Cash For Clunkers: In The Junkyard **(Report & Pix)**

[Gold Metal Flake]

During lunchtime today I stopped by two local self-service wrecking yards. These yards are located in Sun Valley. While I did not find what I was looking for I did find plenty of Cash For Clunker cars.

In some recent threads on DU the Debbie Downers opined how the cars would not make it to wrecking yards. They had a variety of theories, none based in fact. Well, when I hit the first yard, in import-only yard, I noticed that something had changed. First, there was confusion. Instead of the yard being neatly divided into Asian and European makes the cars were all intermingled. I then noticed that the yard was lousy with SUVs. I have never seen so many SUVs in this yard before. Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Isuzu. I noticed that each car was labeled with "C4C" and the name of the dealer from which the vehicle came. The engines had fluorescent orange or green paint on them. A sign warned pickers from taking engine cylinder heads or blocks from these cars. Some had stickers on the engines. I started taking pictures.

These yards forbid picture taking, so I only took a few. The yard was full of C4C carcasses. I believe that fully half of the cars there were C4C carrion. This particular yard is owned by a company that owns an American-make yard around the corner. I did not go there, but I assume the inventory to be similar. Maybe my wagon is there, too.

I stopped at another yard and they had their C4C dead in a separate area. More of the same, mostly SUVs, trucks and vans.

So, the junkyards are full of C4C vehicles, like I said they would be. The people ate stripping them of useful parts, as I said they would. The transmissions are not sequestered. The external engine parts like pulleys, accessories, intake & exhaust manifolds etc. are not sequestered. The people needing parts are pulling them. The body shops are getting good factory parts. The used parts market is being fed by C4C nutrients.

I have yet to see an empty used car lot in the Santa Clarita valley either.

Readers may or may not like C4C. I'm not gonna comment on that. I am simply reporting what I saw in two self-serve wrecking yards in Sun Valley, California Sept. 23, 2009 on a very hot day. No MG Midgets were found, dammit.

[DoctorMyEyes]

1. Nice pics

I wasn't one of the worried posters but I appreciate that you took the time to go to the yards and make a "show and tell" thread.

[Gold Metal Flake]

2. Thanks. I took those with my cell phone.

I was surprised at the number of C4C vehicles I saw there.

[safeinOhio]

3. Here are some nice ones

http://freep.com/article/20090923/BUSINESS01/90923004/1...

[Gold Metal Flake]

4. Yeah. Funny stuff.

Some tax wrangling going on. There is a Bentley in the first yard, but it has been there for a long time. The owners decorate the walls of the yards with all sorts of unusual, foreign or movie vehicles including aircraft and boats. I took a peek into the yard where they pull parts for their full service yard and prep cars for the self-serve yards and there were more clunkers waiting to be brought in to the self-serve yards. Booming business.

[Gold Metal Flake]

5. Yeeeeaaaahhh. I'm, uh, gonna have to, y'know, kinda give this a little kick.

How's it going with the TPS reports?

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. another kick

[wicket]

13. HAHA!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Gold Metal Flake]

7. My goodness! This thread has been so quiet.

Kick for the crickets.

[malaise]

8. Here's a kick

Are people still stripping these vehicles for tires, engines, radios, etc?

[Gold Metal Flake]

10. As the sign sez, harvesting engines is not allowed.

But as you can see, people are taking everything else. The pix I posted were taken yesterday between 11:15 to noon west coast time.

[malaise]

12. Thanks

I assume they have security watching those taking 'everything else'.

[Gold Metal Flake]

14. Well, it's an enclosed yard.

I should have anticipated that not everyone is crazy enough to hang out at junk yards, LOL! The self serve yards work like this. There is a gate and admissions cashier at the front. You pay two dollars to get in and you can get a hand stamp that will aloow re-entry. Then you pass a guard that will inspect your toolbox for any parts. If you do have a part or a tool that resembles a part (like a lug wrench) they will either disallow it or mark it with paint. Then you are free to roam and harvest parts. The yard is fenced. When you have gotten your booty, you return to the entrance and stand at a different cashier's window and show them what parts you want to buy. They price them according to a list and you pay. This is computerized and they accept plastic. You are given an itemized receipt and then you pass the guard again who checks the parts against the list and your toolbox again. So the entire transaction is secure from the yard's point of view.

Some yards are on dirt. :-( One yard in Palmdale is on sand. :-( :-( But the yards in the pix are nice. They also have portapotties and hand washing stations, which is nice.

[malaise]

16. OK now I understand

the process.

[DemReadingDU]

24. interesting, thanks

[Barack_America]

9. K&R.

Thanks for checking this out.

[Lars39]

11. Thank you for the report!

We benefited from the program. :hi:

[Gold Metal Flake]

15. What did you turn in, and what did you buy?

we turned in a 1990 Colony Park wagon and bought a new 2009 Corolla. They had a $2K off incentive for clearing '09 models and the internet salesman took off an additional $2K.

[Lars39]

19. We turned in a Ford Aerostar and bought a Nissan Versa Hatchback.

The van had over 190K miles on it. We got the 4500 for the clunker and also 1250 incentive. :D

[Gold Metal Flake]

20. Nice! We looked at the Versa as well.

It was a strong second place. Our search was made difficult by my wife's insistance that the car have a manual trans. Used to be common but not anymore.

[Lars39]

27. We only found a few of those, too.

Seems like there's less and less people learning to drive stick nowadays.

[Gold Metal Flake]

17. Afternoon kick

:kick:

[Gold Metal Flake]

18. kick

kick

[Gold Metal Flake]

21. Someone please gimme one more R before the window closes.

[skipos]

22. Interesting

I got a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid with my clunker trade in.

[Gold Metal Flake]

23. How do you like it?

What kind of mileage ya getting?

[skipos]

26. A little under 40 mpg, but it is supposed to get better after the break in period

The displays are really good for showing you want you need to do to maximize fuel efficiency, but I wasn't looking for the most fuel efficient car out there. The Prius and especially the Smart Car are too uncomfortable for me, as I am about 6 ft. The Fusion is roomy and comfortable, and everything about it feels like a nice sedan.

[Gold Metal Flake]

25. Evening kick

boink

[onethatcares]

28. well, where does the scrap steel go?

Pittsburgh PA no longer has any steel mills, the rust belt has no steel mills, so I guess the scrap steel will have to go to some places where there are no enviromental regulations about oil on the ground, fumes in the air. There will be a short lived part for part replacement program then all those old fenders/bumpers/radiators etc will be coming back to us on Chinese freighters, most likely thru Mexico or South America as more needed crap.

Our children are gonna curse our names.