I am a bit embarrassed to admit, but I've paid a visit to my local junkyard almost every weekend since June. I have two awesome junkyards here in Atlanta to choose from. Fresh groomed gravel surface, wheelbarrows to carry tools-parts. heck, they even have a web site which shows their inventory. And they change their stock something like every two weeks.

I am completely hooked.

anyone else out there as messed up as I am?

Mike

Daily. Actually there are some us that are worse. I walk out the back door into my own miniyard. I bought two complete cars for parts and brought them home for the three that are on the road. That's pretty bad. Later,rcs

well, you've got me there. Oh if I only had the room for extra parts cars!!!

what does your wife think?

Anything that prevents having to make car payments flies real well around here. Will probably have more in future. Used to have LOTS of trouble with city officials about my hobby until we moved to a rural area. I alway told them that THEY were infringing on my right to have a "collection". Have always had as many vehicles as I had room to park. Later,rcs

I hear you on the car payments... I don't know how/why people do it. All of my friends (read debt-free friends) constantly harp on me for "dumping" money into an old car. My consistent (and still true I think) reply is "it's still cheaper than a car payment."

fight the power!

cheers.

Mike

Ha! Since April, I have been going about twice a month. One reason I go is to learn how to take parts off without damaging my vehicle, so that if/when I do have to work on those parts I will have SOME kind of experience beforehand. That helped a lot taking off my IAC valve, which I spent an hour trying to take off at the junkyard, until I realized that the valve is held in a bracket and the bracket only needs to be loosened to move the valve out instead of the effort it was taking to get the bracket off. Also I can see what size socket and deep sockets it is best to carry around with me (that has helped me at lot too recently). I still haven't figured out how to get my door off since the outside door handle doesn't work, but I will one of these days. At least I will know HOW to get the door panel off without breaking it, or even the door itself should I come across one in good shape that I can just remove and replace.

Who doesnt like to visit cool boneyards?


In sweden boneyards are EXPENSIVE, a few $$$ below new part price.

It takes effort to find those old places without computer inventory, how about $5 for a FPR or $40 for a complete rear axle?

If you ask prices they grunt "bring tools, hack off" and then you'll negotiate for the price afterwards.


I will visit them this week just to get some random brickparts, im sure i could go there with a bag, fill it with parts and say "you get $100 for the bag" and they wouldn't care much about it.

I don't think ANYONE is as messed up as you. ;)

I might not be enthused to do weekly junkyard visits, but if I had access to the wrecking yards you do, I'd surely go more.

The yards around here are so damn expensive that there's not too many cheap parts to be had.

A few examples (CDN $$):

3rd seat for wagon: $500
Front Door panel pocket: $65

Those prices are outrageous ! I paid $20 for the entire set of 4 complete door-panels in pristine condition (regular price was $10 each, but on some weekends they discount everything by 50%).

And wheelbarrows / engine-hosts are available for rent. I think that's standard though...

And Mike - I think you touched a nerve here ;-) I would guess 30-50% of us pay frequent visits to the boneyard, so we can empathize with you.

Those prices quoted are from Chapman Motors, on Vancouver Island BC (probably the most expensive around and definitely not justified):

http://chapmanmotors.ca/volvoparts.html.

Prices are a bit cheaper on Lower Mainland (BC). Still, the cheapest I have found a door pocket is $25. Recently bought a used A/C fan thermosensor, $25.

Even a wagon tail light ASSY was $75USD just over the border in Bellingham, WA.

This is precisely why I drool with envy over all of the cheap parts I continue to hear folks acquiring...

I constantly go to the yard also, but I've never heard of one with groomed sand and wheelbarrows to haul your parts!!! I think they're selling more than auto parts -- call after midnight and see what you get...

Then again, $500 for a third seat is a total ripoff!