47-55.1 My friends junkyard is closing after 40 years

[mick53]

One of my best friends is closing his junkyard after 40 years. He has 1500 cars and trucks from the 30's to the 70's. He's a country western singer now and tours a lot so he hasn't done much with it in a few years. Some big company bought it just for the zoning. I guess it's hard to start a new junkyard. He has 80 acres. Sadly the cars and trucks will probably be scraped. Where I live these old yards are still around but going fast.

[Zippi]

I really hate to see that happen. Nothing better than walking a junk yard looking for parts. I'm headed out in the Spring to look for some bucket seat.

[Dachshund]

Sad...…

[mr48chev]

If they are going to keep the land as a wrecking yard I'd hope they have to forethought to clean off a section of it and move select old stuff to that area and then scrap the stuff that is already picked over or too far gone to have any value to make it worth keeping.

Myself if I had it I'd figure out what they would bring for scrap and basically sell them by the ton on a you dig it out and haul it off basis. Give those guys who have wanted something out of there for years to nab it at an honest price.

I saw one yard a ways from here sell out after it had been pretty well closed for a while when the guy's kids who had had no interest in it decided that they could get rich off the cars by selling them individually. The prices were pretty stiff for the time and some had been stacked 3 high and the roofs were damaged beyond repair. I think a bunch of them ended up in another wrecking yard at a pretty low ball price.

[vintovka]

I have to travel 70 miles one way to the only 2 yards left. Every trip is an all day affair and tough on the old bod. Every one so far have been worth it in finding what i need and some significant 'treasures" to boot. Even found gold!!! Sadly i see many rusted out cars i knew when i was a kid.

[mick53]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

If they are going to keep the land as a wrecking yard I'd hope they have to forethought to clean off a section of it and move select old stuff to that area and then scrap the stuff that is already picked over or too far gone to have any value to make it worth keeping.

Myself if I had it I'd figure out what they would bring for scrap and basically sell them by the ton on a you dig it out and haul it off basis. Give those guys who have wanted something out of there for years to nab it at an honest price.

I saw one yard a ways from here sell out after it had been pretty well closed for a while when the guy's kids who had had no interest in it decided that they could get rich off the cars by selling them individually. The prices were pretty stiff for the time and some had been stacked 3 high and the roofs were damaged beyond repair. I think a bunch of them ended up in another wrecking yard at a pretty low ball price.

He is just walking away. It's a big nationwide company so more than likely bulldoze the trees scrap the metal and bring in gravel and new cars and prices of course. My friend would sell an engine for $100.

[MARTINSR]

Sad, but seeing them sitting there rusting and parts not being sold is sad too, don't know which is more sad though.

Brian

[mr48chev]

I've seen that around here a time or two. The zoning for a wrecking yard is sometimes as valuable as the land it's self.

Agreed though that a lot of the big operations aren't interested in anything over 20 years old and even that is too old for some of them. One of my friend's who grew up in his dad's wrecking yard that he now owns went to buying late model wrecks from the auction rather than just selling parts off cars he impounded or bought from locals as the profit margin is a lot higher on the parts. Usually he can test an engine before he pulls it and the rigs stay in the part of the yard that his people pull the parts until they get picked down to where they are moved to the other side and then to the crusher line.

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

I've seen that around here a time or two. The zoning for a wrecking yard is sometimes as valuable as the land it's self.

Or vice versa where the cleanup on former junk yards approaches or surpasses super fund clean-up costs and the liabilities it entails. i once was asked by the owner of one of the oldest yards in CA. He asked to review his test data me as i was a friend who happened to be employed as a senior engineer with the highest CA environmental agencies. Looked at the data from near 100 years of operation and my answer was concise. Sell the land if you can ASAP and Find a country you like without extradition. Think he did it . Clean up was 10x land value not including the cost of monitoring for perpetuity. BTW old auto shops gargles, auto dealerships and even tow storage lot owners best follow the same advice.

[mick53]

He hasn't done much with it for 15 years mostly because they were getting on him about draining everything. He has 80 acres and it's surrounded by farm land. If it was corn field it would be worth about $240K around here. They gave him 1.25 Mil. End of an era for me. 25 years ago our gang ran about 5 circle dirt track cars out of there. Now we have all grown up and the track is shut down for noise. Except me.

[VWNate1]

Always sad to see them go .

I ran a VW junk yard in the 1970's in a college town, it was the most fun job I ever had .

Unlike 90 + % of junk yards I sold everything ~ I didn't over price part then get pissed off when I had years of stuff piled up so high it had to be sold at scrap value in a hurry ~ I just sold the heck out of it, a dollar in my hand was worth more than what others would ask .

God help those who didn't lay down concrete decades ago .

[vintovka]

Just a comment. Steel scrap value here on west coast is down to virtually nothing. Since the Chinese quit taking it not even the dump will take it for free anymore and actually charge to take it. This has indirectly put further pressure on all but the largest yards and forced smaller ones ( and even body shops) out of business.

[VWNate1]

That's normal ~

Scrap values always fluctuate more than I'd imagine possible .

[vintovka]

The huge Schnitzer steel company down in SF used to go begging for scrap steel. We had "steel gypsies" everywhere looking for abandoned cars to scrap on folks land. The price got so high cars were being stolen just to strip and sell for scrap. Now we must pay dearly to get rid of it. The whole recycling deal is in the toilet. Not good for us parts scroungers.