KyleStar
Tenderfoot
- #1
Thread Owner
So my wife and I finally got rid of our old beater last month. It sat in the driveway for a year and with a three-year-old running around, I got tired of looking at it. Figured I'd share what I learned about how the payout actually gets figured, since the first two yards I called were hundreds of dollars apart.
The big one is curb weight times the current scrap steel price. For a real clunker that is most of the payout right there. After that comes the catalytic converter, which can be worth more than the rest of the car depending on the model. Then the small stuff adds up: aluminum wheels pay way better than steel, and the battery, alternator, and copper wiring each have their own value.
A few things that move the number up or down:
- Clean title in hand vs no title. No title usually means a lower offer, or a flat no.
- Complete car vs stripped. Pull parts first and the yard just deducts for it.
- Local competition. I called three yards and the quotes were all over the place.
- Whether they tow free. A tow fee quietly eats seventy five to a hundred bucks off the top.
Before I called around I came across a junk car value calculator that estimates the scrap value by car type, and it kept me from taking the first lowball offer. Worth running the numbers yourself first so you know what a fair quote looks like.
Anyone here sold one lately? Curious what you got and whether the cat converter made the difference.
The big one is curb weight times the current scrap steel price. For a real clunker that is most of the payout right there. After that comes the catalytic converter, which can be worth more than the rest of the car depending on the model. Then the small stuff adds up: aluminum wheels pay way better than steel, and the battery, alternator, and copper wiring each have their own value.
A few things that move the number up or down:
- Clean title in hand vs no title. No title usually means a lower offer, or a flat no.
- Complete car vs stripped. Pull parts first and the yard just deducts for it.
- Local competition. I called three yards and the quotes were all over the place.
- Whether they tow free. A tow fee quietly eats seventy five to a hundred bucks off the top.
Before I called around I came across a junk car value calculator that estimates the scrap value by car type, and it kept me from taking the first lowball offer. Worth running the numbers yourself first so you know what a fair quote looks like.
Anyone here sold one lately? Curious what you got and whether the cat converter made the difference.
