I have a 1992 Mercury Sable Wagon. The transmission has started to go and I just want to get rid of it. I live in NYC and would rather not have a car anyway. I don’t really want to sell it to another driver because of the transmission, but I’m wondering if I might be able to sell it for its parts. Other than the transmission, it runs well. It has about 116,000 miles, which is pretty low for its age. Any suggestions as to where to start or if this is even an option?
It would be much easier to just sell it as is, with the buyer knowing that the transmission is having issues. Parting it out would be a headache. With the transmission going it’s probably worth about $500.
You could sell it for parts but how many takers will there be for this car? Not that many. It will lay around for some time before it is scavenged enough to get rid of. And there are plenty of parts on it. 4 doors, liftgate, hood, ft & rear bumper assemblies, taillamps, headlamps, condensor, radiator, engine and knee assemblies (which are suspension parts sold as a unit including strut,spindle,hub-bearing, control arms, trailing arms).
After that what will you do with the carcass? Salvage yards won’t even take it since you have sold all the inventory off of it. Take it to the scrap yard but if you pay a tow then you will not make any money, or very little.
IMO, just sell it to someone and be up front about the trans. Buyer beware, it does not even have a 30-30 warranty, 30 miles, 30 minutes.
Also, will the neighbors complain about it?
I guess I should re-phrase or clarify my question. I’m wondering if I could sell it (the entire car) to someone who would then sell the parts to others…I guess a salvage yard. I could not personally sell it for parts since it is parked on a NYC street.
aaaahhhhhhhhh…yes you could and the best/quickest option is a salvage yard. But don’t expect much money. I imagine the neighborhood of $150-$300 would be fair.
If it’s insured, clean out the trunk and glove box, take off the plates and leave it running.
Twotone
Gee, whatever happened to the days when you could leave a car parked on a NYC street and soon enough it would part itself out? Maybe you could quietly start selling parts and tell your neighbors it’s those darn kids…
Some salvage places want you to pay them to take it. There isn’t much demand for parts from a disposable car. Look in the paper for places that say they will pay you to tow it away. They will say top dollar paid but that could be $25. It beats paying for insurance.
You could donate the car for a tax write off. You can list it on Craigslist with a picture and description. Lots of folks would be interested in buying a decent car even with a known transmission problem. Sometimes a mechanic will buy it, repair it on his own and resell it. As long as you disclose the transmission problem you can sell it to whoever wants it “as is”.
Donate it to charity, such as The Kidney Foundation or similar. YOu will get a good tax deduction receipt, feel good about what you did, and someone else will take car of your car.
I have 2 younger brothers who both had enough room to park vehicles, and used to just give them my old cars.