These days, buying even a quality second-hand car can set you back a surprising amount. Without remortgaging the house, this can make it feel like your dreams of owning a top luxury vehicle simply aren’t set for the real world. Unless, of course, you consider buying a scrap project.
Otherwise set for life at the scrapyard, vehicles that might include anything from write-offs to rust buckets offer perhaps the most affordable way into vehicle ownership on the surface. Unfortunately, if you have to totally strip back that bare frame and stock new manufacturer parts, you could end up spending more here in the long run.
Luckily, there are factors to focus on that will help you bring a scrap car up to scratch on a budget, and we’re going to consider them here.
# 1 – Understanding Why a Car’s Been Scrapped
Before buying any scrap car, you need to understand why it’s in that scrap yard. Sometimes, a write-off can just be a vehicle that needs repairs which are above a certain percentage of its value. In other words, repairs that don’t always make financial sense.
However, you can still bag a bargain. After all, if you rescue a great model from a scrap yard and source all repair parts second-hand, it could still end up costing you less than brand new. The main thing to check is simply that a car’s scrap status doesn’t extend to key features like its engine. If repairs are purely structural, there’s every chance you can bring it back up to scratch without needing to spend a fortune.
# 2 – Choosing Refurbishment Over Replacement
When you refurbish a car part, you work to make what you already have better, and thus operational. This is far better financially than stripping a scrap car and sourcing all of the parts new, and it’s a step worth taking whenever possible.
Lucky for you, with the help of the right experts, you should affordably be able to manage everything from engine refurbs to alloy wheel refurbishment. Admittedly, if parts are no longer structurally sound, it can be more affordable to just replace them upfront. But if there’s hope that a piece could still function as it should, then by all means cut costs with refurbishment in mind.
# 3 – Playing the Long Game
It’s easy to want everything finished right away with your scrap car project, but it’s not often financially wise to rush. In truth, these projects are very much about playing the long game. This allows you to better understand reasonable part prices, making sure that you don’t spend a small fortune on the first feasible part you find.
Taking your time with a scrap car can also help you bag bargains that might not necessarily be available when you first search. Simply keep looking, and you’re sure to spot a better price hiding somewhere in plain sight.
Is it always affordable to sort out a scrap car? Certainly not, but you can bring that budget down in these key ways.
