What Parts of My Junk Car Are Worth Scrapping?

So your old car has finally bit the bullet. Maybe the transmission went kaput and the value of the car just isn’t worth the cost to fix it. Or perhaps you’ve just decided you’d like to upgrade, but want to get a little cash out of that rust bucket first. No matter what your reasoning, it’s time to junk you car. 

Before you just go and sell the thing to the nearest buyer, it may be worth your time to part out the car and sell things individually. You could end up with a higher return than selling the car whole. This is because you’ll take on the manual labor “costs” that would otherwise eat into your bottom dollar. 

But what parts of your car are worth scrapping? Each part can be worth a different amount based on the condition, but here we will go over the most valuable parts that will be worth the effort.

Under the Hood

The first place to look when trying to find scrappable parts is under the hood. There are a lot of valuable parts here, and as long as you are careful and know what you’re doing, these can net you a nice profit.

If your engine and transmission are still running, these are the most valuable parts here. Both could be sold to an auto repair shop or private buyers looking to fix their own cars with cheap used parts. Be very careful, though, as these parts include fluids you need to drain out and are very heavy. 

The air conditioning system can net you a pretty penny if it’s in good condition. The compressor and condenser could be of value to a gear head fixing up an old car.

Many of the parts of the car are also full of valuable scrap metal. Car batteries, radiators, starters, and alternators can include copper, aluminium, and other valuable metals. A scrap yard may be willing to pay up for these.

The Outside of Your Car

There are a lot of hidden valuables all over your vehicle. The exterior and undercarriage of your car can hold a lot of resellable parts or valuable metals, so read on to find out how to get the most out of it.

If you’re willing to get under your car and a bit dirty, there are a lot of valuable things down there. Starting with the exhaust system–this can be costly to repair but also worth a bit to sell used to a buyer. They’re usually in high demand and worth the effort. 

The wheels and tires on your car are also worth a lot! And these may be one of the easiest parts to remove, as long as you know how to change a tire. You can then resell these separately to someone or together as a set. Snow tires can be worth even more, as these are always more expensive than regular tires.

If you’re looking to get valuable metals out of your car so you can sell them to a scrap yard, there are the parts we went over above, but the most valuable part of your car is under the carriage. Your catalytic converter contains precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium that are worth quite a bit. However, don’t go looking for shiny metals — they are melted together and can’t be separated at home. Your catalytic converter is best brought to a scrap yard who will be willing to pay based on the metals inside.

So now that we’ve gone over the most valuable parts of your car, it’s time to get scrapping!