Where Cars Go To Die
Have you ever wondered what happens to old cars that have reached the end of their useful life? This article explores the different fates that these "dead" cars can meet, including being totaled by insurance companies, becoming classics or antiques, ending up in junkyards, being used as movie and TV props, and eventually being crushed and recycled. Additionally, readers can discover the benefits of purchasing salvage title cars and how to find great deals on them.
When you're ready to sell your car, you might be curious about what happens to it after it's done being useful. Whether it's still in good shape or not, cars can reach a point where they can't be used anymore. So, what happens to these "dead" cars? Well, there are many things that can happen! If you've ever been curious about what happens to old cars, then you should definitely read this article!
MORE: Affordable Salvage Cars, Trucks, SUVs, and PickUps For Sale
When a Car is Totaled
You might think that if a car has been in an accident or a natural disaster, the only option is for it to be crushed and recycled. But did you know that there's another possibility? When a car is deemed "totaled" by an insurance company, it just means that the cost of repairing it would be more than the car's value. This doesn't mean it's not worth repairing the car, just that the insurance company doesn't think it's worth it. The car owner will receive the car's fair market value and the car will get a salvage title from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Actually, there are many people who like to purchase cars with salvage titles because they can purchase a car that they would not otherwise be able to afford at a great price. So, don't be too quick to write off a salvage title car - it might just be a hidden gem waiting to be restored!
MORE: Staying on Budget During Salvage Car Restoration
Old Cars Get New Life as Classics or Antiques
Sometimes cars that seem to be dead and useless might just need the right owner. If a car is left untouched in a garage for 20 years (but not more than 40 years), someone might think it's a classic and want to bring it back to life. If it sits around for at least 45 years, it's considered an antique, which is attractive to a different group of car collectors. However, the exact definitions can vary depending on the state and car collecting group. Some states even have a special license plate just for antique cars, so they each have their own definition of what counts as an antique car.
Junkyards
Have you ever driven past a junkyard and seen a bunch of old, rusty cars just sitting there? Well, some junkyards are actually looking for cars that are still in good condition, even if they're not running. They might buy these cars at a lower price and then sell off the good parts to people who need them. This helps the junkyard make some money. After they take out all the good parts, what's left of the car gets sold to a scrap metal company. These days, scrap metal prices aren't very high, so the junkyard might not make much money from it.
Movie and TV Props
Have you ever thought about how all the cars that get smashed in movies and TV shows are obtained? They're definitely not buying brand-new cars just to wreck them. That would be a big waste of money and resources. Most of the time, the cars that get destroyed aren't even working properly and don't need to be moving when they're destroyed. No one knows exactly how many cars have been wrecked in movies and TV shows, but some examples are well-known. For instance, during the making of the Fast and Furious movies, hundreds of cars were wrecked, including some rare and expensive models. In the original movie, a total of 78 cars were wrecked, and in the second movie, 130 cars were destroyed!
Crusher
When a car is no longer useful, it gets stripped of its parts and then broken down into its basic components. But don’t worry, the car’s parts will be reused in other ways! Actually, cars are the most recycled consumer product in the whole world! That’s because at least 95% of all vehicles are reclaimed. After a car is crushed by a machine, it goes through a shredder. The shredder breaks the car down into little pieces, which then go through a special process that separates the steel from the other materials. The aluminum is especially valuable and gets separated out by magnets. The leftover pieces are then sent to countries where people work to sort through them by hand. The rubber parts become new floor mats and pedals, while carpeting bits can become new air-cleaner assemblies in new cars. So even though a car may be dead, its parts can live on in other ways!
Did you know that there are 10 billion cars on our planet, while only 6 billion people live here? That's because most families have two or three cars. But, did you also know that you can save a lot of money by buying a salvage title car? In fact, you can save up to 60 percent! To find some great deals on these cars, check out bidgodrive.com.
