What am i doing wrong to get junk cars????

ok got ad up on craigslist and i'm getting calls. but when i get a call and they ask me what i will give them for there junk car? i look up the curb weight x what the price they're getting at the scale -100. and seems like there answer is ok thanks or they say they will call me back = no thanks in my mind.
for example this morning got a call for a 98 seville. looked up the curb weight which was 4,000#. my yard gets $205 a ton right now. so $205 x 2=$410-$100=$310. so i told the guy i would give him $310 for it. his reply was ok thanks then hung up the phone. to me that means no thanks!

i'm getting tired of my car trailer sitting in the yard empty not making me any money!
last year i got into junk cars late in the season but made some money. so far this spring i only found 1 car so far and that one i found on craigslist! for the most part nothing!! so what am i doing wrong? anyone have an idea? be honest because i'm trying to learn from it so i can make some money.

thanks
jmerritt

Jmerritt-
I remember not so long ago I was in your same predicament! I looked out the window.. I saw that trailer that I had put so much time and money into-- waiting to begin to recoup my investment. I was itchy.. and to make matters worse- the dude up the street was hauling in cars 2 and 3 A DAY.. I was furious! I know that feeling of "I just want 1.. 1.. ONE Dang car!" Keep planting seeds- keep using CL to hunt.. but seek alternatives as well.. let people know what you scrap.. and that you DO scrap.. Heck I'm now just as happy to put 1800lbs of stoves or refrigerators on that trailer that were given to me.. as I am a car I find, gut and scrap. Keep swinging man.. eventually. you'll fill that trailer.. maybe not in the time-frame you desire.. but somehow I have grown to be fine with getting what I can.. when I can. I'm Zen about it!

P.S. Do NOT be shocked to find out down the road that those calls- are just your competition calling you to see what YOU pay. I've baited them too. I took down a list of every "I pay CAAASH $ for cars" guy in my area. I then plopped a car on there at a cheap rate.. Phone rang off the hook.. got the names of darn near ALL of them! Keep those Phone numbers and hunt your CL area- bet you dollars to doughnuts they are your competition!

I never wait on calls.........I go out and get what I want or need.............Don't do cars to much competition so I focus on ewaste which nobody wants to put the time into.......Fill that trailer full of towers and it will be worth more than a car........Depending how old the computers are it could be worth 1000's in resale value............Just my opinion from a guy who has done both.............GOOD LUCK AND KEEP SCRAPPING

You may need to consider paying what you would get at the scale then the extras that you strip off would be the profit. Not many cars around Denver for less then $400.

Like Sledge said, I use my trailer and winch for much more then cars.

You're in a rural area. Have you tried stopping at farms or anywhere you see an obviously abandoned car? When my business gets short, I'll do those stops. I do find though that the farms with the most rusty machinery and vehicles are belonging to a hoarder who won't part with ONE THING !! I have friends like that who I've known all my life. The guys are in their 70s and have TONS of stuff they'll never use but won't part with a thing.

I was fortunate to fall into a job recently and hauled many loads of bigger stuff from the outside, but a 150 ft building is full of this kind of stuff from an estate. (Pic below). Much will go to scrap. You might consider scrapping from buildings also. Don't just concentrate on cars. I helped gut a doctor's office last fall. Much copper and even useable wood products. Not many of us can handle a job like Patriot is doing, but there are smaller ones that you'll come by.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4...D550/ry%3D400/

I got into buying cars last year. Found out real quick that the profit margin wasn't worth the effort. The only way to make a good amount of profit was to sell parts. I wasn't interested so bought and sold enough to pay for the winch I'd bought and quit trying for them. If someone calls me with one, I'll make an offer. Usually they'll have gotten a better offer and that's fine.

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Originally Posted by sledge42

P.S. Do NOT be shocked to find out down the road that those calls- are just your competition calling you to see what YOU pay. I've baited them too. I took down a list of every "I pay CAAASH $ for cars" guy in my area. I then plopped a car on there at a cheap rate.. Phone rang off the hook.. got the names of darn near ALL of them! Keep those Phone numbers and hunt your CL area- bet you dollars to doughnuts they are your competition!

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ya thats kinda what i have suspected here lately.

Referrals are the the best way to generate customers. Referrals are the goals of any large corporation. Pay people for every car they send your way. Make sure your mother's cousins step brother has your cards. Everyone at your church, local bar or kids school knows what you do. There are hundreds of ads on craigslist but when someone says "Why don't you call my buddy he hauls cars" your going to get a call.

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Originally Posted by KzScrapper

You may need to consider paying what you would get at the scale then the extras that you strip off would be the profit. Not many cars around Denver for less then $400.

Like Sledge said, I use my trailer and winch for much more then cars.

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i mainly do junk vehicles. but i do metal and aluminum as well when i get the opportunity. just picked up 2 push mowers,and about 10 pieces of the old 50's style metal gutters. just tossed the mowers in my scrap pile for time being till i can get around to them to check and see what kind of condition they are in.

What I mean by pay people is every time you buy a car give them a card and tell them; "anyone who gives me your name and I get a car from, I will pay you 10$"

i just took in last years stock pile. had 2 batterys,3 converters,pile of aluminum,little bit of copper.
what i ended up with was-
clean shred scrap 1,331#=$136.43
catalytic converter (1)=$31.00
catalytic converters(2) $64 each=$128.00
no.2 copper 2#=$4.34
yellow brass 1#= $1.53
aluminum 101#=$45.45
electric motors 62#=$9.30
batteries (3)=$20.00
all said and done ended up with $378. needed the money so i took in my stock pile from over the winter.

You need to figure your best and worst case scenario on the vehicle and price from there. A 1998,Seville would bring $470 scale price here, plus $56 aluminum wheels, and a $160+ converter. So if I were buying that car I would price anywhere from $425-475 picked up.

Jmerrit, I've never bought anything in 5 years of doing this. I haul strictly on shares....50/50. There may be more competition in your neck of the woods, but there are established scrappers around me and I'm busier than they are. Seems like they've been dishonest in their dealings and the word spreads. Once you establish yourself as an honest hauler/buyer/whatever, you will get more business. Good feedback travels as well as does the bad. If you're able to load them, look for collections like you see in this picture and go for it, but don't take those out of Stormin' Norman's dancehall.
:cool:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3...D550/ry%3D400/

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Originally Posted by Yunkman

Jmerrit, I've never bought anything in 5 years of doing this. I haul strictly on shares....50/50. There may be more competition in your neck of the woods, but there are established scrappers around me and I'm busier than they are. Seems like they've been dishonest in their dealings and the word spreads. Once you establish yourself as an honest hauler/buyer/whatever, you will get more business. Good feedback travels as well as does the bad.

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Yunkman-
I've done this as well. Gone for the Split. I do the haul, Gut and core.. I keep receipts and show him the final turn in on all materials- give him his 1/2.. everyone is happy!

Lately hauling appliances and scrap in general has been pretty good. I've made an extra 300$ a week for 3 consecutive weeks with FREE scrap! Only time and fuel spent. As for a vehicle there is almost always an initial investment. Sometimes scrap is easier than doing a car, but I'll take what is available. Pickers can't be choosers. Now back to painting and repairing my car dolly, I've got cars waiting!

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Originally Posted by Yunkman

but don't take those out of Stormin' Norman's dancehall.


http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3...D550/ry%3D400/

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thats what i been trying but around here they seem to hang on to them even if they don't run or drive why i don't know.
ya i could not do that to Stormin' Norman's cars! there to nice to do that with.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave

Lately hauling appliances and scrap in general has been pretty good. I've made an extra 300$ a week for 3 consecutive weeks with FREE scrap! Only time and fuel spent. As for a vehicle there is almost always an initial investment. Sometimes scrap is easier than doing a car, but I'll take what is available. Pickers can't be choosers. Now back to painting and repairing my car dolly, I've got cars waiting!

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SuperDave: You and I must have been separated at birth! Yup.. Last thing that got ran in on the trailer was 1800lbs of FREE appliances. I'll take $200 bucks for free ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!

Man oh man you have to pay for cars to get cars in most areas.Them days of getting cars for $200 is long gone in most places.LIke i always say you have to pay and if you dont want to pay then you wont get nothing.
I will tell you i do this for a living and never by from people i buy strictly from auctions and pay more than most but i make good money doing it.I will list the last 5 i bought and the profit i made.
2002 ford taurus 425 2 honeycombs 55 or so each
2002 dodge intrepid 475 2 wire 45-50 each
1995 jeep cherokee 355 after market converter 7
2001 ford taurus 475 honey combs 55 or so each
1993 buick lesabre 355 gm 108 i think
2000 dodge durange 425 chrysler 80 or so i think.
2001 chevy impala 384 empty converter
Plus the batteries and aluminum wheels and alts.
I made around $900 that week.

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Originally Posted by Focker

Man oh man you have to pay for cars to get cars in most areas.Them days of getting cars for $200 is long gone in most places.LIke i always say you have to pay and if you dont want to pay then you wont get nothing.
I will tell you i do this for a living and never by from people i buy strictly from auctions and pay more than most but i make good money doing it.I will list the last 5 i bought and the profit i made.
2002 ford taurus 425 2 honeycombs 55 or so each
2002 dodge intrepid 475 2 wire 45-50 each
1995 jeep cherokee 355 after market converter 7
2001 ford taurus 475 honey combs 55 or so each
1993 buick lesabre 355 gm 108 i think
2000 dodge durange 425 chrysler 80 or so i think.
2001 chevy impala 384 empty converter
Plus the batteries and aluminum wheels and alts.
I made around $900 that week.

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I was just at our areas largest auction. Its twice a month. 700+ vehicles. Had a large drive through building, 3 lanes with continuous bidding. Not one car went for less than $700 bucks. A 1999 dodge caravan was the lowest at $700. Plus 10% buyers premium! It was nuts. One truck was an 07 silverado. 289k kms on it. Auctioneer didnt know where to start. He obviously starts high at 15k. No bites. 14k nothing. 13k still nothing. So he says OK where do you want to start! Someone yells "11k!" He was the only bid. Not one other interested person. He started the bid way too high and payed way too much. Plus he had the 10% buyers premium! I can get the exact same truck, just as clean, with 100k less kms for right around 10k. And no premium. So auctions here arent a great place to get scrap!

Edit: A 2008 silverado with almost 150k LESS kms went for the same price as the 07! But it started at 4k. And went up from there. People who start bids high arent too bright IMO. Start low and go from there. The fact nobody else even touched that truck at 11k tells you something LOL

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Originally Posted by Focker

Man oh man you have to pay for cars to get cars in most areas.Them days of getting cars for $200 is long gone in most places.LIke i always say you have to pay and if you dont want to pay then you wont get nothing.
I will tell you i do this for a living and never by from people i buy strictly from auctions and pay more than most but i make good money doing it.I will list the last 5 i bought and the profit i made.
2002 ford taurus 425 2 honeycombs 55 or so each
2002 dodge intrepid 475 2 wire 45-50 each
1995 jeep cherokee 355 after market converter 7
2001 ford taurus 475 honey combs 55 or so each
1993 buick lesabre 355 gm 108 i think
2000 dodge durange 425 chrysler 80 or so i think.
2001 chevy impala 384 empty converter
Plus the batteries and aluminum wheels and alts.
I made around $900 that week.

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So you figure curb weight and converters then battery and other non-ferrous is profit?

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Originally Posted by sledge

Yunkman-
I've done this as well. Gone for the Split. I do the haul, Gut and core.. I keep receipts and show him the final turn in on all materials- give him his 1/2.. everyone is happy!

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Amen to that and no cash outlay either. I do that arrangement whether it's cleaning out a canyon in the pasture, a shop building, barn or a vehicle. A guy yesterday helped me load 1.53 ton of shop scrap by hand and then wouldn't take anything for it. Got $160 per ton for it today.
The job I'm presently on is an estate and the son keeps giving me items that I'm interested in. I'm feeling a little guilty at this point. There's nice people out there....what goes around / comes around..!!

I look at a car and i know about what it will bring by its weight.Then i fixer what the wheels cat batt and alt are worth and thats my price.

finally! got one lined up for tomorrow. its a 2001 chevy malibu claims it don't run and starter is out. i may just try fix it instead of crushing it if it don't take too much work to get it running. will look it over and go from there.

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Originally Posted by jmerritt

a 2001 chevy malibu

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I am still getting $180.00 a ton >> That car should scale at 3000#
So I would be paying $250.00 if they had Keys & title
Some of the Malibu's have Aluminum wheels >> I would toss an extra $50.00 in the pot if it did

with pick and pulls advertising 4 and $500 a car, it is hard to get some one on a realistic price these days. most people dont consider your profit and don't care. after all your just a scrap person.

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Originally Posted by olddude

with pick and pulls advertising 4 and $500 a car, it is hard to get some one on a realistic price these days. most people dont consider your profit and don't care. after all your just a scrap person.

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I have a Pick and Pull less then 10 miles from
Pick-n-Pull » Locations
I have found that when the Car owner calls me for a price, I explain to them that the price I give over the phone is the price I give when I get there
and that all they have to do is hold there hand out so I have a place to count / put the Ca$H
and I can be there in about an hour or less
and my best line is I take the cars with no titles that Pick doesn't

Experience has shown Pick pays with a check and sometimes wants to lower the price when they see the car
I am basing the price on JUNK where they want to sell parts off the vehicle

they had the car listed for $400. but i got them down to $300 cash in hand! before i haul the car off to the scrap yard i may want to see if i can't fix it first. if its something simple or easy to fix. said something about the started not working. far as i got when i got it home was put set of jumper cables from my truck to the car to see what it does. sounds like all its doing is making clicking noise coming from the starter. has a dent in the fender(between door and fender) i may let the buyer fix that. tail light broke,center console tore up. might just go to my local junk yard and get the parts cheap. i looked the car up on kelly bluebook and in fair condtion its worth $2,600 if i can get it fixed. and i got a title for it as well.

right now price is on the low side. its about $195 a ton here when i called them monday. so i want to see if i can fix the car first before i take it to the scrap yard.
if i can't fix it then i will cut off the cat and pull the starter,alt,bigger wiring,aluminum pieces,doors, good fender,hood,trunk. toss the air bags and computer on ebay

cars are getting harder to get now days...i always price them at 100 dollars less than my estimate of what the car will bring..i have always done it this way and dont plan on changing any time soon....i never add aluminum wheels or converters into what i offer for a car....in my area it is rare to get a car with a converter on it....even if it has one there is no guarantee it will not be burnt out some or busted up.....

latley i have had some luck hauling cars off for folks....what i mean by that is....if they dont like the price i offer them,,i will then say..well i will haul it in for you for 100 dollars...as long as its fairly easy to get to and isnt burried 5oo yards up a holler at the end of an old logging road.....ive probably hauled in 10 in the last few months on this deal and it seems to please alot of folks......also this way i strip absolutley nothing from the cars, all i do is drill one hole in the tank and thats it..so its alot less work on me....i also deduct 20 dollars off the top for gas on every load....

well so much for the plan on fixing it. more wrong with it then the seller told me! just found when i put about a gallon of gas in the tank. the fuel tank has a big leak at the bottom of the tank. thats more time then i want to spend on this car. so looks like i will cut off the cat,remove the battery,take off the starter and alt,remove the bigger wiring,take off the doors,1 fender,hood,trunk,pull air bag and computer,and tires/wheels(has new tires on them) then rest go's off to the scrap yard.

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Originally Posted by jmerritt

well so much for the plan on fixing it. more wrong with it then the seller told me!

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shocked i tell you >> shocked!!! :)

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Originally Posted by JohnC4X4

I explain to them that the price I give over the phone is the price I give when I get there
and that all they have to do is hold there hand out so I have a place to put the Ca$H
and I can be there in about an hour or less
and my best line is I take the cars with no titles that Pick doesn't

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I am the same way, always tell them that as long as the car is complete that the price I offer is the price I will pay, no changing the price once I get there.

I always try to get the ownership but if they don't have it I wright out a receipt and make sure to have there D/L number on it since when I take them in I have to fill out a "no ownership" form with my info.

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Originally Posted by jmerritt

well so much for the plan on fixing it. more wrong with it then the seller told me! just found when i put about a gallon of gas in the tank. the fuel tank has a big leak at the bottom of the tank. thats more time then i want to spend on this car. so looks like i will cut off the cat,remove the battery,take off the starter and alt,remove the bigger wiring,take off the doors,1 fender,hood,trunk,pull air bag and computer,and tires/wheels(has new tires on them) then rest go's off to the scrap yard.

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I wouldn't let a fuel tank leaking stop you there. Jb weld works great on fuel tanks provided the tank is completely bone dry. Hit er up with the jb weld and let it set for 2-3 days, I'm yet to find one it couldn't fix.

Imagine my shock too ! Always figure on the car being a complete pos because there's always more wrong with the car then they'll admit. Unless its a Conplete steal, I always eyeball them very good and point out every single thing I can find wrong with it. Especially good for these chuckle heads who like talking on what the blue book value could be if it did run and drive and wasn't a complete piece of crap.

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Originally Posted by JohnC4X4

shocked i tell you >> shocked!!! :)

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really no i'm not surprised at all

tater I recently bought an 01 montaa for $180 and she kept telling me "it could be worth over $1k if I fix the radiator, new battery, new tires, new rear suspension, a few lights...". I said I will pay $180 cash in hand right this second. (she needed money asap and was going to have to get the title for $25 at dmv to sell to any junkyard around, which only offered 250) so I ended up getting it. Any car "could" be worth KBB amount, but throw a 90's to early 2000's vehicle on for blue book price and I can almost guarantee it WILL NOT sell. No matter what it says, the value is in the eye of the consumer.

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Originally Posted by jw7783

tater I recently bought an 01 montaa for $180 and she kept telling me "it could be worth over $1k if I fix the radiator, new battery, new tires, new rear suspension, a few lights...".

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My bank account would be worth a grand too...if I put $999 into it.

and my latest haul. not a junk car but its money! this is just the first load going in monday. turned my car trailer into a junk hauler. built some sides that are removable so now i can do both! this is just the first load! not all of it fit so i have 2 loads left. and guy says he still has some in the barns and such he has not gone through yet. he's trying to clean his place up.

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/P1010290.jpg

I just finished one from last Friday. I gave 8 bucks for all aluminum canopy to get my toe in the door on one this Friday. Left my name number with him, 10 acres of an old nursery, take all metal scrap for free if he calls. I went to a new outlet today and got .20# for my steel, and yes I am going in as soon as I can with more.

there definitely some weight in there. when i put it in gear i could notice a difference the way it was pulling and the trucks gas pedal was more down to the floor then normal.
lol. be interesting to see what the weight scale says at the scrap yard monday.

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Originally Posted by KzScrapper

My bank account would be worth a grand too...if I put $999 into it.

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Too funny ! I'm gona start using that line ALL the time just so you know.