Am i doing something wrong???

OK i was just wondering if i'm doing something wrong far as finding junk vehicles. i been advertising on craigslist and Facebook. in my area the scrap yard is getting $123 a ton right now. so lets say most vehicles is ton and a half(1.5). so $123 x 1.5 would be $184.00 -$50 would be about $135 i would pay for a car at this weight. lately i been getting reply's from craigslist and Facebook claiming other people offering twice that amount like $350 worth!! so my question is how are those people making any money at junk cars when there paying more then what they are getting at the scrap yard scales? i been pulling battery's,cats,wiring,wheels,anything aluminum before i take it in. is it me or am i doing something wrong???????? how do i fix it if i am?
any ideas guy/gals?

Perhaps they are reselling parts , or using them to complete another car . There has to be a reason as to how they can pay a higher price . Perhaps they are being parted out online . A lot of end of life vehicles that we consider not worth fixing are welcomed with open arms in other countries . Could be that also .

These are all wild guesses as I have no idea of the exact condition of said vehicles . This should cheer you up

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...e.jpg1_201.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...e.jpg1_202.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...e.jpg1_203.jpg

Resale. If they can fix it up, then it's a $500 car minimum. If not, part it out. A good set of tires is $100 easily, plus you still have the whole car, more or less. If it's a late model car, then the parts have value. When my 1997 E350 box van died, I sold the gauge cluster and the radio on eBay for about $150 total. I sold some other bits and pieces, too.

If the vehicle runs and drives, it's a home run. I bought a 1986 Dodge Ram for $450. The was I see it- I bought a 360 and a manual transmission, and they threw in a free truck. That's the logic that others are using.

Scrapping something should be the last option. If you can sell a part for more than scrap value, it's always a good idea.

yes this is what i want to do eventually. right now i'm low on money so need to scrap some vehicles so i can earn some money to fix vehicles.
thanks for the info guys.

Parts yards like u pull it and Pick and pull have world wide networks + they are in it long term. The employees get paid every week weather they make money or not that week. Others are complete break down scrappers. In addition to the above options.

Down here Craigs list is full of cars and trucks that dont run for $1000 or more . cars that I used to buy all day long for $300/$500 before "Cash For Cunkers" are now $2500.

Yes parts and parts and more parts. I do a LOT of resale. I will pay curb weight by current rate and sometimes higher if I have a gut instinct parts will sell. You need room and about 6 months to hold, but everything sells. I just sold a donut from a car for 40 ship. Luckily it was close to home, so wasnt much to ship. If it was clear across the country, it would have been 20 bucks clear after shipping. But 20 bucks x 40 donuts in year...well do the math. I have a 93 caravan wheelchair van sitting outside. I paid 150 for it...about 180 across the scale. Got lucky there. But, motors and trans do still sell out of those. Radios, ecms, etc. Plus I got even luckier and found another 93 caravan that is not rotted like the wheelchair van except the rear axle assembly. So Im swapping the rear assembly over from this one, to the other. Bam 1000 beater van in a hour or less, with torches and air guns. All told, net investment 400 between the two of them. And still tons of stuff to scrap and sell. You have to THINK out of the box. A subtle hint. The wheelchair ramp already has bites on it in less than 48 hours for 200 as well. Even know I will have to cut the floor with the torch and give them a chunk of the floor with it. I advertised as a hidden electric ramp for a motorcycle or lawn mower for install in in a van. Or a covered trailer. Lots of bites now. Motto of the day, THINK OUT OF THE BOX! It can be pennies or thousands, its all how you make of it. A friend of mine just gave me a old lift chair couch frame. I really didn't want considering it is less than 3 bucks at current price. Then realized the lift actuators were selling for 100 a piece x 4 in the couch.....:>~~~~

TIP: Don't scrap a Geo/Chevy tracker, the parts have reached cult status like old Mustangs. any one near me Im looking for one for parts.

Agreed on geo....its the #1 go to car for backyard electric vehicle mechanics. I have only scrapped out four cars a 69 Buick a 87 caprice 03 Acura and a 94 geo. made at least triple $ on geo compared to other three..

so far this year i only scraped a 89 ford fastiva that had a blown engine. got about $90 for the cat just by itself! witch i was not expecting i was guessing somewhere around $40-$50 at best for the cat. but hey i like surprises like that lol. anyway i normaly look it over before i take it to the crusher if i can fix it i will long as nothing major is wrong with it. also my neighbor is giving me a dodge neon with bent frame and blown engine soon as she can find the title. she says she's tired of looking at it.

I agree with these guys. I normally pay twice scrap value if I know I can part for more or fix it and resell. I have gotten nasty calls from other guys buying for scrap, but hey that's how it is! Be careful though you can get burned if you depend on peoples honesty about engines and transmissions working!

Agreed- trust and verify. I've seen people also sell body parts to collision repair shops if the cars aren't dented up. The thing is to just think outside of the box.

Agreed- trust and verify. I've seen people also sell body parts to collision repair shops if the cars aren't dented up. The thing is to just think outside of the box.

Full article at Scrap Metal Forum: http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/vehic...#ixzz3bjpb39rZ

I always herd it'd cost an arm and a leg to use a shop like that...

Sirscrapalot - An on the 7th day he said.."Let the Coolers open!" and the people rejoiced.

I never use them. But, I know a guy who used to sell panels to one.

This is my version of collision repair:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8486/8...f6c3a06f_b.jpg

< /Redneck>

been awhile since i checked in lately. have not bought any junk vehicles for a while since the price at scrap yard went way down! not worth my time to take it over there right now, going to wait till price goes back up at least $100 a ton!! otherwise i will park them till it does. this winter it was like $30 a ton!!!! barely paid for gas,that's not going to work! i got maybe $65 for whole thing with car,cat,aluminum parts. but scrap price here has came up little bit! it went from $30 a ton too $78 a ton so far. i'll wait little longer till it hits a $100 a ton.

I can give you a free quote on any scrap cats you get.