I’ve long felt like I should be in the junkyard business, given my chosen use of any free time I still have left. That’s why this listing for a salvage facility – well, half of a salvage facility – in Vermont is so appealing. For $150,000, the seller is letting in a co-caretaker to do what they will with 400 scrap vehicles, most of which look largely complete in the listing photos as featured here on eBay.
Now, that being said, I would love to have more information about specific vehicles up for grabs. I can see the tail-end of an old Mercedes in the top picture, along with an early 90s Volvo sedan. If I had to guess, any savvy scrap yard operator would be unloading all of the old inventory that wierdos like me covet, but that actually provide very little in the form of measurable parts sales. Which, is why, I would be a horrible, horrible junkyard owner. I would only buy that stuff I found interesting, which 98.9% if the world does not.
Some of the vehicles look like boring, late-model vehicles that are certainly capable daily drivers but offer very little in the form of consistent parts sales, like a Ford Ranger pickup or a Mitsubishi Lancer (the non-turbo version). I did reach out to the seller for more information about what was in the half of the yard that’s for sale, but they have yet to respond. Do you see any interesting cars in this photo? With the location being in Vermont, I’m sure any older vehicles have a healthy coating of rust, but Vermonters do like their oddball 4WDs and wagons with manual transmissions.
Some late-model Volvo wagons, a PT Cruiser, a Crown Victoria, a Navigator and a late-90s Oldsmobile are all I can make out here, none of which are particularly appetizing from an enthusiasts’ standpoint. Whether there’s $150,000 in potential sales here is a mathematical formula I can’t possibly compute from here, and it sounds like the seller wants the cars removed – in other words, you’re not going to set up your business on his site. Is there an opportunity here or is more information needed?
Well, let’s see, 400 cars at about $150/ton scrap, dang, still $30K short,,,on the other hand, if there’s a VW bus in there, ANY condition, should come out about even.
Junk I don’t see any value here.
Or any 1968-69 Charger!
No 34-35 ford 3 window coupe or pickup, 69-70 mustang fastback, 67-69 camaro. What’s a charger?
You lose money on every car, but you make it up on volume.
Might be worth it IF you also got the property on which the cars are “Parked”!
New owner better have an army of people on staff. Vehicles scattered, no organization. What if someone wants to buy a vehicle from the middle?
I’m sure whats for sale has either been picked clean or are cars no one needs parts from. I’d bet there’s nothing good there, keeping the good stuff. With the scrap price in the dumper, this guy is looking for a sucker,,Good luck.
Cheers
GPC
Couldn’t have said it better myself, and I am a pretty smart guy.
The potential need to remove and dispose of the environmental waste from each vehicle, would be a deal breaker for me. If it was easy money, they’d be counting cash not cars.
Setting aside the actual value of the cars, think about the cost of moving all those cars(even to a nearby location)!!! Money Loser Big Time.
In the oddball 4wd wagon department, I spotted a Suzuki Aerio. Plenty of Subaru’s of course, Vermont’s favorite brand. Funny to see a car scrapped with a cargo carrier still attached to the roof.
Don’t forget to factor in all of the inevitable environmental fees and penalties.
There is a numbers matching hemi cuda under the short bus.
Ha! Good one.
Hmmm, add up cost of hiring helicopter to get into the middle of the pile and airlift it …..oops. powerlines! back to the drawing board.. darn
We had mostly big GM’s from the 50’s…and 60’s….lots of 40 stuff and 60’s stuff with few 70’s…..big old pile of engines around the place and big piles of rear ends stacked around…..he had over a 1000 cars and people always balked when he thru out $100,000.00 when they asked….it damn did crush out way past that when the time came. It was right down a block from the now Trinity Groves area of Dallas.
375.00 per car. The catch, you gotta take them all…
From the description it sounds like a bunch of newer cars maybe they could make plastic bottles out of them!! Seeing there’s no metal in them!!!
This deal doesn’t work even in reverse: If they paid you $375 each to disappear 400 worthless cars, you still wouldn’t make any money!
The owner knows what dreamers don’t. He’s tired of people looking for what he doesn’t have and can’t afford, nickels and dimes is what I see. Tough business to get involved with at this point in time.
if this was a money making venture they wouldn’t be for sale. Who the hell has the logistical resources to remove 400 cars to another property?
Rustylink hit the bull’s-eye. I can’t imagine having to look through titles if they exist, then having check ALL the vins after finding or not finding each car.Not to mention the time and expenses moving them. I’d say there isn’t a catalytic converter or aluminum wheel to be found. You guys just scrolled up to the pictures didn’t you? Lol . This is even before the check writing or the handshake.
Sounds like all this stuff has to be moved somewhere else before you could start sorting, selling, organizing to figure out what you have. I don’t see how you could even break even under those circumstances, unless there’s gold bars in one of those old cars.
God bless America
Buyer beware .
Price includes half of all fines .
Look at the “buyers other items” for sale at the end of his ebay listing . TOP dollar for everything he sells !
BUT, you could probably crush out more than the buying price.
But who would want to be in Vermont?