell them. You may have to fight for a title (on impounded or towed vehicles) or get a salvage title, which makes the car hard to sell later, but for a hoopdie...it's a cheap way to go.

I remember checking out an impound yard here way back in 1990. If you don't claim your car in 30 days, they get a title from the Ministry of Transportation. Buy the car from them and transfer the title.

One of the cars they had was a 1971 Dodge Charger R/T, 340 4bbl, automatic. They wanted $500 to get it out of the impound yard. It was in very good shape. I should have bought it. Sitting beside it was a 1970 Chevy Nova 2 dr, 307 , automatic and in very restorable condition.

• #22

Originally posted by: duragezic
My friend was about to do that once. I think they were gonna offer maybe $50-100. The car had a few fairly minor problems but solid engine and transmission, so that's a pretty awful price for it. But he was able to find someone who wanted to buy it and fix the things wrong with it, so both of them got a better deal than if he had to just sell it to the junkyard.

Another friend was about to do that last month. He was graduating and didn't want to deal with his car since he was buying a new truck for work. He waited too long to just sell it locally so he had like two days before leaving town to get rid of it. Since he was only going to get like $50 from the junkyard for it, he ended up just giving it away to free to some guy. That was on like December 24, and the guy he gave it to had a young kid and just needed something for work and/or school, so I thought that was pretty cool of my friend to do.

It was a 1992 Lexus ES400 or something like that. It had 200,000 miles or so, leaked power steering fluid, was kind of beat up inside, and had a couple of other problems, but I think the engine and transmission was solid. He seemed to think it was worth no more than $1000, and more like $500 (if he had time to sell it privately), but damn I would've thought it was worth way more than that. Even with price of Lexus parts, it would've been a steal for someone who fixed cars. I'd think all fixed up it'd be worth at least $1,500!

It's either an ES300 or LS400, BIGGGG DIFFERENCE between the two.

Feb 13, 2001

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• #23

Originally posted by: huberm

Originally posted by: Perknose
Since you are asking a noob question, I'm going to assume you're inexperienced concerning car repair, and have few, if any, tools.

If that is so, you are in WAY over your head buying a car with major problems. Trust me on this. Repairs that seem theoretically simple will have you, "Proud to be a Christian", learning and employing a whole new vocabulary!

not exactly the case. Up until about 3 months ago i was a diesel mechanic.

how exactly is this a noob question???

1) each junk yard is different
2) to most people doing this would not be worth it.

break out the yellow pages and you shall be enlightened.

• #24

Yes, you can buy cars from the junkyard. Just be aware that most of the vehicle that junkyards (by the way, don't call them junkyards to the owner or employee of one, they prefer "salvage yards" and the term junkyards are insulting to them) buy their vehicles at salvage auctions and the majority of the time they have a salvage title meaning the car cannot be registered and put on the road. When salvage yards buy a car with a salvage title, they usually only pay $100 or $200 for them. If the car has a good title, the price will go up 10 fold or more, and those cars go to salvage rebuilders who repair the cars and put them on "buy here pay here" lots.

And yes, I've been involved in the business for many years.

• #25

How did this 1 year old thread get re-awakened...???

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Can You Buy a Whole Car From a Junkyard

Source: https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/can-you-buy-a-car-at-the-junkyard.128995/

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