Do You Have an Old Car Sitting in Your Garage? Here Are Some Useful Tips

By Kristina Harper | November 29, 2021

If you have an old car sitting around in your garage collecting dust, then you’re probably not quite sure what to do with it. Well, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, so don’t consider scrapping it just yet. First, you need to consider what your options are. You could sell it, up-cycle it, or give it away to somebody who’s in need of a vehicle.

In this article, we will explore what you can do if you have an old vehicle sitting in your garage:

Fixing Any Damages

If your car is broken down, damaged, or just isn’t working properly, then the first thing that you should consider doing is fixing it. One thing to take into consideration before fixing it is the car’s value, however. If the cost of fixing it will exceed the car’s resale value, then there’s no point in getting it repaired. With that said, you may be able to fix your car for less than a mechanic will charge you by doing it yourself. Many car repairs are quite straightforward. Fixing your car could become a weekend project for you.

Visiting the Mechanic

If you can’t or won’t fix it yourself, then the next step is taking your car to a mechanic. Again, you need to weigh the car’s value against the cost of repairing it. If your car is broken down then you will also need to factor in the cost of a towing company. According to the towing specialists from Towing Frisco, towing companies can also help you with getting into your vehicle if you are locked out. This is a common problem for people who have junk cars sitting on their property because it’s easy to misplace a vehicle’s keys when you’re not using them.

Selling Your Car

If your car is in good condition and works fine, then you can consider selling it. The best way to sell your car is to do it yourself on websites like Gumtree, Craigslist, eBay, and Autotrader. Make sure that you are honest about your vehicle’s condition in any advertisements that you post. If you tell any mistruths, you could get into a lot of trouble. When you are selling your vehicle, make sure to price it competitively. If your car is vintage or specialist, then you may want to sell it on a specialist website instead of on the previously listed marketplaces.

Phoning a Dealer

Alternatively, if you want to avoid the hassle of selling your car yourself, then you can phone a dealer and ask them to sell it for you. The only downside to selling your car through a dealer is that they take a percentage. Alternatively, you may be able to sell your car to a dealer. When you sell your car to a dealer, you will usually get significantly less than the vehicle’s market price. This is because the dealer will have to resell your vehicle for its market price. This is the best option if you are in a hurry.

Giving It Away

If you are feeling generous, then you could always give your car away. Assuming that it works and isn’t dangerous, a car makes a great gift. If you have a large family then you shouldn’t have any difficulty locating somebody that’s in need of a vehicle. You could also donate it to a family in need. Simply post a photograph of your vehicle on a platform like Facebook, and tell people that you are giving it away for free. When you do this, you need to interview prospective recipients so that you can rule out fraud or exaggeration.

Upcycling Your Car

Alternatively, if the car is in poor condition and isn’t worth replacing, and nobody will buy it, then you could up-cycle your car. Up-cycling junk cars is something of a social media trend at the moment. There are many things that you can turn an old car into, such as a sofa, a bed, or even a playpen for a child. When you’re up-cycling anything, make sure that you go to great lengths to ensure that it’s safe for purpose. Sand down edges to ensure that they aren’t sharp and carefully remove any rust.

Using for Parts

If you have other vehicles, then you could take your old car apart and use it for parts. You could also sell the parts individually online. Selling your car’s old parts on websites like eBay can be a great way to make money, and it’s usually much more lucrative than scrapping your car. When you scrap your car, they give you the bare minimum and sell or reuse the parts themselves. You could ring around local mechanics and ask them if they would be interested in buying any of the parts that you have to offer.

Scrapping Your Car

If you have no other options available, then you could scrap your car. When you scrap your vehicle [like previously mentioned], the scrapyard generally pays you as little as possible. You may get $300 if you are lucky. With that said, if your car’s resale value is less than that, then $300 sounds like a pretty good deal. Scrapyards will usually collect your car and tow it themselves, also, which will save you money. Scrapping should be your last option, however. There’s always somebody out there that could use your car more than a scrapyard.

Don’t Dump It

A word of warning: never dump your car. Dumping cars is illegal and is punishable by law. There are lots of things that the police can do to identify a vehicle’s owner when it has been dumped. It is almost impossible to suggest that you could get away with it. And, even if you did get away with it, junked cars on the side of the road are an eyesore and a hazard. If you are caught dumping a vehicle, you can be fined thousands of dollars and even up in court.

If you have an old car sitting around in your garage, then you need to do something with it. As this article shows, there are many things that you can do with an old car. Instead of letting it rust, breathe some new life into it.