Towing Yard Auctions = Cheap Parts Cars?

It has been a long time since I've been to a tow yard auction. Now that I'm looking around for a dead Ford truck it kind of makes sense to check them out again. I'm thinking the pickings might be better but then again more people might be at the auctions now. Anyone go to these anymore? There used to be one around the corner from my house but I'm not sure if they are in business still. The price of scrap steel might have driven everything through the roof. I'm guessing even the most beat car will bring $300.

I just bought a running Corolla for $80 but the bottom end of market does seem really poor lately.

In reply to slefain: $275- start bid, or tow companies can simply pull them to the scrapper themselves and get the money. Most cars go dirrectly to salvage, "valued" cars hit the auction, location dependant.

^ sad but true.

Luckily scrap is falling. At this point i hope it keeps on falling.. Seems like high scrap has utterly decimated the 0-$600 car market the last year or two..

Aaaahhh the days of the $90 Challenge car. If only you berkeleyers would've listened to us when scrap prices were low. And still, I have a buddy who makes a very good 'cash' living buying cars for half scrap value and squishing them. Crazy.

I'm glad I'm not the only guy who hates the squisher. It makes me sad, really, when someone tells me that they're crushing something. I mean, that could be a teenager's first car, our it could help out a struggling single mom. Donate it for pete's sake, but I hate to think of a cart or truck dying because someone is tired of it.

I need help.

BoostedBrandon wrote: I'm glad I'm not the only guy who hates the squisher. It makes me sad, really, when someone tells me that they're crushing something. I mean, that could be a teenager's first car, our it could help out a struggling single mom. Donate it for pete's sake, but I hate to think of a cart or truck dying because someone is tired of it. I need help.

Yeah... major accident damage, fire, massive rust, stuff like that yeah, pull whatever parts anyone can use and scrap the rest, it really annoys me when perfectly good cars go to the crusher though. They are paying over $1k for people to scrap running registered 80s cars here now.

yup the sub 1000$ car market is suck ever since the cash for clunkers thing...

have a friend that works for banks doing trash-outs on repossessed homes... she has a guy who will pull tow the cars away and give her about 2/3 scrap value... so she gets paid to clean up the lot and paid again to have the cars removed...

10 years ago I was given $75 for a car that I drove the the yard (had a badly blown HG but no one wanted it for that price at the time)...

Donate it for pete's sake

Anything that is easier scrapped than sold intact will still get scrapped after it is donated, and the charity will keep the money. That's how it works. Unless you're talking about donating it to a mechanic.

Are you looking for a solid body?

Copart might be your friend if you don't mind a little denting.