Overhaulin'

Is it worth selling a car for parts?

Had an accident today with my 2001 Plymouth Neon. A reliable car w/ 89,000 miles. But the axle is damaged and now it can't start. With only liability insurance, we're thinking it doesn't make sense to do the repairs and are wondering if it's worth its weight in parts? Should we try to sell it for parts or just pay to scrap it? You experiences and advice are welcome.

Public Comments

1. look on ebay and see what the demand is for the parts and if they are expensive.
2. There are a lot of Neon enthusiasts who would be happy to buy your car and sink a few thousand dollars to transform it into a street racer. Don't expect to receive a lot of money - maybe list the car for $500 as a starting point.
3. You might try ebay or body shops. Don't pay to scrap it you can donate and get a tax deduction if anything.
4. Will you be taking the parts off yourself.. do you have a place to leave a car that doesn't move... the scrap yard should give you a few bucks for it, or you can donate it to one of those charities - thats what i did once
5. in my experience you can make a ton of money parting out a car. i once had a camaro a junk yard offered me $150 for but i ended up parting out pieces for nearly $2000. the catch is you need space for a car to sit in pieces and its time consuming to sell it piece by piece. the other thing is i had a camaro, by and large its not exactly rare but there are more people out there looking for used parts. supply and demand. in your case id probably just take the $150 to save myself the headache
6. if you sell for parts you might get something, as opposed to just scrapping it