PDA

View Full Version : Scrapping a car



Audio Al
30-07-2020, 17:26
I have had a Vauxhall Meriva parked in my rear driveway for about 3 years now on a sorn

Its a pain as when I need to strimmer the grass the battery is always flat :steam:

Move on 3 years and today I decidet to do something about getting rid of it , Who would want a 100K 1700 diesel with no MOT in dire condition due to nature taking over , Mould , Spiders the lot

Contacted a on line scrap network who offer to collect it ( Good so far ) on Monday ( Still good ) I asked for a PM collection ( Even better )

And the best part is they will pay me £156.00 :D

I though I would have to pay them to take it away :)

RESULT :D

Audio Al
06-08-2020, 02:26
Now gone to meet it's maker :)

MajorD
06-08-2020, 08:40
I needed to scrap a mk1 Toyota MR2 a few years ago. She was literally falling apart. Scrapper didn't want to pick it up but she was barely drivable so I didn't want to drive it there. No mot, not been driven in 2 years etc...

Sold on eBay for £150. Guy came 75 miles to collect. Told him to bring a trailer with him. He didn't. He put jumper cables on and the old girl fired up first time. He drove her home.

6 months later he emailed me with some photos of the renovation project. Bloody beautiful once he'd finished. Nearly bought it back off him!

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

mad-moon
06-08-2020, 09:45
Where there's muck...there's money..;)

Pigmy Pony
06-08-2020, 19:15
Now gone to meet it's maker :)

Derek at Ellesmere Port?

Macca
07-08-2020, 07:05
You should have dismantled it and sold the parts. That's what I'd do if I had the space to store the vehicles. You'd probably have made at least a grand. Although I grant you it is a fair bit of hassle compared to just flogging it as is.

Audio Al
07-08-2020, 07:15
You should have dismantled it and sold the parts. That's what I'd do if I had the space to store the vehicles. You'd probably have made at least a grand. Although I grant you it is a fair bit of hassle compared to just flogging it as is.

Easier said than done , The scrap company stipulate ( NO MISSING PARTS )

jollyfix
07-08-2020, 07:35
My wife's car was scrap. Old Honda estate, big hole in fuel tank, engine warning light on ( this before the fuel tank hole ). Body work damage in several areas, boot door not working, lights not working, many more problems. Last car we got the local scrap guy to buy the car off us.
We contacted we buy any car.com who offered a lot more than the scrap guy.
Whilst looking for a new motor for the wife at a car auction place, my wife's old car came into the auction area.
Sold for twice as much money.

walpurgis
07-08-2020, 07:43
You can always buy a Fiat or Dacia, that way you don't have to wait for the car to become scrap, 'cos it already is :).

Macca
07-08-2020, 07:49
Easier said than done , The scrap company stipulate ( NO MISSING PARTS )

But if you break it yourself you don't need the scrap company.

Macca
07-08-2020, 07:51
You can always buy a Fiat or Dacia, that way you don't have to wait for the car to become scrap, 'cos it already is :).

The main reason not to buy a Fiat is that you will spend the entire period of ownership defending your choice.

struth
07-08-2020, 07:54
my brother bought a fiat.. it was his first and said it was a good car.. course he was only keeping it for 3 years but it was better than the polo his wife had... never thought he would say that as he was a vw man

Audio Al
07-08-2020, 09:05
But if you break it yourself you don't need the scrap company.

Really ? how do I move a car body with no wheels / engine , doors , I don't have a engine crane either

I drove my problem out to the car transporter and they gave me £156 , not even any dirty hands :)

Macca
07-08-2020, 11:10
Really ? how do I move a car body with no wheels / engine , doors , I don't have a engine crane either

I drove my problem out to the car transporter and they gave me £156 , not even any dirty hands :)

There's ways and means but can't give away trade secrets :D - plus it's a bit dodgy. Obviously if you wanted to get involved in the motor trade being a bit dodgy is a pre-requisite. ;)

Audio Al
07-08-2020, 12:39
There's ways and means but can't give away trade secrets :D - plus it's a bit dodgy. Obviously if you wanted to get involved in the motor trade being a bit dodgy is a pre-requisite. ;)

I was in the motor trade for over 25 years :)

Audio Al
07-08-2020, 12:57
Opps!

Macca
07-08-2020, 12:58
I was in the motor trade for over 25 years :)

Say no more then. A nod's as good as a wink to a blind horse.

Filterlab
09-08-2020, 06:47
My wife's car was scrap. Old Honda estate, big hole in fuel tank, engine warning light on ( this before the fuel tank hole ). Body work damage in several areas, boot door not working, lights not working, many more problems. Last car we got the local scrap guy to buy the car off us.
We contacted we buy any car.com who offered a lot more than the scrap guy.
Whilst looking for a new motor for the wife at a car auction place, my wife's old car came into the auction area.
Sold for twice as much money.

With all the same failed parts, or had they done rectification work?


my brother bought a fiat.. it was his first and said it was a good car.. course he was only keeping it for 3 years but it was better than the polo his wife had... never thought he would say that as he was a vw man

Perhaps not surprisingly, my mechanics (whom I've known for almost 30 years) say that modern VWs are some of the worst cars out there. We were chatting about the AMT gearbox in my Citroën (known as the EGS box I think) and they both said how much better that 'box is than the VW DGS 'box. When commenting on the DGS 'box, the words 'crap', 'unreliable bollocks' and 'garbage' appeared many times in the sentences. Add to that VW's widescale fraud and lying about the cleanliness of their engines, and one has a giant sign over ever German car saying 'DON'T BUY ONE'.

From my own personal experience, the worst cars I've owned were German (2 out of 24 cars in total). Constantly breaking down, twiddly bits failing, everything needlessly expensive. The best two are the Citroën and a Mazda 6 (which was beyond reproach). I never believed in my lifetime I'd be singing the praises of a French car, but the little Citroën continues to be utterly reliable and solid without fault or breakdown.

I'd never touch a German car again, except maybe a Porsche Panamera. But then again, Porsche are slightly above the 'norm' in terms of engineering quality.

Mikeandvan
09-08-2020, 22:37
I often buy scrapped parts for my van, the prices are silly, sometimes I buy new cos the prices are so close.

Pigmy Pony
10-08-2020, 06:23
From my own personal experience, the worst cars I've owned were German (2 out of 24 cars in total). Constantly breaking down, twiddly bits failing, everything needlessly expensive. The best two are the Citroën and a Mazda 6 (which was beyond reproach). I never believed in my lifetime I'd be singing the praises of a French car, but the little Citroën continues to be utterly reliable and solid without fault or breakdown.

+1 for Mazda. We used to have a Mazda 323, which went round Europe twice, to Cornwall twice, and to Scotland many times. Never missed a beat. Of course, it got its regular servicing, and Mrs. P always checked all the fluids before long trip. It's reliability was only matched by its replacement, our Honda Civic.

Don't really know about French cars, though Mrs. P had a Renault Laguna many years ago, and said it was great, trouble-free and very comfortable.

jollyfix
10-08-2020, 11:59
With all the same failed parts, or had they done rectification .
All the same, nothing done. I had a good look when the car was waiting to be driven in to the auction room.

Filterlab
14-08-2020, 09:11
All the same, nothing done. I had a good look when the car was waiting to be driven in to the auction room.

Blimey!

PeteT
27-08-2020, 18:33
+1 for Mazda. We used to have a Mazda 323, which went round Europe twice, to Cornwall twice, and to Scotland many times. Never missed a beat. Of course, it got its regular servicing, and Mrs. P always checked all the fluids before long trip. It's reliability was only matched by its replacement, our Honda Civic.

Don't really know about French cars, though Mrs. P had a Renault Laguna many years ago, and said it was great, trouble-free and very comfortable.I had a Renault 16 once... Head gasket went, so did the car...

Mind you, I had an Alfa 164 (one of 4 Alfas I've had - loved each and every one) and the head gasket went on that after about 125k miles...

It only took 4 Allen keys and 2 spanners as I recall, and a couple of hours or so, to fit a new one in the street outside the house.

Sent using Tapatalk

dave2010
27-08-2020, 18:49
You can always buy a Fiat or Dacia, that way you don't have to wait for the car to become scrap, 'cos it already is :).That reminds me of a joke told to me by my best friend who was a teacher - he got it off one of the kids.

Q: Would you like a pair of wiper blades for your Skoda?
A: Sounds like a fair exchange.

DarrenHW
28-08-2020, 18:15
All the same, nothing done. I had a good look when the car was waiting to be driven in to the auction room.

If it was born between 1990 - 2000 and drank petrol, it was probably bought for the catalytic converter. I just weighed in the cat from my 1997 BMW for £500, unfortunately the cat on my 1993 BMW was replaced before I bought it :(. An OEM cat from a 1991-97 2.3 Prelude will weigh in for over a grand!

Pigmy Pony
28-08-2020, 18:39
What makes 'em so valuable? Rarity or scrap value?

spendorman
28-08-2020, 18:50
My 1962 Mini has been stationary, decomposing (a bit) for more than 20 years, it's going up in value, about once every fortnight, someone expresses interest in it.

I would like to renovate it, has a 1275 engine, but too much to do to the house.

Pigmy Pony
28-08-2020, 18:56
My 1962 Mini has been stationary, decomposing (a bit) for more than 20 years, it's going up in value, about once every fortnight, someone expresses interest in it.

I would like to renovate it, has a 1275 engine, but too much to do to the house.

Scrap the house, move into the Mini. Might have to downsize the hifi tho :)

walpurgis
28-08-2020, 19:05
My 1962 Mini has been stationary, decomposing (a bit) for more than 20 years, it's going up in value, about once every fortnight, someone expresses interest in it.

I would like to renovate it, has a 1275 engine, but too much to do to the house.

I've rebuilt old Minis that have stood for years. The amount of rust that gets into the floors, sills, A sections and rear subframe area can be unbelievable. All repairable though. And, no matter how long they've stood, they always start with a bit of fresh juice and a battery! :)

DarrenHW
28-08-2020, 19:10
What makes 'em so valuable? Rarity or scrap value?

Scrap value. Platinum, Palladium, even an audiophile favourite Rhodium... Some argue the higher the Rhodium content the better the exhaust note, YMMV quite literally....

DarrenHW
28-08-2020, 19:16
My 1962 Mini has been stationary, decomposing (a bit) for more than 20 years, it's going up in value, about once every fortnight, someone expresses interest in it.

I would like to renovate it, has a 1275 engine, but too much to do to the house.

Then roll up your sleeves or move it on. Better to go to a new home and be restored to it's former glory than rot away to nothing.

I'm not a Mini fan, but it's so sad to see cars consumed due to procrastination. (Meant with all due respect :))

PeteT
28-08-2020, 19:24
My 1962 Mini has been stationary, decomposing (a bit) for more than 20 years, it's going up in value, about once every fortnight, someone expresses interest in it.

I would like to renovate it, has a 1275 engine, but too much to do to the house.You can still get all the panels and parts for them... my daughter's mot failure MPI sold for way more than she paid for it, I didn't have space or time to do the work unfortunately...
Great fun cars full of character, if you can live without all the gimmick rubbish they pile into modern cars...

Sent using Tapatalk

Filterlab
03-09-2020, 11:46
...if you can live without all the gimmick rubbish they pile into modern cars...

Sent using Tapatalk

Like anti lock brakes, brake force distribution, electronic stability program, traction control, crumple zones, passenger safety cell, front/side/curtain airbags, anti-submarining seats, seat belt pretensioners, NCAP rating, etc etc etc.

With the amount of traffic and high percentage of tech-distracted morons out there, I would think very carefully before taking a classic car on the road these days. I personally do 30k a year on all types of road, and I’d never drive anything that is neither modern nor very highly rated on crash tests.

That’s just me though. I do appreciate a classic car however. :)

spendorman
03-09-2020, 11:57
I drive one of these, possibly a mixture of both modern and classic?

https://youtu.be/nf2ATS44osA

PeteT
03-09-2020, 14:49
Like anti lock brakes, brake force distribution, electronic stability program, traction control, crumple zones, passenger safety cell, front/side/curtain airbags, anti-submarining seats, seat belt pretensioners, NCAP rating, etc etc etc.

With the amount of traffic and high percentage of tech-distracted morons out there, I would think very carefully before taking a classic car on the road these days. I personally do 30k a year on all types of road, and I’d never drive anything that is neither modern nor very highly rated on crash tests.

That’s just me though. I do appreciate a classic car however. :)Yes, I'd totally agree that you wouldn't want to do 30k annual mileage in a classic car.
The tech you mention is all about safety and very helpful to those that need it, and undoubtedly reassuring to those who hopefully never will.

I was referring to the 'gadget' side of tech such as DVD players, mobile phone integration, and the likes that actually distract people from the act of driving a lethal lump of metal at high speed... Being a motorcycle rider for 45years teaches you all about vulnerability.!

But for the local running about and odd run it's great fun.
And as there's no tech you get to concentrate on the road and other users whilst enjoying the drive.

Sent using Tapatalk

Sherwood
03-09-2020, 15:08
Yes, I'd totally agree that you wouldn't want to do 30k annual mileage in a classic car.
The tech you mention is all about safety and very helpful to those that need it, and undoubtedly reassuring to those who hopefully never will.

I was referring to the 'gadget' side of tech such as DVD players, mobile phone integration, and the likes that actually distract people from the act of driving a lethal lump of metal at high speed... Being a motorcycle rider for 45years teaches you all about vulnerability.!

But for the local running about and odd run it's great fun.
And as there's no tech you get to concentrate on the road and other users whilst enjoying the drive.

Sent using Tapatalk

Motorola introduced the first car radio in 1930 and Blaupunkt the first FM device in 1952 so modern technology "distractions" are not new.

Yes, mobile phones in cars are a big distraction and in my opinion should only be used as gps devices in a well positioned cradle on the dashboard in the natural line of sight of the driver.

As to distractions, I have always found passengers to be more of a distraction, with children and teenagers being especially distracting.

As to local running, only a tiny proportion of road deaths occur on motorways. Frankly, I would be very wary of riding in a classic car on a country backroad on a bright summer's day, let alone at night in bad weather.

Give me a modern car anyday with all those safety features.

Pigmy Pony
05-09-2020, 15:21
Motorola introduced the first car radio in 1930 and Blaupunkt the first FM device in 1952 so modern technology "distractions" are not new.

Yes, mobile phones in cars are a big distraction and in my opinion should only be used as gps devices in a well positioned cradle on the dashboard in the natural line of sight of the driver.

As to distractions, I have always found passengers to be more of a distraction, with children and teenagers being especially distracting.

As to local running, only a tiny proportion of road deaths occur on motorways. Frankly, I would be very wary of riding in a classic car on a country backroad on a bright summer's day, let alone at night in bad weather.

Give me a modern car anyday with all those safety features.

The answer is to make cars with bigger boots :) And roof racks for when the weather's nice.

Macca
05-09-2020, 16:45
Passed a black Sierra XR4X4 on the way back from the shop earlier. Not in mint condition but not bad for 30 years old. It had a carphone installed between the front seats.

struth
05-09-2020, 17:19
My big volvo had a old school car mobile phone fitted. Was a big company exec car. One of the nicest cars I've ever had actually.

Filterlab
06-09-2020, 10:09
My Dad had a Volvo 240GLE back in the mid 80s, also with a car phone installed. From memory it was a Motorola 4500, and had two boxes of electronics - one under each seat!

Cost a fortune to dial anyone, and an arm and a leg per minute to talk. :lol:

spendorman
06-09-2020, 10:20
My Dad had a Volvo 240GLE back in the mid 80s, also with a car phone installed. From memory it was a Motorola 4500, and had two boxes of electronics - one under each seat!

Cost a fortune to dial anyone, and an arm and a leg per minute to talk. :lol:


Back in the day, I bought a car phone from Arthur Daley, had the added bonus of changing the traffic lights green as I approached them!

Macca
06-09-2020, 10:29
A quid a minute peak time and 50p per minute off peak. That's almost 30 years ago so you can at least double those figures in today's money. Imagine paying £2.50 a minute to talk on your mobile!

spendorman
06-09-2020, 10:48
Talk of scrapping a car, I need to get some work done on the house roof, just moved my late Dad's Metro Vanden Plas to make access possible, last moved about two yeas ago. Put a battery in, started quite easily, ran it till thoroughly warmed up.

Macca
06-09-2020, 10:55
Talk of scrapping a car, I need to get some work done on the house roof, just moved my late Dad's Metro Vanden Plas to make access possible, last moved about two yeas ago. Put a battery in, started quite easily, ran it till thoroughly warned up.

Rare car now. Only 18 on the road and 69 on SORN.

spendorman
06-09-2020, 11:24
Rare car now. Only 18 on the road and 69 on SORN.

Not that surprised, most rotted away, they were not very good in that respect. This one is not too bad, waxoyled it pretty thoroughly when I bought it for Dad in 1986.

Macca
06-09-2020, 11:45
Not that surprised, most rotted away, they were not very good in that respect. This one is not too bad, waxoyled it pretty thoroughly when I bought it for Dad in 1986.

My father got the Metro HLE in 1984. Ran it for three years then sold it to my uncle who ran until about '92. Don't think it ever had any significant problems although my uncle must have got rid of it for some reason. 8 years is not that bad for a British Leyland of that era!

My mother had an Austin Allegro for several years, never any issues with that either even though it was bought second-hand. The model below the VP whatever that was. I do think some of the issues with BL cars got talked up a bit. Still occasionally see a Morris Marina running about round here! God knows how much work he's done on that to keep it going. But they are very simple engineering compared to modern cars I suppose.

spendorman
06-09-2020, 12:05
My father got the Metro HLE in 1984. Ran it for three years then sold it to my uncle who ran until about '92. Don't think it ever had any significant problems although my uncle must have got rid of it for some reason. 8 years is not that bad for a British Leyland of that era!

My mother had an Austin Allegro for several years, never any issues with that either even though it was bought second-hand. The model below the VP whatever that was. I do think some of the issues with BL cars got talked up a bit. Still occasionally see a Morris Marina running about round here! God knows how much work he's done on that to keep it going. But they are very simple engineering compared to modern cars I suppose.

I think I bought the VDP Metro about a year later than your Dad got his HLE Metro, the VDP is a facelift model, has the silly Metric tyres. Was a great car for Dad, he liked it very much, especially the Auto box, nice interior, sunroof, electric windows, etc. Before that he had an Allegro 1100 basic. No complaints about that car, reliable, economical and was surprisingly adequate in performance. Before that he had an Austin 1100 (well actually a 1300 Auto), no complains with that.

Pigmy Pony
06-09-2020, 13:27
When I was an apprentice at a printworks my boss took me with him whenever we had deliveries to make. In his Austin 1100. And he always drove wearing his trilby. A trilby-wearing BL driver was a terrible combination - the journeys were always eventful, his replies to the angry horn-pomping were always "And you mate!" I suppose it got me out of the factory for a bit, so every cloud of burning oil has a silver lining :)

Macca
06-09-2020, 13:31
My father downgraded to the Metro from a very tasty Mk 4 Cortina 1.6GL - his commute was 40 miles each way and he wanted something that would use less fuel because he was tight as anything.

He reckoned that compared to the Cortina the Metro was like driving a go kart. But he was never one for driving fast or recklessly. On occasion he's do 80 on an empty motorway but that was it.

He went on to the Rovers, 213 series , re-badged Honda really. After that he got the first gen Mondeo. Quite big step up. Was with him one night driving on country roads, I thought we were going a bit fast for the conditions, so I look over at the speedo and he's doing 95 miles an hour.

I asked him if he was trying to get a ton up. He looked down at the speedo and nearly had a heart attack. Said the car was so good compared to everything he'd had previous that he had no idea he was doing that speed. I doubt a copper would accept that excuse though!

Pigmy Pony
06-09-2020, 13:51
I bought a Mk 5 Cortina 1.6L in 1989, it had been in a large prang, and waited for 3 weeks while it went on a motoliner jig etc.Cost me £1100, kept it for 4 years and sold it for £600. Only bodywork problem was an inside-out dent on the boot lid, where I'd closed it on a deceptively lumpy Suzuki 750 engine. Wish I'd kept that car.

walpurgis
06-09-2020, 13:55
Never heard of a Cortina fitted with a Suzuki engine, but if it works, it works.

Macca
06-09-2020, 14:02
Never heard of a Cortina fitted with a Suzuki engine, but if it works, it works.

It's part of the mods needed to turn the Cortina into a Porsche 911. Suzuki engine in the boot, add a spoiler, tailgate people on the motorway whilst flashing your lights, hey presto!

Pigmy Pony
06-09-2020, 14:09
Never heard of a Cortina fitted with a Suzuki engine, but if it works, it works.

It worked fine, but being air cooled I had to leave the boot lid up.