How to buy a car part from a junkyard
I grew up next to a wrecking yard. But can you believe it? I’ve never bought anything from one. GRS-reader matildaben wrote to share a question she posted at AskMetafilter:
Should I get a car part at a junkyard/salvage yard/auto recycler, and how do I go about it? I need a side mirror assembly for a 1998 Nissan Sentra. Should I get it at a junkyard? […] Would it be worth it to drive over 30 minutes each way just to save $50-$100? Are junkyards scary? Should I bring a male friend with me if I go to one? Any other tips and techniques to make the transaction quick and painless and economical?
Apparently, junkyards are a great place to save money, and they’re easy to use. Commenters noted the following:
- Junkyards are not scary.
- “Call around to all of them and find out what the best price is, and then ask the one who’s closest to you to beat it.”
- Dress appropriately — you’ll probably get dirty.
- Bring your own tools to get the part off the car.
- If you don’t know much about cars, bring someone who does.
- Getting a part from a junkyard can save you money, and give you a feeling of accomplishment.
One person wrote:
“It’s a piece of cake — fun, even — except you might find yourself wandering acres of cars before you find the Nissan you need […] I’ve spent a lot of time around such places and must have looked pretty out of place too, but junk yards aren’t anything to be afraid of, and you’ll save a lot of money.”
If you really want to know how junkyards operate, check out this detailed response. (Or check out this photo essay about a trip to a junkyard.)
I’ll have to try the junkyard next time I need a car part. If you’re curious about them, too, then bookmark Junkyard Locator and Used Wrecking Yards (which has a state-by-state listing of yards).
Caution: This site notes that many junkyards are cash-only.
[AskMetafilter: Guidance for buying an autopart at the junkyard]
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There are 14 comments to "How to buy a car part from a junkyard".
The only junkyard I can recall dealing with that wasn’t cash-only was selling parts through eBay.
Also, not all junkyards allow you to take parts off yourself – I’m not sure if this has to do with insurance requirements, or just that they don’t want people who don’t know what they’re doing to destroy what would otherwise be salable parts. When you call ahead, you may want to check with them. The upside of not pulling the part yourself is that you’ll spend less time at the yard (although the part will be more expensive). The down side is that you don’t get to see how the part comes off, which can be tricky, especially for things like side mirrors that mave cable routed from them, through the doors, to interior controls.
Most junkyards, good ones anyways, are extrememly busy and the operators are fairly well stressed, what with phone calls non stop and all.
I have found you have to be SUPER patient and polite with these guys, but if you are, they will hook you up with info and/or a reduced price if you ask them nicely.
If you go into a junk yard in a hurry and expecting it RIGHT NOW, don’t bother.
And yeah, you probably need to bring some tools, tho some yards have a guy from the shop come out and get the part for you.
If you go back in the yard, watch out for snakes. Seriously.
If your into restoring old vehicles, junk yards are great. The places around here are cash only and they will charge you more if you want them to hunt it down and take the part off for you. Most of them are computerized {here} so they can tell you if they have that car and or part. I have also found that calling around for prices and then telling the closest one “never mind I found it for this price here” {be truthful}, will get you a better deal as they want to out do one another for repeat costumers.
I’ve purchased parts for my old car at the scrap yard and saved hundreds. Especially if the car you’re looking for parts for is a few years old you’ll probably have an easier time getting the part than if you were to try getting it new. Just make sure you’ve got the tools and know how to take the part off.
There’s some good advice about junkyards from Car Talk’s Tom and Ray here:
http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/Recyclers/
After I got my new car, my boyfriend made the comment to me, “Now I know why so many old cars in Junkyards have new parts on them.” (I got the new car after we had spent about $500 in new parts.)
If you’re not really up for running around to try to find a part, a good alternative to the junk yard is http://www.car-part.com. You can search for all sorts of parts and it will list junkyards that have that part for sale and at what price. When my father and I rebuilt my 2003 salvage impala, we used this site to find many a reduced-price part.
The only problem is that you can’t check the quality of the part before you buy it and have to go on the operator’s word that the part is good. Most places will let you return a part if you’re not satisfied, but you might want to ask before you order. And if you end up returning something, you’ll of course be out the shipping.
One recommendation I can add – if you use sites like ours (Car-Part.com) to locate a part, it is generally better to call the yard than to send an email. Even though they are online, many are not the most technical savvy, and tend to rely less on email. Besides, they would rather talk to you to make sure you are 1) asking for the correct part and 2) the part you are asking for is for the right make/model/year etc.
I LIVE IN WESTMINSTER MARYLAND AND I GO TO AN AWSOME JUNK YARD THAT HAS EVERYTHING INCLUDING CORVETTES. I GO THERE EVERY WEEKEND JUST TO LOOK AROUND. IT IS SO MUCH FUN. I ALSO BRING MY TOOLS. I HAVE A 1996 DODGE INTREPID AND I NEEDED A NEW PASSENGER POWER SEAT TRACK FOR IT AND I WENT TO LOOK FOR IT AND FOUND IT. THEY HAD 13 DODGE INTREPIDS. I LOVE JUNK YARD SHOPPING. IF YOU LIVE IN WESTMINSTER MARYLAND I STRONGLY RECOMEND PETRY’S JUNK YARD
you should find a new capslock key in the scrap yard to replace yours, it appears to be stuck.
This is really very useful and helpful in saving money for everyone. Recently I purchesed parts for my car from scrap yard. This is excellent idea to save money on purchasing used parts rather than new parts. Really you shared a great information, keep up blogging.
Junkyards are a boon to auto owners! I needed to replace a the controller on the back of one of the fans that was part of an assembly on my VW Passat. I couldn’t find anything but the whole assembly anywhere and it was running for 300 to 400 dollars. I called around at some wrecking yards and found one that had a Passat. I was able to just pull out that little control box that I needed and payed hundreds less than I would’ve otherwise.