Get Cash For Your Wanted Car

Learn to recognize the smell of burnt oil and/or burnt transmission fluid. Either forewarn of coming problems. Smell the dip stick on both. Open an oil filler cap while the engine is running. Does it have blow-by? If so, be prepared for major engine problems. At the least, the vehicle will need rings. Is there a lower or upper end engine knock? Same deal…Not good! How ’bout an anti-freeze smell. More than likely the vehicle has a bad head gasket. Get the point yet? Take a mechanic along if you aren’t versed in these things. They will know what to look for to save you money.

The best way to start your search is through the yellow pages or your local phone book. You could also turn to the reliable search engines and type in “auto 1973 pontiac grand am” in your area and you will be sure to come up with a lot of results. There are directories on the internet where you will be able to search for a location close to you.

What should you fix? If your car has a major problem like a blown engine or transmission then you may want to sell for parts to an individual or auto salvage yard. Here it will bring only a fraction of what a similar running auto would bring. If it has a safety problem like bad brakes or inoperable wipers I would fix them before selling the car. Little things like a cigarette lighter not working should be mentioned, but are not that important.

Sometimes the parts are not kept in stock, so they have to be ordered from a distributor, but they usually arrive the next day. When they do arrive, I pick them up and pay for them.

Especially for older cars or antique vehicles being restored, used car parts may very well be the only answer to your parts needs. You may not find any auto supply outlet with access to car parts for a ’49 Studebaker pickup or a ’32 Ford, but you may very well find salvage yards with cars that are being sold for parts.

Compare Prices: You may be tempted to buy from the first online auto parts store that you come across, but don’t. At least not until you have done some “comparison shopping”. The web is full of delicious deals. The main reason being that you can easily check out a company’s competitors at the push of a button. You don’t have to drive down any road or travel any length of miles to do that.

While junk yards are one of the most common places where you can find used parts, they’re not the only places. Though, you will always get much better deals at junkyards than any other place. Most of the damaged and old vehicles always have a number of spares that work perfectly well. Sometimes these parts are almost new. The only problem with junkyards is that at most of the times you will have to locate and remove the spare part yourself. On the flipside, this saves your money on labor charges that some other dedicated stores might charge you.

If your budget for the vehicle body repair is low, just ask for the repairs that are completely necessary. For instance, your car can function completely well with a few dents here are there, but you definitely need to carry out the repairs that might put you in danger.

It also helps even if you are auto repair challenged, to keep a small tool kit in the car. A pliers, screwdriver, a set of jumper cables and some fuses plus a small wrench set can get you out of a lot of jams. Even if you don’t know what to do with the tools, there may be someone around that knows what to do with the tools. Many cars are now operated as much by computer as anything else, but if your battery goes dead, having a set of jumper cables can get you on the road sooner. Make sure your tool set is what you need either inches or metric. Check to make sure you have the correct type for your particular vehicle.