Junk Cars

[John Terefenko]

I will Try to keep this short. My sister has 3 junk cars on her property that she wants to get rid of and maybe make a few $$$ as scrap. She lives in NJ and know maybe laws are different in other states but trying to get a feeling of what to do. She has the titles to 2 of them but not the third. If you are selling for scrap do you need the titles and if so do you need to sign them over?? What are other pitfalls to watch out for such as scams or future legal things. Do not want any followup to come back to her. Thanks. Any questions I will try to answer.

[Alan Gage]

I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were her. You do need the titles and you do need to sign them over.

I work in auto repair and fairly often we have vehicles come through the shop that people junk rather than fix. Usually they call a scrap yard from a neighboring town that comes and picks the cars up. When scrap prices were really high a few years back they were paying up to $250/vehicle but the last few I've seen have been about $115. Maybe prices are higher elsewhere and maybe you can get more if you can deliver. They do operate a salvage yard as well but from what I've seen have a set price they pay based on scrap value. Maybe if you had something newer with low miles with in-demand parts they'd be willing to pay more but from what I've seen the price is the same whether it's a nice Cadillac or crappy Cavalier.

South of town there is an old school junkyard where about anything goes. If you don't have a title you can probably make it disappear there but you're going to get less money.

I'm sure there are people in the scrap business who can make things disappear as well. If I had a junk vehicle with no title I'd look for someone like that and be happy to have it go away without costing me anything.

Alan

[Dwayne Watt]

The catalytic converters alone can be worth up to two hundred dollars each due to the precious metals. Don't sell them with the car bodies! Same thing with the lead batteries, sell them separately. The scrap value of the steel might surprise you right now. Steel and cast iron commodity prices are quite high again. Of course that does not guarantee the buyers are yet passing that along.

[Doug Dawson]

The catalytic converters alone can be worth up to two hundred dollars each due to the precious metals. Don't sell them with the car bodies! Same thing with the lead batteries, sell them separately. The scrap value of the steel might surprise you right now. Steel and cast iron commodity prices are quite high again. Of course that does not guarantee the buyers are yet passing that along.
I agree, pull the cats before you “sell” them, that’s where the money is. Do this before the cars are hauled away, you might need documentation. Then give the cars away as scrap (unless there’s anything else valuable still on them.)

This can be difficult sometimes. Always be closing.

[Bruce Volden]

When I bought my acreage I had a junk car and pickup that I had no titles/registration to.
Junk man came and picked them up, no problems at all.
Also had him haul away old farm implements ie. elevator, manure spreader, tons of wire, running gears.........
Took me my first 2 years of retirement to clean this dump out!

Bruce

[Alan Rutherford]

It was several years ago and on the other side of the country but at 2 different times in 2 different cities I had cars abandoned on property I owned. Both times I called a junkyard and said the vehicles were there and had been there a long time, Said I didn't know anything about them but if they disappeared I sure wasn't going to complain to anybody. They disappeared.

[Kev Williams]

"we" recently had to get rid of the FIL's old '77 Tbird and beat up Chev van, both rustbuckets sitting for years. One of the inlaws found a guy who picked them up and paid $175 each I think it was. There was NO paperwork to the Tbird whatsoever, the guy didn't care...

As to pulling cat converters, I'm at the age where the money they may be worth ain't equal to what my time's worth and the hassle of removing the things ;)

[Mel Fulks]

Recently in this burg ,there have been thefts of catalytic converters. Good running licensed cars in daylight hours. I think the perp is a skinny
guy. But that’s just a hunch.

[Rick Potter]

If she is concerned about legality, my advice would be to sell the two she has papers for, and while the tow truck is there have him tow the other to the street, then call police about the abandoned car. They will remove it, and government gets the money if any.

I own an auto shop, and when the tenant leaves, I occasionally have to deal with this. Police will not take abandoned cars on private property, and say it is a civil matter.

Of course my experience is not in a rural area.

[Michael Weber]

Theft of Prius cats is a thriving business. They have extraordinary amounts of precious metals and a thief with a friend can remove them in less than 2 minutes. That’s from pulling up along side to driving off. Currently they get 1500 to 1800 dollars per. It’s mainly the rhodium at $29000.00 per ounce but others as well. Some owners build or buy “cat shields” to cover theirs but only slows the thieves down if they’re determined.

[Doug Dawson]

Theft of Prius cats is a thriving business. They have extraordinary amounts of precious metals and a thief with a friend can remove them in less than 2 minutes. That’s from pulling up along side to driving off. Currently they get 1500 to 1800 dollars per. It’s mainly the rhodium at $29000.00 per ounce but others as well. Some owners build or buy “cat shields” to cover theirs but only slows the thieves down if they’re determined.
The Honda Element is also a favorite target, or any vehicle with a lot of ground clearance (pickups etc.)

The theory behind the shields is that when the thief sees it, he’ll move on to an easier target (say the Prius up the block.)

You don’t have to run faster than the bear, you just have to run faster than the other guy. Etc.

[Alan Gage]

The salvage yards around here pay less if the vehicle has had the converter or battery removed.

That's not to say you can't make more money by parting it out yourself. Depends on how involved you want to get.

The most we've ever been paid from converter buyers is about $80. Usually less. Again, not to say we couldn't get more if we went out looking for somewhere to give us more money but it's not worth our time and hassle to do so for the few converters we replace. We just wait for them to come around and pick them up.

Alan

Alan

[John Terefenko]

The salvage yards around here pay less if the vehicle has had the converter or battery removed.

That's not to say you can't make more money by parting it out yourself. Depends on how involved you want to get.

The most we've ever been paid from converter buyers is about $80. Usually less. Again, not to say we couldn't get more if we went out looking for somewhere to give us more money but it's not worth our time and hassle to do so for the few converters we replace. We just wait for them to come around and pick them up.

Alan

Alan

When a junk yard gets a car to be junked what do they do with the titles??? My concerns are if that car does not make it to the scrap heap and gets stolen and is involved in some shady happenings can it come back to original owner??

[Doug Dawson]

The salvage yards around here pay less if the vehicle has had the converter or battery removed.

That's not to say you can't make more money by parting it out yourself. Depends on how involved you want to get.

The most we've ever been paid from converter buyers is about $80. Usually less. Again, not to say we couldn't get more if we went out looking for somewhere to give us more money but it's not worth our time and hassle to do so for the few converters we replace. We just wait for them to come around and pick them up.

Some older cars (70’s say) had a lot of gelt in the cats. Five minutes with a jack and a Hackzall is good pay, if you’re slow and methodical, even better if you’re not. FWIW, no salvage yard in my area has ever asked if the cat was still there. If they lowball me, it most assuredly will not be. ;^)

[John Stankus]

Some of this depends on how old the junk cars are (old enough cars may not have/need a title). Some folks I know who used to restore cars have run into this . Most states have a procedure for getting a title for a car abandoned on a property. New Jersey's is here https://www.state.nj.us/mvc/vehicletopics/abandoned.htm
There is a different procedure for a vehicle abandoned on private vs public property.

I know of some guys who threw away a rusty MG parts car. (the unibody was rusted so badly it was not recoverable). Trick is small enough pieces to put a part in the trash can each week until it was gone. :rolleyes: (this was in the 70s)

The more advanced version of this (circa 80s) is get a Plasma Cutter and slice and dice into small bits. I think that one was a Studebaker.:D
Though if it looks like scrap metal not recognizable as being from a car...

[Doug Dawson]

When a junk yard gets a car to be junked what do they do with the titles??? My concerns are if that car does not make it to the scrap heap and gets stolen and is involved in some shady happenings can it come back to original owner??
In Texas anyway a salvage yard won’t take a car from you if you don’t have title, and if you do, you have to sign it over to them. Otherwise you have to jump thru some hoops with the state DMV to get a provisional something-or-other. So in either case it’s not your problem.

If the car was stolen, it should be reported as such, and then it’s still not your problem. The biggest problem (in Texas anyway) is if someone gets ahold of your toll road transmitter. That can ruin you.

[roger wiegand]

The biggest problem (in Texas anyway) is if someone gets ahold of your toll road transmitter. That can ruin you.

Boy, given that they snap a picture of your plates at every toll point that's a crime that should be pretty straightforward to track down!

[Doug Dawson]

Boy, given that they snap a picture of your plates at every toll point that's a crime that should be pretty straightforward to track down!
You don’t know our toll road authority! It’s like arguing with a T Rex. They are big dumb and stupid, and determined to have their meat.

[Ron Citerone]

I live in PA, and my cottage is in NJ. NJ has a way of making things difficult.

One time I took an old VW rabbit to the junk yard in PA. Unibody with serious rust problems but it ran. While waiting in the lot for it too open, some guy knocks on the window and asks how much are they giving me. $75 at the time. He said "I'll give you $150. I explained the rusting problem. He said he has a relative who works on VW"s and that he didn't care. So I followed him to the notary and did the deal. Stuff happens to me...

[Dave Lehnert]

When a junk yard gets a car to be junked what do they do with the titles??? My concerns are if that car does not make it to the scrap heap and gets stolen and is involved in some shady happenings can it come back to original owner??


Guy at work just sold a car. The new owner did not transfer the title to her name. She was in an accident and now they are going after him because it is still in his name. Have been told when you sell a car you can call the title office and tell them and will take your name off the title?????

[Dave Lehnert]

Is the car in her name? If so, getting a title is no big deal. Here in Ohio just show ID and pay a fee.

[John Terefenko]

Is the car in her name? If so, getting a title is no big deal. Here in Ohio just show ID and pay a fee.


OK the whole story is, my older sister died in Dec due to covid. It is her estate we are trying to clean up and sell off such as these abandoned cars and eventually the house after we clear it out. That is a whole other headache. The thing is my brother and myself have declined any inheritance from any of this and we signed off rights to my younger sister who is in need for funds. But we are still trying to help her. So I am guessing that my sister would have to sign these titles because she now owns them. Probably will call DMV to see how to go about getting title.

[Mike Henderson]

Guy at work just sold a car. The new owner did not transfer the title to her name. She was in an accident and now they are going after him because it is still in his name. Have been told when you sell a car you can call the title office and tell them and will take your name off the title?????

Here in CA you (the seller) are required to report a sale to the DMV. That protects you from situations like what you describe. It also allows the DMV to go after the buyer to collect sales tax and license fees. The seller can do it on-line.

Mike

[Kev Williams]

In Utah, and I suspect a lot of other places, if you have a 'suspect' car, truck, trailer, boat, ATV, etc, just contact the closest law enforcement official and tell him you need a VIN check. They'll examine the vehicle to verify the VIN, run the VIN thru their computers, if it doesn't show up on any stolen or lien lists, you get a signed paper from them that states you're now the legal owner, and that's that. If you're going to use the vehicle, you just need to get a new title. If you're scrapping it out, give the paper to the 'new owner'. I've done this twice, didn't cost a thing, takes about 5 minutes...