Here at Take My Scrap Car, we like to think we’re one of the more upstanding businesses of our kind and we take genuine pride in being honest and open. That’s why we’re also lending a few tips here and there to folk who may be thinking about scrapping a car but aren’t entirely sure the time is right. If it’s still in good nick and not doing any harm to anyone, we’ll gladly tell you to hold onto it – we’re not about deceiving folk to up our own recycling tally!
There was a story in the press some time ago that pretty perfectly illustrates why it is that we always tell folk to make double sure the car they’re planning to get rid of is indeed ready for the shredder, before making the final move. The thing is, if you own a clapped out old Ford Fiesta from 1998 that’s got more miles on it than the moon, chances are you’re not going to find a better home for it that the recycling plant. However, if your car has a more colourful history – perhaps it was once owned by a celebrity – it could be worth far more if kept alive and kicking. And what’s more, if you have a car that’s rather on the rare or unusual side, it’s more than worth having a quick look into the specifics before getting busy with the scrapping. 
The case-in-point example in question is that of a knackered old car that was recently put on sale on eBay for scrap purposes. It was in pretty bad condition, it didn’t even have an engine and was for the most part falling to pieces. As such, the seller was looking for $300 just to get it off his hands – a token gesture and nothing else. So really you can imagine the guy’s surprise when he checked how the auction was progressing and soon found that more than a few people wanted to take it off his hands. And by the time the auction ended nine days later, the winning bid scooped up the car for $227,000.
That’s $227,000 for a guy wanting just $300.
As for why…well, it all came down to the fact that he was selling a 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest Super Duty, of which only six were ever made. And if that didn’t help, how about the fact that it was once the very same car that was driven by American drag racing legend Stan Antlocer. Suffice to say, it’s a pretty good job it went on eBay and got noticed by a bunch of experts – imagine if he’d just sent it off to the recycling yard and had it shredded to bits!
Of course, it’s hardly likely that the old rust-bucket you have lying around at home is going to make you quite as rich as that little beauty did. But still, it’s a brilliant way of getting across the importance of not falling foul of any false presumptions when you’re dealing with something a little bit old and perhaps a whole lot special!
A little tip from the team at Take My Scrap Car.
