To Scrap or Not To Scrap
Question:
My 96 Grand Cherokee in otherwise good condition stopped running last week
and the shop hasn’t figured out how to restart it – some complicated
electrical problem – so would like to know how to sell it for junk and how
much to expect for it. The “sold by owner” blue book value is $4500.
Thanks.
Answer:
I question how complicated the issue is, and maybe the garage is jumping the gun a little bit. If there was a major melt down in the wiring harness, I could see you looking at scrapping the car, but if it’s something a little less severe like a blown fusible link, or bad solenoid/starter it’s worth fixing. I don’t know anything about your repair shop, so I don’t want to say anything negative, you will have to make the call on their competency.
If you are comfortable with the shops diagnosis and it’s going to cost you over $1,000 to fix then you have a few options…
1. List the car as a “Mechanic’s Special” in your local paper/car trader.
2. Put the car on Ebay as a “Mechanic’s Special”
3. Sell it to a junkyard in your area as a whole vehicle.
4. Part it out and sell pieces on Ebay or Locally.
The problem I see with trying to sell it as parts is the time involved with removing the parts, and I don’t see the demand for those parts being very high. If the vehicle was a classic car or truck, selling it in pieces on Ebay or even locally would be worth your time.
Selling the car as a mechanic’s special would be the best way in my opinion to get the most money from the vehicle. A competent shade-tree mechanic could diagnose or replace the wiring harness and have a good running vehicle for a small investment. I would ask $2500 – $3000 for the Jeep if you sell it this way. Selling it this way on Ebay does not make a lot of sense, unless you find a local buyer, as shipping a non-running vehicle is more expensive.
If you want the least hassle, sell it to a local junkyard and let them haul it from the garage. I do not know what price they would be willing to pay, but you can check www.car-part.com for an idea of what major parts are selling for. (engine, transmission, axles, interior, hood, rear hatch, and doors) By checking these prices, you can get a good idea of what kind of money the junkyard would wring out of the vehicle. Take 75% of that value and that would be a good starting point for negotiation.
Good Luck,
Kevin
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Posted: 21st August 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Selling Your Car
