parts car questions.

[TonyO]

Honestly I won’t have much in the car, I’m buying it for a few small parts to use on my cutlass, and I’ll stash a lot for down the road. I’d be excited to just break even on it. There is serious damage to the floors. I haven’t crawled around it too much because I can see what I need. If I don’t buy it, it will be at the crusher in a month.

I’m fortunate that I live outside of city limits with a ton of room and cool neighbors. So there’s zero problems there. My wife really never gives me grief when I buy cars to part out because I Atleast break even and get parts I need. I’ve parted out 15ish cars over the last 10 years to support other projects so she’s used to it by now. The downside to it now is Uncle Sam wants his cut from eBay sales, so I’ve cut ties with that. I’d rather sell to members on a forum anyway.

You all are exactly right. The market prices have sky rocketed in the last few years. I just got a cutlass and paid probably waaaayyyy too much for it, but I wanted it and it was in great shape. I couldn’t buy a similar mileage throw away Kia for double what I paid for that 79.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

While having a parts car or two to work with can be desirable, the ugly mantra, location, location, location, usually rears its head at some point. Scoring a parts car is just the start of the battle, You have to be able to stash it somewhere and better be living in a rural setting or the neighborhood NIMBY patrol will be pounding on your door and whining at you about eye sores and planning violations and complaints and by-law officers and all that officious drivel.

The other source of protest will be your significant other. Unless she is an all out car nut then any acquistions that you make just become triggers that will send her into complaint mode. If you have a budget stashed for a buy then better make sure you have at least as much also on hand to spend on the house or furniture or paint or a vacation or something else typically found on the appeasement list.



Nick

Some US counties tax parts cars the same as if they were whole running cars.

 

[Ribbedroof]

Well I haven’t tried to roll the windows down in that car yet. Got it towed home and it’s sat there since. I assumed the whole window comes down? But I’m wrong all the time so I’m not sure. There’s no 1/4 window though.

If it looks like this, the switch is for the window behind the door. If not, reallly would like to see a pic of the car.

 

[TonyO]

If it looks like this, the switch is for the window behind the door. If not, reallly would like to see a pic of the car.

That’s the car, I guess I shouldn’t have said 1/4 windows, I meant the small vent glass that the Malibu had.

So how does that operate? Does it actually roll down, or does the motor just crack it open like the manual ones in my cutlass?

 

[Ribbedroof]

Yes, a power version of the manual vent glass that swings out a little