I've been crunching the numbers for scrapping cars. It looks too good to be true.

Your costs time gas tools storage time insurance time etc

80's cars have the most Copper in their wiring loom.
All those fancy gadets, jappa cars.... Best seemed to be a honda, mid '80's again.
Getting the wiring looms out is tough work, even when you get good at it.

BMW's are so easy, once you do one, you relise they would be sooooo much safer in a car crash.

Selling the parts is the way to make money, crash bags, starter etc etc, electronics, all of it.

I was walking to the shops and went past two guys standing in their driveway beside a car chassis.

"Waddayah doing with the car?" I asked.
"Scrappers gonna pick it up in a hour" they said.
"Would you mind if I got the wiring loom, I'm doing them at the moment?" I said.

"Nah, go ahead, I got some tools here" was their reply. I think they just wanted to see what I did, and fill in time.

So I start. They become interested, we talk, talk prices. They decide to remove the Ali head.
I ask if they "want the starter?". Since removing two bolts, then the Copper cables, is easyer than loosing the cable bits I cannot get too.

"Yeah OK, might sell it on TradeMe" Our ebay site.
"Oh, Debbie has a TradeMe account" one says, about the owner of the property.
He gets the starter, walks inside, ten minutes later comes out with some softdrinks and a grin......

"I just sold it!"
"What? Just then?"
"Yeah, TradeMe has a 'parts wanted' area. As soon as I typed it in, it came up as 'Wanted'.
Got $130 for it, minus $20 for post and I gave Debbie $10. I have $100 cash, they both have TradeMe accounts.
She gave me the $100.
He was going to have to pay $350 new, $180 second hand, $130 for mine.."

Sweet as..... I got my loom, $.
Guy 1 got the alloy head $.
Guy 2 got $100.
Guy 3 got a cheap starter $
Debbie got $10.

That's scrapmetal for you. Everyone wins.

Originally Posted by zeusophobia

It looks too good to be true, somebody tell me if it is.

So I buy a car at auction for $200-$300. I take all the copper out, call that a bonus, and I scrap the car for $400 or more.

Steel is $195 a ton and the average car weighs 5,000 lbs. I get even more if I go for a truck or van, less if I'm stupid and buy a Fiat.

So what the hell am I missing? This looks like easy cash, and I read in the newer cars there is upwards of 40lbs worth of copper.

The average car is not 5000 lbs, more like 3000 lbs. You need to find the curb weight not the gross weight.
I use these two links to look up curb weights. Does anyone have other links?
What is curb weight
Vehicle Specs Database | ARAS 360
Chris

Originally Posted by Immulmen

The average car is not 5000 lbs, more like 3000 lbs. [/url]
Chris

What Chris said
AND
Watch your scale price
It has been dropping last couple weeks
Down to $140.00 a ton here in the Boston Ma area
and still dropping

Originally Posted by zeusophobia

It looks too good to be true, somebody tell me if it is.

So I buy a car at auction for $200-$300. I take all the copper out, call that a bonus, and I scrap the car for $400 or more.

Steel is $195 a ton and the average car weighs 5,000 lbs. I get even more if I go for a truck or van, less if I'm stupid and buy a Fiat.

So what the hell am I missing? This looks like easy cash, and I read in the newer cars there is upwards of 40lbs worth of copper.

I can tell you one thing you are missing and that is a clue.
The average weight for a car is no where near 5k lbs lol More like 3000-3500 on average.Also it will and would take awhile to strip out all of the copper.
Again cars sale for more at auctions and then you have fees on top of that.

So sounds to me like you need to start crunching on some more numbers!!!!!!!!!!!!

you have to go by knowledge all of them websites with supposed curb weights arent close.

Originally Posted by Focker

I can tell you one thing you are missing and that is a clue.
The average weight for a car is no where near 5k lbs lol More like 3000-3500 on average.Also it will and would take awhile to strip out all of the copper.
Again cars sale for more at auctions and then you have fees on top of that.

So sounds to me like you need to start crunching on some more numbers!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also there may be 40lbs of INSULATED copper but even in the summer time when prices where good you would be lucky to get around $1lb.

Originally Posted by Focker

you have to go by knowledge all of them websites with supposed curb weights arent close.

Like Milked >> Below is the one I use and almost always plus or minus a 100 pounds

Originally Posted by SuperDave

Hoegh Cube Display

john that thing is way off lol