That could be viewed from a lot of angles but in an essence while providing a service, that's still screwing someone if you base it on actual value like you're suggesting. They are making a huge profit from junk vehicles so if you are going on what the parts are worth, the parts are worth a killing and they pay dirt for the vehicles they part out. I've seen guys call certain vehicles trash and say they arent worth more than $300 only to buy them and sell the seats for $500, that's a vulture and it's the same thing as selling a vehicle to someone for more than fair market value.

I have no problem with the dismantlers, it takes effort to do that kind of thing but price wise they are on a level playing field as the guy you are bashing. Paying nothing for something and making a killing off of it is the same as selling something for 3 times what its worth. Not knocking the parts guys so please refrain I know there are a ton of you on here who do that. You make money by providing a service selling used parts to folks who need them. You guys take advantage of an unfortunate situation and that's fine and dandy with me. Those trucks you buy would likely end up in the landfill so you end up doing 3 things in most cases. You keep them out of the crusher, you sell parts to us for decent prices in most cases and on top of that you make a profit. That's all good by my standards, all I'm saying is selling a vehicle for more than we think it's worth is no different than haggling someone over a few hundred bucks when in the end you'll pocket 5-10 times your investment simply by taking something apart.

Why is it not ok for him to sell it whole for 2 grand but its ok for someone to buy it for a few hundred bucks and then make 4 grand off the parts? Pot calling the kettle black aint it? It takes two people to make a deal anyway, who are we to decide what another person thinks something is worth. Just because we think 2 grand is overpaying doesnt mean the buyer feels that way. If it needs simple repair he could have a nice Disco for a few hundred dollars in parts plus the purchase price. If its crap he has a few thousand in parts if he's patient. Cant really lose if you think about it.

 

It's called business. They have to make a profit so they can stay in business for the next time we need them. And speaking of markup, what about that blister pack of screws you shelled out how much for? Of course, it had to be made in China, loaded on a ship, motor across the Pacific, though the Panama Canal, off load in Savannah, on to a waiting truck, and off to the 50 acres under one roof Home Depot distribution center, then to another truck to the store near you.

 

Actually, you are wrong in many areas. You pay for a service. Paying $2000 for a vehicle that is barely worth $500 cannot be compared to parting out a $500 vehicle and making 'who-knows-how-much'.(the amount made changes with every vehicle) People that claim you can make $4000 parting out a vehicle every time are idiots/liars/cheats. Every vehicle that is parted has different potential. Different broken parts that have to be disposed of at your cost. Parts that no one needs and therefore are disposed of as well, because you can only have so many cruise control buttons taking up space on the shelf...Not every part has value. And it takes a lot of time to dismantle a vehicle correctly. Not only must they be dismantled without breaking parts, but every part needs to be cleaned, inventoried, tested(as well as can be), and listed for sale. Depending on how you sell the parts, you may need to take many pictures, and pay listing and selling fees. You also spend a good amount of time scrounging packaging materials, packaging the items and shipping them. Then you get to spend countless hours answering emails and phone calls from hundreds of people with big pipe dreams so you can make a dozen sales. It is amazing how many people ask a million questions about a used part, only to disappear when the deal is almost made. I bet Paul Grant could tell us story after story of dealing with window-shoppers.

As someone that has parted many vehicles, I can verify that the pay is not as good as you think it is. Sure, I spent $100 on a '78 Jeep Wagoneer with a bad tranny and made almost $1500 parting it, but I spent more than 40 hours doing it correctly. That was my most successful parting. I have had others that might have paid me $5 an hour for the amount of time I put in compared to what I sold the parts for. You also have to sell your parts at a competitive price so people will purchase your parts, and not the other guys. The guy that sells his parts for twice everyone else is going to need a large warehouse to store his unsold parts.

 

I never said he couldn't sell it for whatever he wanted. I did say that He is on my list of people to never do business with. He sold a "non-running" vehicle that has a value of less than $1000 for twice it is worth. Has nothing to do with the parts value. If you see nothing wrong with that, wanna buy my house? You only have to pay me twice what it's value is and it's yours...

 

Hey, don't forget the added value for all that raw beauty surrounding that great home in Ketchikan, that's worth a fortune alone!

 

I get what ya'll are saying I'm just wondering why such transactions are viewed so differently. Why is it not ok for him to sell a whole vehicle for 2 grand but its fine to make 2 grand or more selling it piece by piece? To me its the same thing. Again I see nothing wrong with either, a buyer will pay whatever they think something is worth. People make money due to stupid consumers every day, its just how the world works. Its not really ripping someone off if they seller takes an offer made buy the buyer, its called free market for a reason.

 

You are correct. It is a free market, and thankfully so. I guess it boils down to ethics. I personally feel that selling an item for four times it's value without disclosing that info is wrong. But everyone has a different ethics policy they adhere to. Part of that whole free to choose thing.

 

Oh I totally agree with you on that I would never personally ask that kind of money for a non running Disco. All I was getting at was if someone actually bought it, they obviously thought it was worth the beans. I see a huge problem if someone intentionally ripped someone off but in this case the buyer threw out the number which is fine in my eyes. I don't think it was worth 2 grand but someone did and as long as the buyer knew what was wrong with it, its on them for overpaying its not on the seller for accepting the offer. My house is worth 300k but if someone decides they like it and offers me 500k, what do I care? Some people buy things because they want them and don't really worry to much about price. I paid 800 for a factory rear glass for one of my Novas, a new replacement is 199 but not a factory part and when the NOS ones pop up they are usually half what I paid. I paid about double but its an item I needed, I haven't seen another in my area in a long time and they sell like hotcakes so having the chance to buy one was great. Sure I paid more than I should have but my car may have sat for another year before I could find another. I don't feel ripped off at all because I was the one who offered that much in an attempt to outbid others for something I had to have.

 

All,

Interesting banter going on. I've delivered the car, handed over all the vehicle reports (had all the work done at the same dealership since I bought the car), and did everything as described. Nothing deceptive went on. Let's remember that this person offered 2k. Clearly, he sees value that I do not.

Onto the next thing. I'm loving the audi. Car is stunning and smooth. Took it up to VT last weekend and the steering is amazing over ice.

I do, however, long for a rover. So I'm going to look at Def 90s and 1990s-early2000s Range Rovers. Any suggestions as to year/model I should look for would be appreciated.

 

The Range Rover went thru a major design change when they went from the Range Rover Classic to the newer smaller body style 1996 I think it was.

But I did hear that the Range Rover Sport which is full time supercharged is pretty damn awesome and that would probably be a great fit for Dealer oriented type guy.

Greg Norman drives them as does a lot of English Royalty. Not recommended for the lower income DIY types like me that have to keep their Discovery going as long as possible. But definitely an impressive vehicle.