What to do with a good car you can't drive????

[beezapilot]

In that long ago on the farm we had "doodle bugs", clapped out cars that were used like golf carts today. Heck, we had a chopped school bus that we used as a big ol' flatbed.

[Texas by God]

Before ATVs, we used to take unwanted running cars and cut the top off and remove all the doors. Giving us a “Hoopy” to roll around the countryside in. The deputies laughed and told us that he better not see it on the Highway!
As said above, someone will buy it as is.

[Rapier]

If it is a loved vehicle, Texans have been known to be buried in them, just saying. MS they use them for farm decos on highway 45. Folks and cars. Course at the beach, they get made into a buggy for beach duty.

[farmbif]

the catalytic converter alone is probably worth more than any scrap yard will pay you for the whole car or you could just call
cars for kids.
https://www.kars4kids.org
tell them Stevie T sent you

[fixit]

It's been years since I've driven a car to the junkyard, but I've never had those restrictions placed on me! On west side Indianapolis, you can check out zore's, on east side, brother's, and in the past, they have had best payout for drivable junkers. I agree with the statement that you've been contacting the wrong kind of salvage yards.....you want auto specific yards.

[Iowa Fox]

It's crazy to think just how bad the salt is out in the midwest and northeast during the winter and just how much damage it does to vehicles.

When I moved to Iowa, I could not believe the devastation on vehicles just a couple of years old. When I sold my `66 F-100 out there, I advertised it as rust free. I got a call from a guy that refused to believe that it was rust free. I told him we don't salt the roads in Idaho; we sand and gravel them and use snow tires. (back in the 90's in Iowa, I couldn't find a tire shop that sold snow tires. It was weird.)

The guy showed up and crawled underneath the truck with a flashlight, then scooted back out and said he couldn't believe it. Paid me my asking price.

It is bad.

Roads are crumbling, bridges are spalling with re-rod hanging out, garage floors are etched out to the aggregate, concrete steps to the houses are crumbling in a lot of places. New vehicles just a few years old with rust holes from the inside out.

It's a lot of depreciation expense.

[45DUDE]

My son has a 4 wheel drive. Shop quoted $1800 labor just to replace the motor. Comes out from the bottom. $3800 total. He passed and junked it. He loaned it to a neighbor to go to work and the water pump belt broke and she kelp driving. It just turned 70000 miles. It brought $500.

[warren5421]

I am not a car guy so now have an idea where to take it in Indy. 5 body shops said they wouldn't touch it due to liability issues as nothing to weld to.

[T-Bird]

I donated one to "Kars for Kids". They will come get it, give you a receipt, and you get a tax write off. They help drop-outs get back in school. Heard about it on sirius radio. 1-877-Kars for Kids. Picked mine up the day after I called them. Doesn't have to run- mine didn't.

[Bazoo]

I had a couple junk cars. My wife put them on Facebook yard sale thing and sold them. One, that didn’t run, but newer brought $250 no title. Just parts. The other, the bronco I wrecked, $100 bucks. Regretted seeing that go as it ran til it set a while. But it was I just 2x4. I had emotional attachment to it and held on about 4 years after I wrecked it. Still regret selling as I’d like another.

Anyways. Facebook market place sometimes has folks looking for scrap cars.

There ain’t no inspection here in KY, long as it runs and stays in your lane, folks drive it.

[GregLaROCHE]

the catalytic converter alone is probably worth more than any scrap yard will pay you for the whole car or you could just call
cars for kids.
https://www.kars4kids.org
tell them Stevie T sent you

That’s exactly what I was thinking.

[45_Colt]

Been down this road, not difficult. Find the nearest automotive recycle yard. Find the title.

Carefully drive the car to the yard and drive it right onto the scale. Leave it running, grab the title and head for the office.

They will want to see some ID, have you sign the title, get the weight and give you cash. They will take care of the car from there.

Almost forgot, be sure that someone follows you to have a ride back.

Easy-Peasy...

45_Colt

[megasupermagnum]

I am not a car guy so now have an idea where to take it in Indy. 5 body shops said they wouldn't touch it due to liability issues as nothing to weld to.

Normally sub frames are bolted on. Maybe yours is a unibody, or maybe where the sub frame bolts to is gone. It's one of those things, where there is a will, there is a way. Without seeing it, I can't give you any kind of guess. I'd really hate to say a 2009 anything is already too far gone, that's really not very old, but if it drove in the winter a lot and never got washed, I suppose it could be.

Still, you have a car with good parts, especially a running engine, and working transmission. A real auto scrap yard will take it in a heartbeat. Look up auto salvage, auto scrap, junkyard (don't go to a metal recycler).

[TyGuy]

If you have the time you could part it out and scrap the shell. Made about $3,000 profit on an older Acura TL with a wasted engine a few years back. It was fun but was a lot of work and not without headaches. I sold a good bit on eBay and had issues with a few bad buyers. Craigslist was mostly scammers but I sold some of the larger parts there. It seems FB Marketplace is the way to go now but I kicked that habit 10 years ago and won’t be picking it back up.