Update: What’s the Best Place to Find Junked Cars Today?
It seems that everything about cars is changing today, usually moving to apps. You want a ride somewhere, you fire up an app. You want to buy a car? Ditto. And if you want to scrap a car or donate it to a charity, you can manage all the details online and before you know it, a tow truck shows up and hauls your car away.
Yes, things are changing. But here’s a surprising fact. Despite all the change, the best place to buy a scrapped car or pull one apart is still the classic American institution known as a junkyard. Or, if you want to be modern about it, an “automotive recycling yard.” Cars you donate to charity usually end up in auctions, not in junkyards. But just about every other car that anybody wants to get rid of ends up in a junkyard. And if you are looking for car components that contain gold, platinum, silver, and other scrap, a junkyard is the place to go.
And those junkyards can be found near where you live.
How to Find Junkyards Near You
Thanks to the Internet, it is easy to find some in your area. There are a few ways:
Search for “Sell My Car” or “Sell Junk Cars” and see what comes up.
Search for “Automobile Scrap Yards” or “Automobile Junk Yards.”
What Components and Parts Are You Looking For?
The days are gone when you will get your biggest payback from catalytic converters because just about all the junkyards on the planet have already contracted with specialty companies that collect and process used catalytic converters.
Similarly, battery packs from hybrid and electric cars are almost always sold to specialty recyclers before “man in the street” reclaimers like you every show up at a junkyard’s front door.
But you can still make a lot of money by collecting other auto components that include:
Gold-bearing electronic components of many kinds including onboard engine and fuel-injection management computers.
Trip computers.
Dashboard touchscreens and displays, which can contain small quantities of rare earth metals as well as silver and gold.
Audio systems.
Recharging ports and components from plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars.
How Can You Take Ownership of These Parts?
The days of the classic old junkyards that let you crawl around and pull parts off of wrecked cars are quickly fading into the past. There are plenty of reasons. One is that junkyards need to observe strict environmental laws that monitor how they dispose of the parts of the cars they are dismantling. Another is that junkyards want to protect themselves from lawsuits that can result when people get hurt on their premises. But if you are lucky, you might find a “classic” junkyard that will let you roam through the rows of junked vehicles and pull out the electronic and other components you are looking for.
Today, it is more common for you to negotiate with the owners to buy lots of components that they have already retrieved from junked cars. You can, for example, buy bins of electronic components. Just remember that in order to buy scrap that is worth recycling, you need to know what you are looking for, which requires you to be educated. In general, buying components that contain circuit boards is a good strategy. But do be ready to negotiate on price! If an owner wants to sell you a bin of electronic components for $100.00, offer to pay $50.00 and see where negotiations go. Remember that junkyards make money by selling what they have, not by holding onto it. So a cash-on-the-barrel offer can help you obtain those parts at a low price point that can result in greater profits when you recycle them.
When You Buy Automotive Scrap, Call Us at 800-426-2344
Our recycling experts are waiting to answer your questions. So call us, tell us what you have, and we will tell you your next best steps. We can test your automotive scrap and pay you promptly for the precious metals they contain.