Options For Scrapping Your Car

We see so many people scrapping cars and posting pictures through one of the many Facebook groups out there it really is nuts! Cars are one of the easier and definitely, one of the most common items to scrap and that should not be surprising…considering they are everywhere!

A lot of people try to figure out where the value of cars come from and how sometimes they are worth more than normal Light Iron, and there are so so so many reasons to like scrapping cars. The thing is it is not always easy to know how to move them and cash out efficiently on them.

We are going to go over (in a few different posts), some of the best ideas that we have found while scrapping and talking to scrappers.

Suggested Reading: Face It, Your Car Is Ready For Scrap Heaven

Moving Cars – Different Options for Scrapping

Since 2010, the average car weighs about 4,000 pounds (it was about 3,200 pounds back in 1987, that’s a 25% increase…hooray for more scrap!), and that 4,000 pounds would be worth a whopping $350 or so dollars in scrap (up and down of course, but let’s just go with $350). That $350 value is only based on the price of the scrap of the car, not the overall value of the parts, the catalytic converters, and other parts, but none of that matter unless you can move them easily.

We have talked to a lot of scrappers who have different ideas from using tow trucks or even driving the car directly to the scrap yards themselves. So here are a few ideas on how to maximize the transportation costs of scrapping a car, truck, or any vehicle.

Tow Trucks

This is one of the easiest options due to the tools that are on the tow truck, namely the winch and pulling ability of the sliding body. Tow trucks are all over the place but unless you own one, they can be expensive to hire to just scrap a car. An average tow truck will cost about $100 within 10-20 miles, and often can me a hell of a lot more if in a major city or if the haul is much further mileage wise.

If you are one of those guys or girls that own a tow truck, this can make your scrapping life much easier because you can absorb part of that towing cost of hiring someone and just do it yourself.

You have to think that the towing company or the individual who owns that tow truck has to be able to cover wear and tear, fuel costs, as well as profit and $100-200 is not a far cry from what it should or will cost you when getting that car towed.

Drive It In

We have heard many stories about people picking up vehicles that are still running and they drive them right into the scrap yard themselves. One of the problems with that is whether or not the cars are registered. We know that many of you may take the chance and drive it yourself, but we never like the idea of doing something that could get you in trouble (and that would hurt the value of that sweet scrap car after you pay the toll!!!).

Buy A Car Trailer

There are used car trailers out there that you can put an entire car onto it for about $1500-2000, or you can buy a new one for $2500+ depending on the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating).

You could even get a winch on there to make life easier for you when scrapping. While buying a trailer may not be the best option, it is a great tool to have especially if you plan on doing a lot of scrap cars or trucks!

Partnering w/Scrap Yards

Some scrap yards offer towing services and will not charge as much for the towing of the car or truck because they will be able to make money on the scrap. These scrap yards will most likely want to take some amount of money off for the tow, but we have heard that it is sometimes half as much as it would be to hire a normal tow truck.

Some scrap yards will even waive the towing fee within 10-15 miles, especially if that scrap yard is also an auto wrecker. You have to figure that they would want to have more parts and vehicles on hand for people to buy parts off of, and this would be a great option to find and partner up with.

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Scrapping cars is always great, just don’t forget that the transportation and logistics costs are always going to be higher then normal scrap like aluminum cans, computer towers, or copper and that’s because, well, cars are just bigger!



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