RxV8

Thinking about buying a ls1 fbody through copart, taking the engine and transmission and parting out the rest to try to make some of my money back. Anyone have experience with this and have any tips or tricks of the trade?

LLLosingit

iTrader: (4)

(1) Don't assume that because the car was wrecked that the engine an transmission are in good condition, Many people use the thinking that it must have been running and driving to get into an accident...although this is true it doesn't mean it was running and driving good. (2)I work for a salvage yard in Des Moines, IA and we buy hundreds of cars per month and although many were running when wrecked we still get quite few that weren't taken care of or they sat in the elements for weeks before they are sold and are no longer in running condition so you need to spend some time looking over everything and hopefully be able to hear it run. (3) If the car says it runs and drives keep in mind that all that means is they got it started and put it gear and the car went into gear, We get many cars that say run and drive at auctions and yes they may run but may also have a rod knock or other major problems. The driving part usually means they put it in gear and the car attempted to move. ( we get run and drive cars that are missing wheels or hit so hard that there is no way it would drive anywhere)
(4) Fee's..... take into account that there are many fee's associated with buying auction cars that will increase the final cost of the vehicle, Your $1,500 car may end up costing you closer to $2,000 when it all tallied up.

(5) Make sure you have a place to store the car while you part it out, Many cities and counties will hassle you as soon as they see a wrecked car on your property.

Docrocket1967

iTrader: (1)

I used to run cars in for Copart for years when I was towing. Not a bad place to buy a car but understand that some yards have a big theft issue amongst the employees and drivers and also the **** they go through while bing at the yard is unbelievable. Alot of your forklift drivers that move the cars have a stick up there *** too and have no problem throwing a car around all over the place before someone buys it so when you see the pics of the car online, it was taken the day it came into the yard, how it could look when it leaves is two different things. This isn't the case for all yards but some. If you live local to that copart I would ask some of the drivers that tow for them. Insurance Auto Auction or better known as IAA is pretty similar too on there setup and procedures. Get ready to pay fee's for the stupidest crap too.

RxV8

Sorry I didn't realize my post had been moved, thought it had been deleted. Thanks for the feedback. I'm still considering going this route but I really am hesitant.. That's the main things I've read - people stealing parts off the car and major components getting damaged from the forklift operators. I've only found one car in my area worth that's what I'm looking for, it got rear ended to hell, but they do have it listed as "Starts". Of course, I have to pay $200 to become a member (IAAI.com) and come see it before I bid. I wrote down all the fees I'd be looking at when all said and done after going through a broker, and with the $200 registration included, it's about $1000. Seems like a hefty price to pay on top of what I get the car for... I guess I'm just wondering do you think it's worth it spending 3k on a wrecked GTO and then 1k in fees on top of it, and if it turns out things are screwed, how much am I realistically looking to even get from parting it out? I'm still open to anyone who has experience either working/towing for/with Copart or IAA, or has purchased a donor car through them. Thanks again

RxV8

Here's some pictures of the specific one I'm interested in. Thoughts?

Docrocket1967

iTrader: (1)

As i mentioned before, I did nothing but wrecks and towing for copart/iaa for years so with that being said when they are hit like that then I can almost guarantee there will more damage done to it that what you can see. Im sure the driveshaft got rammed up into the back of the transmission, or bent it or broke it possibly. If they didn't put the plastic wrap on the car the correct way then there is a good chance the interior got a bunch of crap in it. The engine could have some damage externally to it as well considering what all has happened to it all the way around.

If you bought this and what you needed wasn't any good then I dont see you getting your money back out of it. You can buy cars for a great price with way less damage if you just be patient. You can also buy from other yards too and have them shipped. This car would be too much of a risk for me in my opinion.

Ive seen some you couldn't even tell what they were to begin with. On a scale of 1-10 (1being best shape and 10 being worst) most cars that come into the yard are an average 3-4, meaning they don't have an extreme amount of damage but they arent worth fixing. That gto is on the higher side I would put it at about a 6-7 for damage. I would try to buy in the 2-4 range.

IAA of tampa one time had a 2005 GTO come through the yard, this car was mint, in fact to this day probably the best condition LS car I ever towed after a claim. LKQ purchased the car to part out, they paid $5k for the car and it was sharp. I spoke with the insurance adjuster about it and asked why they totaled it and he said damage to the undercarriage. Something had bent the exhaust under the car and they totaled it thinking it was a huge fix. Most insurance adjusters are NOT car people and alot of them are the more nerdy type, nice people don't get me wrong, so they don't know what they are looking at half the time. The yard it was towed into had no pavement just dirt and gravel so a well dressed adjuster isn't climbing down to really inspect it. Just be patient my friend

Docrocket1967

iTrader: (1)

Here is a thread I started showing just some of what I had towed and seen

https://ls1tech.com/forums/racer-s-l...body-pics.html

zeeman99

I have bought some cars through Copart. The fees are crazy and will eat up most of any profit. Also someone else will bid $1500 for that $200 car. You waste a lot of time checking them out in person and folks bid them up way more than you want to pay. I have been able to profit a little on some where I kept the parts I wanted and sold the rest. Most folks looking for parts are expecting you to pratically give them away. Lot of hassle but it can be done.

Kevin

383z

iTrader: (2)

I've bought three LS1 Camaros.
I flipped two for a few hundred dollars profit and this last one I might keep.
The last one cost me $1800 I think and then the fees kicked in which was $700.

The second one is bought was a bad buy for me even though I made a few hundred off it. It was a flooded car and Copart said it started and drove and it did with a huge knock in the engine.

Also, if they say it drives the car only has to drive only forward for 5ft I think.

If you can, go check the car out and don't be in a rush to buy. Another wreck car will be up for auction again soon. Only bid on a car that seems to be low risk.
Do screw yourself for being in a rush.

t_raven

iTrader: (12)

I bought a car through ridesafely .com. Almost bought others but got outbid, and I'm sure I'll buy more in the future.

The nice thing is they act as the proxy bidder, where with copart and other sites, you may need to contact a separate proxy bidder.

I think I paid $800 for the car, $1000 in fees, and $500 to ship so don't forget to factor in fees and shipping. It sucks to pay more in fees than I did for the car, but as the sale price goes up, the fee price doesn't go up much more.


I've read a lot of stories about cars not being as described, but as with anything, unhappy customers are more likely to post online, and you can find people bashing any of the auction sites.

The car I did buy was advertized as running. When it arrived, I put a battery in it. It would crank but I couldn't get it to start. I haven't messed with it since, it's just waiting to get stripped down. There are some loose bolts on the engine, so who knows what's been done to it. I don't need the complete engine anyway, so it's not a big deal if there are issues with the engine, and the price was still fine. But like has been said, don't expect them to always show up in the condition they are supposed to be in.