I have known about a junk 71 not to far from my house for years. I get a call today from a friend of a friend who owns the car. I was asked if I am interested in buying the car. Now I don't have any pictures, but there isn't any place on this car that is not rusted with BIG holes in it. It has stock steel wheels, NO sway bars, trashed seats....... The good would be straight rear bumper, fog lights and a near perfect dash and misc small stuff. I offered $200 because I know that here in Indiana that would be the max any junkyard around here will give him. He said that he called around and was told he would get $500 for it from the junk yards.

Now I know he won't and the most will be $200 once they deduct for the tires and interior parts. I told him I am firm at $200 and wished him luck. He seemed a little miffed that I wouldn't match the $500 price he thinks he will get. Anyway, I hope he gets the $500 for it, but don't think he will.

So this got me wondering what are junk car prices like around the states?

Scrap value around here, was 9 cents a pound last time I checked. Sounds like your $200 offer is about right.

I went to look at a non running 72 awhile back. You could smell the varnish from 20' away. all stock 1.7 none of the interior was any good. The targa top was off all winter. it was sagging, the sail trim was dinged, the bumpers were trash. I offered the guy $200.00 thinking I would maybe get a use-able transaxle and maybe some misc. stuff. The guy was totally insulted. Thought it was worth $ 500.00. Didn't even counter offer. He told me it was a gift and the person that gave it to him paid $ 1500.00. There's one born every minute. As far as I know it went to the scrap yard as it wasn't even on his property and the property owner wanted it gone.

You see these cars in the classifieds all the time with zero or super low post count by the seller. Maybe $ 200.00 worth of parts, chassis it toast and the cars are 800 miles away. They always seem to be listed over a grand and often over $1500.00.

I did get the vin though.

I got this one for free. Complete with a 5 lug setup. I had to provide the wheels to make it roll. It was mostly stripped and I ultimately cut it up due to rust. But I did sell the suspension...

But... I'm in California, the land of 914's...

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Scrap value here is 11 cents a pound for a stripped car....13 cents if complete.

You have to look at each car individually. I always evaluate based on parts. If the car was a complete 2.0 with the 4 lug Fuchs I would pay up to $1000 based on parts value.

Sounds like you could have gone to $250 or even $300.... But, no more unless the engine ran

Junk cars around the east coast are now called "project" cars and are all overpriced. Usually around $1,500-$2,500. Running cars that still need a lot of work seem to be ~$5K.

Local scrapper here advertises 225-500$ per car, obviously based upon weight.
If a scrap car has parts on it that you need then replacement parts value comes in play. Rubber Seals and the seal trim can be a goldmine if you are in need and find a junker with decent stuff. Also, sure is nice to take a part off a junker, walk three feet and put it on your car. No thought involved.

Really makes you appreciate how much time is spent by the autobody guys putting the little stuff on after a complete paint job !!!

PullAPart or what ever gave me $320 for a non running 944, I kept the 15x7/8 Fuchs. I bought it for $500 Craigslist.

I wonder if the state gives them something for buying up the older autos ?????

Thought I read where, for every pre-emission car they took off the road they could sell the emission credit to coal burning utilities, heavy industry, etc...

I didn't "need" any parts, it was more about saving some good parts to sell and make a little money to support my 914 habit. If it would be easy to just pull his car from a garage up on my trailer then maybe I would have offered $300, but its is sunk in the ground to the pan (what's left of the pan) behind a barn and is full mice and other crap. Not worth the effort in my book for a rusted out 71 1.7 tail shifter, now if the body was in good shape, maybe a running 1.7 well then I would offer the $500, but it is not.

I agree with you I do have a better appreciation for what body & mechanic's go through to get these and other collector cars on the road. I have learned a lot over the years parting these and other cars out.

Cars around here are usually rusted in half, no floors, the lids are either rusted through or caved in from the weight of 5' of snow and ice sitting on them, holes through the fender tops and sail panels. The rubber parts are junk and the engines are mouse nest infested and rusted and corroded. Bumper chrome is rusted and peeling, bumper tops look like cellulous on a fat chicks legs. None of the anodizing on anything will have survived. If you can get a tail light or head light cover set and a few small items your doing good.

So what are you buying really. Then you store it until you have time to pick over what's left or spend 8 hours removing crap and boxing it in hopes you can maybe refurb some stuff down the road. Then you spend gas hauling what's left to the scrapper.. All cars are a little different but that's the most likely scenario around here.

When I scrapped the SVX a few months ago (just a shell really) it was about $.10/lb. If it's disintegrated $200 is very fair.

Don't know the owner or the car. This is in Tigard (TYE-guard), a short distance southwest of Portland, OR. The price looks pretty good if all the car needs is motor work. I dunno if I'd say it is a junk car by any means. If I were in the market, I'd look at it but one is enough for me. Nice looking garage too.

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/cto/3780594003.html

This car is a great deal if it's not rusty,

i dont pay any more than 200 for any junk car. and thats with the intentions of fixing them up and driving them. the only car iv ever payed more than that is my 911.