Your car is a combination of many parts, some more valuable than others. The valuable parts in your car are why you can sell a junked car for some money. Junkyards and junk car buyers know the value of the many components in your car, but do you? If you have ever wondered what makes salvage cars for sale expensive, this article gives you an idea.
You’ll learn more about the most profitable items to scrap in your vehicle and what makes your junk car valuable. With this information, you can decide whether to sell your junk car as a whole or strip it of the valuable metals piece by piece. You’ll also learn how the prices of each of the metal components affect the price you sell your junk car.
The Most Valuable Metals in Your Car
Brass
Steel
Copper
Platinum
Palladium
Brass
Brass is an important part of cars manufactured before 1915. Those cars contained heavy amounts of brass components which signaled the abundance of brass at the time. Known as the Brass Era, many of the vehicles produced in those years had radiators made from brass. As brass became scarce and technology improved, many car manufacturers shifted focus from brass which had become more expensive.
If you have a pre-1915 era vehicle parked in your yard or garage, there is a huge chance that you may be able to command a lot of money for it. Contact a local junkyard to discuss prices and offers.
How Much is Brass Today?
Brass is an excellent heat conductor. It is also resistant to corrosion. A pound of brass is worth about $3.42 in the market today. This means you can easily make over $1,000 from your vehicle, assuming it contains 350 pounds of brass.
Steel
Steel is a fairly common component of many cars. Steel is easy to find in many parts of your car, including the body frames, exhaust pipes, roof beams, bonnet/hood, and the trunk. The demand for steel has increased over the past years because of the material’s reliability and strength. Many manufacturers recycle steel to make new automobiles or other machines and casings.
How much is Steel Today?
Steel is worth about $0.21 per pound. However, an average vehicle can have up to 2,400 pounds of steel. You can easily command as much as $500 for your junk car, judging by the current steel market price. Your junk car price increases when it is operational and has other valuable parts in it. Take note that an SUV can have up to 4,000 pounds of steel.
Copper
You can make a lot of money from selling the copper component in your car. Copper is an extremely valuable metal and is in high demand. It is actively used in the manufacture of semiconductors, electrical and non-electrical components. Being one of the most expensive metals, it is fairly easy to locate.
How much is Copper Today?
Copper is worth about $4.5 per pound. Vehicles contain about 55 pounds of copper, which means a seller can easily sell the copper components of their cars for $240 or more.
Copper is one of the most wanted parts in your car due to its conductive properties. Copper can conduct electrical charges and energy throughout electronic parts of automobiles, electronic components, and non-electrical products like plumbing materials.
Platinum
Most people who make a fortune from selling scrap cars focus on platinum. Platinum is among the most expensive metals in your car, whether a junk car or not. Platinum is an important component in catalytic converters. Most vehicles manufactured from the early 1970s have catalytic converters that contain platinum within them.
The demand for this important vehicle part has risen over the years and has affected catalytic converter prices. In fact, there has been an increasingly high report of catalytic converter theft in vehicles due to its value.
How much is Platinum Today?
Platinum is worth about $34.95 per gram and $1,087 per ounce. Since platinum is a component of the catalytic converter, you may not find a lot of it in your car. However, you can sell your car’s catalytic converter for between $300 and $1,500.
What vehicles have the most valuable scrap catalytic converters?
The Ferrari F430 currently has the most expensive catalytic converter, worth about $3,770.00. If you own a Ferrari F430, you can easily make up to $8,000 or more from selling both catalytic converters.
Palladium
Palladium is an equally expensive metal found in cars. A sizeable quantity of Palladium can fetch thousands of dollars if you can get your hands on it. However, it is present in smaller quantities in your vehicle’s catalytic converter.
How much is Palladium Today?
An ounce of Palladium costs about $2,548. This metal is both valuable and in-demand and can affect the price of your catalytic converter.
Which cars have the most expensive catalytic converters?
A 2020 data reveals that each of the Ferrari F430’s catalytic converters costs about $3,770. The Lamborghini Aventador’s catalytic converter costs about $3,120 each, the Ram 2500’s catalytic converter costs $3,460, and the Ford F-250 and Ford Mustang’s catalytic converters cost $2,804 and $1500, respectively.
Selling Your Scrap Car for Cash
You can command more money for your scrap car with the understanding of how expensive some of its parts are. Sell your car for cash by contacting us at cashforcars.io. We buy all types of cars in any condition. Our scrap car buying process is fast and easy. We guarantee the best prices for scrap cars.
