MarkV Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Yesterday I was at a pick a part looking for a radio for my Buick and there was a 1987 Park Avenue with 31,000 miles, looked like brand new! The velour upholstery was like new, and it was at Pick a Part! I did not understand why! Have you encountered cars like this before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Was it maybe a cash for clunker car that is just gettig into the pile? There were a lot of vehicles traded in on that program. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim_Edwards Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Yesterday I was at a pick a part looking for a radio for my Buick and there was a 1987 Park Avenue with 31,000 miles, looked like brand new! The velour upholstery was like new, and it was at Pick a Part! I did not understand why! Have you encountered cars like this before?If not a "Cash for Clunkers" car, it is like many '80s and '90s cars that break. Too damn expensive to repair verses its market value.There are thousands of such cars in the cruncher yards between Dallas and Ft. Worth. You wouldn't believe it until you've seen it. I'm talking 100s of acres of such cars, not just a few dozen.Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Seeing that Buick would not break my heart so much. Now, if it was a 1931 Dodge roadster that was there and getting crushed, THAT would break my heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Odds are a transmission, computer or similar major component failure and the owner decided a 24 year old car was not worth fixing. I've also seen heirs dispose of a deceased relative's nice but unwanted car this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Maine Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 You're in California so not likely, but what about a rusted frame? Rust is gonna kill the 89 Cutlass I inherited from my uncle well before the rest of the car gives out. It's only got 53K on it but is getting pretty rough around the edges. My uncle sold Chevies for many years. In 1971, he took in a '65 Impala with 14K on it but the frame was all rusted out because the owner drove it through December, then parked it in the garage unwashed until May when he got back from Florida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 (edited) I have seen this many times. These days a seemingly small repair can condemn a car to death.Did you know a water pump for that car costs $325 if it is the one I am thinking of? It is an aluminum casting about 2 feet wide with an arm extending off to the side.They have an idler pulley rivetted to the end of the arm, if a $2 bearing in the pulley burns out they put on a water pump @ $325 + 2 hours labor @ $85 per.Just last fall I saw an immaculate 1995 Cadillac in a junk yard. I asked the owner, he said it was traded in because it had a bum starter and a leaky head gasket. The repairs would have cost $3000 so the dealer junked it. Edited April 12, 2011 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Talk about pathetic. Last week I saw an immaculate rust free 1959 Olds 88 sedan scrapped. I don't know how it got to the junk yard, by the time I saw it, it had been picked over for trim, carburetor etc. but you could tell it was a good car when it came in. No dents and no rust on the body. I suspect it was part of an estate garage clean out. The trunk was full of Ford transmissions from the flathead era, old carburetors, generators and other old time parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted April 12, 2011 Author Share Posted April 12, 2011 I think it was an old person's car. And people are so dumb that even if there was a small problem the part can be had at a pick a part! There were several Buicks from the era out there and plenty of parts. Pay a guy a couple of bucks and he will take anything you want off of a car... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleek Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 In 1985 I saw an ad for a 67 Cadillac that was not running. I went to see it and found a very nice baby blue sedan deville with miles in the 60,000 range. The old couple said they started out of town and it started smoking and quit running. They just had it towed home and bought a new Chrysler and never checked to see what was wrong with it. I offered them a couple of hundred and dragged it home. When I found time to check it out, expecting to need an engine from their discription, I found a blown water pump that had saturated everything with antifreeze and what they thought was smoke was only steam from the coolant hitting the hot engine. I dried the distributor, put on a new pump and hoses and it was a wonderful car. If they had traded it in, it may have ended up in a junk yard. I am sure glad they sold it themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 What REALLY broke my heart a while back was when a buddy of mine and I went to an Oregon junk yard to check out a solid 1960 Chrysler 300 two door hardtop he had seen there. He told the guy he was interested and would be back in a week or two to get it. We got there and the fools that work at the yard (I call them car haters) had stacked two cars on top of the 300 crushing the top and fins and of course, breaking all of the glass in the process and ruining the whole car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Was it maybe a cash for clunker car that is just gettig into the pile? There were a lot of vehicles traded in on that program. Just a thought.The '87 Park Ave. did not qualify for Cash for Clunkers. It's EPA mileage rating was 19 mpg overall.Besides that I'd be surprised if any of the CfC program cars are left in junk yards at this time. They're easily identifiable, and they've all been gone from the local Pick 'n' Pay here for months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted April 12, 2011 Author Share Posted April 12, 2011 the cash for clunkers cars have been gone here for years. The pick a parts only keep the cars for four weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldsfan Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 I know of a very nice, higher mileage '90 98 Regency that was junked because it needed a back-up light switch. Of course, in Pennsylvania, you need that for state inspection. That switch costs about $220, plus the labor to install it. After 19 years of ownership, and 150+k miles, the owner decided it wasn't worth fixing. It's only other flaw was that it needed an a/c compressor. He declined that repair a number of years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 if it broke your heart buy it,i can go down the street and sell you 2 more,lets get broken hearted of all the old cars wasting away.is this not the AACA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlasguy Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Six years ago I was looking for something to replace my 80 Cutlass that was going downhill fast, a victim of the dreaded tin worm. I knew I didn't want anything newer than 1990 because I didn't want to drive anything that looked like everyone else's car! In the paper shop I saw an ad for an 89 Caprice Classic with 30k miles on it! It was located nearby so I drove down to take a look! Wow! What a car! Triple black and aside from the usual door dings, perfect! The owner had a lift where I could see underneath. No rust at all on the floorpans or frame! It had belonged to his uncle in New York who had passed away! He drove it only on weekends. Carfax verified that his uncle was the original owner and, as he never changed the title, I would be the second! No crusher for this baby. "Hey" Overseas in the Mideast they'd kill for these babies! I drove it for 4 years and then treated it to a complete paint job and door ding removal, and I'm glad I did! It's a new car now, right out of a time machine, and boy does it attract a crowd wherever I park it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Some years ago, at the Pick a Part in Sun Valley, CA I saw two Yugos, parked one next to the other. Both were absolutely flawless (if a Yugo can be described as flawless). It was surreal, two shiny little cars among all that carnage'Joe Friday: After losing the two previous vehicles we had been issued, the only car the department was willing to release to us at this point was an unmarked 1987 Yugo, a Yugoslavian import donated to the department as a test vehicle by the government of that country and reflecting the cutting edge of Serbo-Croatian technology. Dragnet 1987 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 if it broke your heart buy it,i can go down the street and sell you 2 more,lets get broken hearted of all the old cars wasting away.is this not the AACAPick a Part does not allow you to purchase the cars in the lot. It is the one in Ontario and there must be several thousand cars in the field of all different brands, I counted at least 200-300 chevrolets and about 40 Buicks, 20 Oldsmobiles, etc. Some of the cars are done for, and you can tell they were abused, but, this one was beautiful, some parts were already missing, I took a door sill from it, as the interior is the same color as my lesabre the only difference, is that it says 'body by fisher' which I think adds some class! They have a for sale section of cars, but, they are really crappy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I once read that you can't be successful in business if you are emotionally attached to your product and yards are no exception. Most yard owners think 'dollars per ton' and that's where it ends. I don't think I've ever been to a junk yard where there wasn't at least one car that shouldn't have been there. My favorite cars are 1951 and 1952 Plymouths, and years ago I was in a junk yard in New Jersey that had over 100 of them all grouped together. I wanted to take them all home with me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willys77 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Owned a 1957 "MONARCH" and was at the local Pick -A - Part, 1980s era. Knew the owner there and there was another '57 Monarch sitting in the holding tank. Talked to him about the car to no avail. The glass was all smashed out of it; however, the trim , all shiny parts etc. was mintish from what I could tell. Went back one Saturday morning and ..........there it sat, SQUASHED on the back of a flat deck headin' for the shredder! Now you can cry over that situation, not a front drive whatever. (IMHO) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 I cry over any good condition/low mileage vehicle condemned to death! I make it my job to save them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 About 5 years ago I had just dropped off an Amphicar to my bodyshop. Another customer said "WOW! That is the 2nd one I've seen today!" I ask him where the other one was and he said it was at Loveland Auto Salvage. I haulled butt over there only to see an Amphicar about 12" high. It had just been crushed. When I asked about it they said they didn't know what it was nor wanted to take the time to find out so it got squished. I nearly made them cry when I told them what I would have paid for it. It was not bad as near as I could tell. I can say that I have restored worse. Why would you not take 5 mins on the web and do some investigation? So the $100 they got for the car was only a percentage of what just the doors were worth. Stupid people are everywhere!My nephew slid his 1990s Subaru into a curb. It damaged a wheel but popped the airbags. It was the cost of the airbags that totaled the car! $2700+ for them alone. An otherwise beautifully kept car was scrapped by the ins. company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 My nephew slid his 1990s Subaru into a curb. It damaged a wheel but popped the airbags. It was the cost of the airbags that totaled the car! $2700+ for them alone. An otherwise beautifully kept car was scrapped by the ins. company.Insurance companies kill plenty of older cars that can easily be repaired. If the car is more than 7 or 8 years old, a dented fender can be enough for them to total it because it is not economical to repair. The salvage auctions are full of cars like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrspeedyt Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 if you think the carnage of nice cars is bad in these days... just think how it must have been like up to and including the 'scrap drives' of ww2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Never heard of pick apart,should have ask them how much for all the parts.Is it a 1 time deal,or do they haul them around?I just don't know why they can not sell a whole car?I'm curious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 (edited) if you think the carnage of nice cars is bad in these days... just think how it must have been like up to and including the 'scrap drives' of ww2.Not to mention the scrap drives of today....'Cash for Clunkers'. Edited April 14, 2011 by Rawja (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Never heard of pick apart,should have ask them how much for all the parts.Is it a 1 time deal,or do they haul them around?I just don't know why they can not sell a whole car?I'm curious?The pick-a-part yards have menu pricing for each category of part. So you'll pay the same price for a door, for example, whether it's for a Chevy or Pierce Arrow. You can get very lucky on vintage parts at these yards.They also have a policy of not selling complete vehicles, so basically it's the last round-up for whatever cars they get. On rare occasions, pick-a-part yards have been known to sell a complete car in spite of their own rules. That decision is usually fueled by $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted April 15, 2011 Author Share Posted April 15, 2011 The pick a part here, has a bunch of vintage cars from the 1970's and before, I saw an edsel and a few others. I actually went back today and got the dash pad off of the Electra that is the subject of this post! I found the owners manual and it was 2 older people who owned the car hence the 31k I just wish I would have caught it before they dumped it off out there! But, back to the topic of the prior post, each part has a price, and it is true, regardless of kind of car it is all the same price. They do have a small lot of cars for sale, but, they are not that great, I am really surprised that the Electra/Park Ave. was not out there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I still do not understand what pick a part is ,if you want all the parts ,whole car.Why cant you buy it?Just seems like a big waste? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 They don't want the liability or hassle of someone's junker showing up back on the road after they sold it for scrap. Many junkyards have this policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 They don't want the liability or hassle of someone's junker showing up back on the road after they sold it for scrap. Many junkyards have this policy. Very true and a big change from the way junkyards used to operate. In the past, if the car was usable, it got sold as a complete vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 I see real nice latemodel FWD cars in the junkyards around here,if they need a trans or motor it can get costly quick if you cant fix it yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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