Project Cars For Sale

2010-02-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

Porsche : 911 912, 356 1970 Porsche 911 Matching # ~" Rare Orange Project "~ $6,788.00
Mercedes-Benz : SLK-Class SLK230 Conv Salvage Rebuildable Repairable Wrecked Project FREESHIP $5,900.00
Chevrolet : Camaro 1969 Chevy Camaro Project Car: disassembled $4,000.00
BMW : M3 NAVIGATION Salvage Rebuildable Repairable Wrecked Project FREESHIP $11,900.00
Buick : Regal T Type Regal T Type Rolling Chassis - Magazine Project Car $14,500.00
Honda : Civic 2005 Honda Civic Salvage Project $4,000.00
Ford : Galaxie Ranch Wagon CUSTOM TWO DOOR RANCH WAGON PROJECT- FRAME OFF $2,900.00
Hummer : H1 h1 2000 H1 Hummer Wagon Humvee CUSTOM PROJECT $15,499.00
Mazda : MX-5 Miata LS Leather Salvage Rebuildable Repairable Wrecked Project $3900 $3,900.00
Hyundai : Tiburon GT BODY KIT Salvage Rebuildable Repairable Wrecked Project EZ Fixer $6,900.00
Honda : S2000 RED LEATHER Salvage Rebuildable Repairable Wrecked Project FREESHIP $7,900.00
Chevrolet : G20 Van 1991 Chevy G20 3/4 Utility Van Project Needs Work AS IS $10.50
Chevrolet : Blazer 1993 Chevrolet Blazer 4X4 454 4L80E project - complete $3,000.00
Chevrolet : Corvette COUPE 1984 CORVETTE PROJECT CAR $1,800.00
Pontiac : Le Mans project car/1967 Pontiac LeMans convertible $1,025.00
Plymouth : Barracuda 1970 PLYMOUTH CUDA GRANDE COUPE NICE PROJECT $1,000.00
Scion : tC Automatic Salvage Rebuildable Repairable Project EZ FIXER $3,900 $3,900.00
Chevrolet 2 door 1950 chevy sedan delivery 2 door hot rod project $2,225.00
Lexus : IS IS300 Salvage Rebuildable Repairable Wrecked Project EZ FIXER $4,900.00
Pontiac : Trans Am SD 1973 Super Duty Trans Am Auto Red SD TA AC Project NR $20,000.00
Pontiac : Trans Am 1979 Trans Am Smokey and the Bandit Solid Project NR $255.00
Mini : Clubman Mini Clubman Austin Wagon Restoration Project!!! $1,790.00
Ford : Mustang 1967 / 68 Convertible Eleanor Clone Project Good Title $11,999.00
Jeep : Wrangler 2DR BASE MOD JEEP YJ PROJECT 5.7 VORTEC WHIPPLE SUPER CHARGER $6,000.00
Cadillac : series 62 project 1953 project with sedan parts car option , CONVERTIBLE $9,999.00

5 Reasons Why I Can't Sell My Car at World Wide Web Auction.

2009-12-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

This is a very common question from people aiming to sell a vehicle

at an on the net auction. I'm going to assign this as a little article, because it is amusingly simple to satisfy. It is generally one of 5 causes.

1. Your initial bid is an arm and a leg. People see your car at auction, they can see that nobody else has bid on it yet, so for this reason, it is an undesirable automobile. "If not a soul else would like it why would I?". If you carry a reserve price (least amount you'll take) on your motorcar or truck then what difference does it make if you get going it at $1.00. I know you are thinking that "anyone that would bid that low is not serious about buying it". That wouldn't matter. What matters is when the actual buyers see that it is presently at $7,200 with 46 bids they accept it is a desirable vehicle. "Other people want it, it must be top notch." People are not able to wear Nike tennis shoes because of the quality, they wear them because they saw someone else wear them, simple mob mentality principle.
2. Bad description, pictures and video. If you post a motor car with only 3 pictures and a few of sentences, congratulations I can determine your future and it is bleak. You won't sell the motor vehicle. No effort... no reward. You should have at least 15 or 20 pictures and 2 or 3 paragraphs to accurately describe your vehicle. In addition, the more text you have in a description, the more keywords that will spit out in a search engine query. This will build up the amount of traffic you achieve to see your auction in the first place.
3. Communication. I can't believe how many times i received an email on one of my vehicles that was posted at an cyber auction that at the end of their question they state "Please Reply". What? This tells me that they have experienced asking questions to other sellers and they have gotten no reply. That makes me happy because that means that I'm going to sell my car, and for more money and the people that did not reply to the bidders questions will get the opportunity to either cheap sell their vehicle or need to re-list it.
4. Timing. If you allow your vehicles auction to end in the middle of a work week during the day, the odds are you will drop off the amount of last minute bidders. Some people will be at work and are not around a pc and others will be wrapped up in their every day routine and totally forget that they were going to bid on it in the first place. Next thing you know, you will be slowly getting an email stating that they missed the auction and was desirous to give way more for it than it brought. If you close your auction during dinner time, you will get the same reaction. So, it is ideal to finish an auction when you think that your target market will be chilling out for the evening. I'm in the Midwest and I try to close my auctions to coincide with the time deviation from coast to coast. Usually I end them about 8:00 p.m. Central Time. Again, this maximizes the sum of audiences that have a chance to see the auction end. The close is where the action is.
5. Your valuation is too excessive! I know you have the slickest 2001 Dodge Caravan anywhere and it is worth way more than any book or person would even understand. Truth is, you may be correct, but you will still own your automobile. It just isn't able to sell. Unfortunately we live on a planet called Earth and we have to abide by principles referred to as reality and these realities have a direct impact on what your automobile is valued at. Books are just guides and no one will want to give you top price of any book no matter how nice your car is. Additionally, availability has a lot to do with pricing your automobile. You may have the nicest 04 Chevy Corvette, but unfortunately GM made a few more of those cars than just yours. There may be hundreds or thousands of these automobiles available for sale and this will effect supply and demand aspects of your auction. Do some investigating, see what other vehicles are being sold for. Observe I didn't say what other people are asking for a car but what two people in reality agreed upon as a finishing price. Then make real adjustments to your valuation. Face it, if you gave the farm for it a few years back, odds are it went lower in value (unless of course it was a collectible, muscle car, classic). You will be less exhausted if you just sell it an get on with your daily life. I'm not saying to dump it. Well this leads me to another point about car pricing. The internet is at hand to most of the civilized world. And many of the individuals that are looking for your specific car are seriously in the market and have done their own research in advance of bidding. If you think that you're the only person that knows what your car is worth, I'm sorry my buddy, you are sadly mistaken.

Ok, I lied this wasn't a short article. I just couldn't help myself. These principles are so obvious that it had to be said. I have gainfully sold hundreds of vehicles at on-line auctions. There is no black magic formula to selling each one, but if you put some of these principles in play, you will drastically increase your chance of accomplishment. Good luck!

Automotive Performance Racing Parts

2009-09-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

The Performance Racing Parts site can be used to enhance the performance of performance cars as well as modified racers and are great for the knowledgeable racing buff. The high performance engine parts that are available on sportyourcar.com are made especially to enhance a factory made engine. There are as well a lot of accessories that greatly increase the presence and personality of your automotive. For instance you may want a body kit or special guages, foot pedals, custom wheels, tires the menu goes on. There are an infinite number of parts that you can get to modify your street style racer.

You can also read reviews from other customers about the racing part that you are studying and get value comparisons from different racing part dealers. You may even want a cheaper rebuilt part.

We also offer many different roll cages for most of the great cars as well as other safety devices.

So go to SportYourCar.com and go crazy!

I have sold hundreds of cars like this.

2009-08-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a great place to sell your car. There is no faster way to do it. Also you can get great deals on cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, boats
, rv, powersports, and even military vehicles.

Mold in carpet of van.

2009-07-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable! I just snapped a photo of this van that has a bad case of mold in the carpet. Here's the story.

The guy that owns it bought it at an auction. The auction detailed it, which in my opinion they do a miserable job.. that's another story. The van was still a little damp from the substandard carpet shampooing. But the guy buys it and takes it directly to the body shop. It turns out that they are very busy and they can't get to it for 4 weeks. Unfortunately neither the dealer nor the body shop thought to roll down the windows and let the carpet dry. After the 4 weeks the van begin to stew. The mildew, mold and incredible smell is what's left. Yuk!

I've detailed cars professionally for years and have detailed a lot of my own cars for the last 20 years as a dealer. It is nearly impossible to get this type of mold out of a carpet. It can be done, but it is no fun.

If you are looking for how to remove mold from carpet, really it should be done by a professional auto detail shop, but the main thing is to dry it out overnight and then vacuum most of the mold out and then shampoo it. Afterwords, remember to completely let it dry before rolling up the windows or you'll end up with the result above. I'm not qualified to determine if this type of mold is dangerous, but I personally use a particle mask.

Never could pass up a good deal on a project truck

2009-07-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

I went to the auto auction again this week and came across this project truck (took photo with my iphone). I just can't pass on a deal even if I really don't need it. The project truck is a 2004 GMC Yukon SLE with like 64K miles on it. It has moderate hail damage, missing the rear seat, busted side glass, wheel centers, there is a miss in the engine, the interior is filthy and more damage. But, I got it for half price basically. These are extremely popular trucks, but with the damage on the Yukon, it was not very desirable at the auction so the other dealers just passed on it.
It is going a bit of recon to get it back to snuff, but will be worth it in the long run. Realistically I shouldn't have gotten the truck because right now I'm trying to be more lean and mean. Buying and selling them quickly is my current focus. I'm usually turning over my inventory every 30 days at the most. But, this truck will take a while to get ready to sell. Locating a rear seat, getting the hail damage repaired, wheel centers and not to mention figuring out why the engine is missing will take some time.
I'm not dissapointed in the deal, but the timing of the deal is probably not perfect.
Better get to work!

Bought a car at government auction lately?

2008-05-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

For some reason I haven't been going to government auto auctions recently. Not sure why, it just hasn't been in my schedule. Also, it is a little difficult to find the auctions in the first place. The schedules and locations vary and it seems like I never find out about it until afterwards and I hear of all the great deals my dealer friends have gotten. I use to go a lot and would see crazy deals. They would have government employee cars and trucks, commercial trucks, cargo vans and passenger vans, all kinds of equipment, but I especially like the drug seizure cars, trucks and boats. They are usually some bad-ass corvette, mercedes, bmw, or something of that nature. Wonder why drug dealers always drive such flashy cars.

Here is a good place to keep informed of government auctions in your area!

I once purchased 7 police cars at a government auction. They averaged around 3 grand a piece and I sold each in the mid 5's. Big payday for the 6 hour drive to get there. I took a few drivers but couldn't haul them all back so I had to hire a transport company. My warehouse looked like a police station for a few weeks. The customers loved it because they could choose which car they preferred. They were all the same year and close to the same miles, but a few different options and various conditions. I just marketed them to the local repo guys, security companies, cab companies and bounty hunters. Had them all gone in a few days. Hope the bounty hunters don't read this post... just kidding.

Auto Parts Buying Tips

2008-05-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

Auto Parts Online Shopping Tips:

Online shopping can be tricky... With thousands
on online sources, it's beneficial to browse and ask around to ensure a
satisfying online purchase. Auto parts is no different from any other
product you want to buy online - You want to get the best deal, the most
convenient shopping process, and the fastest way to get the product to
you. With Auto parts, you'll get the best deal with a vendor who always
offers discount auto parts or wholesale car parts.

You only want the best quality replacement Auto
Parts, OEM Auto Parts, and Aftermarket Auto Parts for your vehicle. Only
trust sources that guarantees the best price, quality, and customer
support. Vendors with years of successful business is also a vital
characteristic in searching for the right source.

A great online retailer for replacement auto
parts is Auto Parts Train. This auto parts retailer has 25 years of successful business
experience with courteous customer service, great customer testimonials, and a
comprehensive auto parts inventory. With Auto Parts Train, you are guaranteed the lowest prices in the auto parts market
and a hassle-free shopping experience.

Save yourself the hassle. Buy Performance auto parts online!

2008-05-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

Often,
in pulling off a number of things, the one way to remain sane throughout the
entire encounter is to retain a bit of order, to give oneself a coherent structure
to follow. So if the matter has to do with buying performance
auto parts online, the first thing you have to do is obviously to build
up on a plan. With all pertinent details and information laid out on a neat,
tidy arrangement, you’ll feel like everything is already starting to fall
in place, even before you’ve taken the first step.

So here’s the plan. The first thing, the first and foremost, is to determine
significant—key—information that can help you find whatever missing
part it is that your ride needs. Follow the vein of thought and two ideas will
pop up here: auto parts and online. These
are the areas that your search must obviously focus on. Why online? In this
day and age, a number of automotive suppliers have sprung up left and right
in the Internet, opening a whole new world of convenience and flexibility. Why
go to all the bother of checking out an auto part shop personally, with all
the trouble and effort the trip will surely entail, if you can just acquire
the replacement parts you wish to with only
a single click of the mouse? No need to move from where you are. Nor will you
need to wrack up transportation costs since you won’t be going anywhere
in the first place.

If
you’re an extremely busy individual, with plenty of things on your day–to-day
plate to see to, the notion of carving up a lousy few minutes just so you can
sprint to the auto parts supplier nearest to your current location does not
sound awfully handy and convenient. Besides, there’s no telling what may
happen if you decide to set off for the auto parts supplier. Vicious traffic
build-ups, brave animals appearing and dashing towards the middle of the road,
three seconds before you run over them, and other road mishaps tend to shake
most drivers’ beliefs in the credibility of good faith and in the notion
that everything will turn out for the best, even when your ride is in desperate
need of this engine part or that exhaust item. Which is why, online is better.
And because online commerce has since boomed, a number of auto
parts suppliers have already sprang up out there, offering great items like
disc brake conversion kits or rotors, even air filters or ac compressors, at
discount prices with excellent service. And though they certainly won’t
fall at your feet in packs, I think it’s the same assumption that online
search engines will make your job easier for you since all you have to do is
type the words in. Remember to check on the available information on the company,
though. You’re not just looking for any sort of car parts but for performance
auto parts so make sure the supplier is reliable.

When you have the info and you’ve gone online, what else is there to do?
Well, just one more thing. After all, there’s one characteristic that
all human pursuits must share and this is—yep—persistence. So whether
you are looking for car parts like wheel
alloys or other equally elusive wheel and tire accessories on this planet, the
key to getting your hands on them is pretty simple: keep at it. And sooner or
later, those performance auto parts will
land right on your lap.

Preparing your car for summer: exhaust system

2008-05-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

cSummer is again a short step away. But before you take your gear out of the closet
and set off for the charms as well as excitement of that well-deserved sea shore
trip, clear a couple of things, first. Make sure the exhaust
system of your ride is well and truly up for the sweaty clutch of the days
that are certain to plague you for quite a bit of a spell. If you have an imperfect
acquaintance with the exhaust
system and often shake your head, wondering what it does in there, now's as
good a time as any to play catch-up. The exhaust
system is the part of your engine that sees to two chief functions: one, it
gets rid of the lethal gases emitted by the engine and two, it reduces the degree
of noise that inevitably results when the gases make their way out of the car's
system.

Do you know what happens when gas seepage into the passenger compartment occurs?
Nausea, headaches as well as heightened irritability are common. On the other
hand, inhaling a goodly amount of dosage can also cause an alarming loss of
consciousness and in extreme cases, even death. This bit right here is quite
important to remember. After all, we all have a penchant for staying inside
the car when the heat gets too high. Cooking awhile under the sun and getting
a tan is fine but turning into a reddened lobster doesn't go quite well with
one's notion of making merry in the summer. Neither is suffering from sunburns
or skin cancer.

With that said, it is imperative that we make sure the passenger compartment
won't have any gas seepage mishaps or we may find ourselves in an uncomfortable
fix. And driving while the windows are down, which is one way to prevent any
gas seepage from turning into a potential danger is not something most of us
wish to contemplate, much less endure when the temperature is a near-hundred
degree. Sweating your way through a workout is productive. Sweating while sitting
inside your car is not, especially when you're on your way to work or out for
a family picnic with three squabbling kids in the backseat.

One surefire way to know if your exhaust
system is already in need of immediate part replacements is excessive noise
when gases escape from your muffler.
The noise may indicate worn patches in the tubes somewhere within. These are
torn areas through which the gases escape. If you happen to hear this with a
bit of regularity, better start a more thorough inspection of your exhaust
system as soon as possible.

You may have a defective catalytic
converter or a series of faulty exhaust pipes in your ride. If your system
still stays buggy after you've satisfactorily seen to these concerns, then maybe
you ought to get new Oxgen sensor mufflers to go with the rest. Remember, when
checking the system, do a careful job of it. Inspect the entire exhaust assembly.
See the exhaust manifolds for any damages, the pipes, the resonator, tailpipe
and miscellaneous clamps as well as brackets. If any of these parts have sustained
damages of the critical sort, don't just diddle around in your haunches. Set
out to acquire the proper replacements immediately. You don't know when you'll
require the full talents of your exhaust
system and exhaust system components, especially during the warm days of
summer. You don't want to be driving with your windows down, squinting in the
heat and glare simply because your exhaust
system is having trouble keeping up.

Not to mention the fact that you are also adding to the pollutants in the atmosphere
by cruising around with leaky exhaust pipes or tubes. Is there a reason this
matters? Yes, especially in connection to appreciating the oh-joys of summer.
See, pollutants that clog up the air rise to the atmosphere where they proceed
to destroy the ozone layer. The thinning out of the ozone and emergence of holes
in it, as we know and are all aware of, both contribute to the increasing count
of skin cancer and other epidermal woes in the populace due to the preponderance
of harmful UV rays. If this continues, more and more people will be less than
likely to grow thrilled with the prospect of beach outings and then where would
that leave us? Our summers will never be the same again.

You see then. No matter how convoluted, long-winded or round-about it is, how
you see to your exhaust system plays a significant part in the scheme of things
in this world. Aint that grand? So do your part but well.

Important tips when buying performance auto parts online

2008-05-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Shopping
through the Internet truly is a breeze. Look at it this way: you can get almost
any product you want from the comfort of your home, instead of having to go to
the mall. You get to browse product reviews (still while sitting!) to see the
boons and banes of the particular item you’re eyeing and know if it is really
worth purchasing. Furthermore, with the ever-growing number of public and private
sellers online, you can view so many products
at the fastest time, anytime, all with one click.

Nevertheless, this benefit of seemingly endless options when you shop through
the internet can be a hassle as much as it is a plus. Too many choices can leave
you, the consumer, confused and having a hard time deciding which product to
buy and which seller to patronize. Take the case of buying performance
auto parts online. More and more car parts sellers are emerging in the Net,
each with their own vast array of auto parts all marketed to appeal to the customers.
These sellers all have their own gimmicks or promos to make you believe that
when you buy any auto part from them, you have the advantage. The question is,
how can you be sure that you’re truly getting your money’s worth
(or even more) when you buy a performance auto part online? Here are the three
most basic but very valuable tips to make sure you don’t get crooked.

Know your seller. As the Net grows larger each day, more and
more frauds that prey on the not-so-knowledgeable consumers inhabit it. Make
sure you’re buying from a reputable company or private seller that has
a tried and tested record. Ask friends or colleagues who may have bought already
from the seller you’re eyeing and know if they had any problems with their
car parts purchases. Search online for testimonials about the company and/or
the parts they sell. Always look for detailed
product information (preferably third party reports) on the performance
auto parts.

Compare
prices and promos. Avoid getting immediately hooked on a deal that
seems too good to pass up. Take the time to browse through several sites of
performance auto parts sellers and list
down what each offers for the particular auto part you seek. Sometimes what
seem like the best promo at first glance turns out to be not, as there are other
fees (i.e. shipping charges and tax) or even hidden charges that come with the
deal. Be cautious of deceiving marketing and don’t purchase and pay until
you’re sure you got the best deal.

Pay attention to details.
Little details often not considered are important to ensure a trustworthy transaction.
For instance, see if the “product checkout” page of the website
you’re viewing displays a padlock icon in the lower right-hand border
of the browser window. This indicates that the site is using secure encryption
to protect your credit card information. When buying second-hand performance
auto parts, check out all the specs needed and be aware of the risk that comes
with buying a used part.

These are very basic tips, but when
overlooked, will truly take you to Internet shopping hell. Indeed, many things
need to be considered before you buy your desired performance
auto parts online, but just take these three most important keys to heart
and you’re good to go.

You only notice it at night

2008-05-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

A good day could easily be ruined by a discovery that your car's headlights
are no longer working. And to make things worse, you're too busy to go to the
hardware store because of your work schedule or responsibilities at home.

But then again, what year is it already?!! Reality check - we are already living
in a world full of conveniences with just a click of a button. One of the most
useful innovations of all time is the internet. And through the internet, we
can know almost about anything and the best part is, we can even do shopping.

In the comfort of your own home, you can do your personal online shopping for
your auto parts. There's no longer the need to drive all the way to the store
with broken headlights, silently pray that you'll get there safe and patiently
look for a parking space when you get there. With online shopping, you have
hundreds of choices and product descriptions to help you find out what car part
is suited for your car. Aside from saving so much time, you also save your self
the effort and the pressure of shopping at the store with lots of people waiting
in line at the cashier.

Product reviews are also available online so that you'll know which product
is the best instead of constantly asking the sales clerk the usual question,
“Are you sure this is the right one?” And if still not contented
with the reviews, you can even check for further product information.

Another advantage of online shopping is that it is available for 24 hours!
No more waiting for the store to open or worrying if the store is already closed.
You just sit down, turn on your computer and click the products you want to
buy. And they will be delivered right at your doorstep within five days or even
less. You can also easily return or cancel a merchandise easily and sometimes,
tracking is available so that you'll know order's location before it reaches
you.

Of
course, online shopping also entails some precautions and responsibilities.
First, you must make sure that the online store you are ordering from is a
reputable one to avoid internet fraud. In order to do this, you must at
least do a background checking first. Second, you need to protect your privacy
by buying in secure websites only.
Third, always remember to keep a copy of your online transactions for future
validation purposes. And fourth, be extremely careful when checking delivery
receipts because sometimes, errors can not be avoided.

When shopping for auto parts online, buyers should find some features when
choosing your online stores. One is that the online
store should be honest in providing product information and availability.
It must be fast in the processing of orders. The shipping cost and speed should
be reasonable enough and also, it should have a clear return/exchange policy
to avoid problems and confusions.

If you think you have already accomplished all of the above, then i guess you're
ready to shop for auto parts online. Stop worrying about finding the time to
replace your broken headlights, just simply order
online and enjoy the rest of your time while waiting.

Reduce your vehicles pollution

2008-05-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

Disgusted by black, noxious fumes coming out of your vehicle? That smoke is fouling
the air you breathe, and by the way, poisoning not only yourself but also your
loved ones. And it could also mean frequent emissions tests, as mandated by various
state laws and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

You can solve that problem by installing catalytic
converters into your vehicle. A catalytic
converter (also known as catcon or cat) is a device that turns harmful exhaust
gases like nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and unburned fuel into basic molecules
like nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water. "Cats" reduce the
toxicity of these emissions from your internal combustion engine. This way,
these gases can no longer cause damage in the environment, thus making you safer
and healthier.

Motor engines try to regulate the air:fuel ratio to 1:14.7. Meaning, for every
pound of fuel to be burned, the engine needs 14.7 pounds of air to do the job.
But in reality, when driving the air-fuel ratio in your engine varies from lean
(an air-to-fuel ratio higher than 14.7), and other times the mixture can be
rich (an air-to-fuel ratio lower than 14.7).

Because of these non-ideal conditions, the burnt fuel can actually produce other
kinds of emissions like:

* Carbon monoxide - a poisonous gas that is colorless and odorless

* Hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds - produced mostly from unburned
fuel that evaporates

Sunlight breaks these down to form oxidants, which react with oxides of nitrogen
to cause ground level ozone (O3), a major component of smog.

* Nitrogen oxides - contributes to smog and acid rain, and also causes irritation
to human mucus membranes.

The catalytic
converter works by:

1.Reduction of nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen.

2.Oxidation of (non greenhouse gas, but toxic) carbon monoxide to less harmful
(greenhouse gas) carbon dioxide.

3.Oxidation of unburnt carcinogenic hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water.

Several components make up the standard catalytic converter. These are:

1.The core or substrate. The core is made up of a ceramic honeycomb, which
provides support to the catalyst.

2.The washcoat. This is a mixture of silicon and aluminum. This forms with the
core, a rough, irregular surface which has a large surface area. The large surface
area gives more places for the catalyst to bind. The catalyst is first suspended
to the washcoat before being applied to the core.

3.The catalyst. Tis is usually a precious metal, either platinum, palladium
or rhodium. Platinum is most widely used but is the most expensive. Either palladium
or rhodium is substituted for it. Platinum and rhodium are used as reduction
catalysts, while palladium and platinum are oxidation catalysts.

One downside of having catalytic
converters is that it becomes ineffective in the presence of lead, which
leads to catalyst poisoning. Catalyst poisoning occurs when a substance in the
engine exhaust coats the surface of the catalyst, preventing further exhaust
access to the catalytic materials. To avoid it, vehicles with catalytic
converters are run using unleaded fuel.

Catalytic
converters help protect lessen the emissions brought about by the burning
of fossil fuels. Having one installed is doing your share in protecting our
environment. In the end, you are also protecting yourself and your loved ones.

Getting car parts online

2008-05-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

The
Internet is a great way to shop. From the comfort of your chair, you can go from
one online shop to the next, comparing product prices and features so you always
get the best deals. You can also read product reviews of shoppers who have previously
bought an item and learn from their experiences. You save yourself the hassle
of actually going out to these stores, lining up to pay, and carrying back the
goods to your house. With just a few clicks of the mouse you can shop and buy,
and wait for your purchase to arrive at your doorstep within 5 days or less. This
is shopping convenience at its best and what's more, online shops are open 24
hours a day!

So the next time you need a replacement
for your car, say a
new headlight or a
better exhaust muffler, buy online. You would be surprised to know that
there are hundreds of websites offering
a wide range of auto parts and accessories. Many of these online shops carry
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) replacements and aftermarket performance
parts for your vehicle. Their massive online catalogues can be sorted according
to auto part, type of car, and year of make so you can zero in to what you need
in no time. Unlike your brick and mortar auto parts retailer, online
auto parts merchants will inform you through email or by phone when an accessory
that is not in stock becomes available.

There is no question about the convenience
offered by online auto parts shopping to busy car owners but you may want to
take certain precautions to ensure a smooth and enjoyable shopping experience.

1.
Know your online retailer. You want only the best replacements for
your car so make sure you are shopping in reputable
online stores. Check out their inventory of car accessories. Does the store
offer a wide selection for a particular replacement? Does it provide relevant
information about the product features and pricing? Click on the site's About
link and see if the store has clearly disclosed who they are and how to reach
them. A good way to determine an online store's reputation is through the quality
of its customer service.

2. Protect your privacy.
Shop only at secure websites. When
you're at the checkout page, the address on your browser should begin with 'https'
instead of just 'http'. 'https' means the the online transaction is being secured
from malicious interception. It is very important to read the store's Privacy
Policy so you know exactly what the store will do with the personal and financial
information you are giving to them. Look for eTrust, VeriSign, HackerSafe, BBBOnline
Reliability Program, and other privacy enforcement seals to guarantee your security
and privacy.

3. Keep a record of your
transactions. Take
note of the shipping and handling fees and total charges before you click on
that Buy button. The total price you pay for a new car part is often higher
than the published one. Make sure to printout receipts, confirmation emails,
and other information related to your order so you have something to back you
up in case you have questions or problems with the shipment.

4. Read the fine print.
There are cases when what is delivered to you is different from what you ordered
and you have to return it. While rare, errors such as this do happen so read
the online merchant's cancellation, return, and complaint-handling policies.
Does the store offer warranties for its auto parts and accessories, and who
honors that warranty? Do you get a refund to your credit card or get a store
credit? If these are not posted, it is wise to call or send an email to customer
service first before going ahead with your purchase.

So there you have it. These tips
seem too much a bother at first but as you get to know the best auto
parts retailers online and become comfortable with their system, you eventually
save yourself some headaches and disappointments. Happy online shopping!

Completely charge your car battery for crying out loud!

2008-03-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest pet peeves of all time in the car business is that nobody I talk to understands the simple concept of charging your battery to operate at full capacity. Everyone thinks that the alternator charges a battery back to full life. It dies in the winter and they jump start the car and they assume since it continues to start that the battery is working properly. No, its not!

People complain to me that their gages flicker or they think that their starter is going out or some of the electronics just don't seem to be working properly. The speedometer gage is bouncing, or when they brake this or that happens. Well, I'll say it again... "Charge your battery overnight on a low trickle 2 amps 12 Volts." When you wake up and go out and start your freshly charged vehicle it will handle better, shift better, brake better, sound better and all around be a better car. Unless you are one of those that believe that the alternator can just charge a battery until it blows up. I know there are doodads that regulate that from happening, but with the jump start bunch they will never have to worry about it, because they are rolling on almost no energy.

You can get a charger for around $30 and it will totally change the way you appreciate your car. The first thing I do to every car I buy practically is charge the battery overnight and it usually gets rid of 2 or 3 little ghost problems. Trust me on this one and you will be very satisfied. Good luck
I've been working in the car business for about 22 years now and I can finally say I've gotten this one off my chest.

5 reasons why I can't sell my car at online auction.

2008-03-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is a very common question from people attempting to sell their vehicle at an online auction. I'm going to make this a short one, because it is ridiculously simple to answer. It is usually one of 5 reasons.

Your starting bid is too high. People see your car at auction, they see that nobody else has bid on it yet, therefore it is an undesirable vehicle. "If nobody else wants it why would I?". If you have a reserve price (least amount you'll take) on your car or truck then what difference does it make if you start it at $1.00. I know you're are thinking that "anyone that would bid that low is not serious about buying it". That doesn't matter. What matters is when the real buyers see that it is now at $7,200 with 46 bids they believe it is a desirable vehicle. "Other people want it, it must be good." People don't wear Nike tennis shoes because of the quality, they wear them because they saw someone else wear them, simple mob mentality principle.
Bad description, pictures and video. If you post a car with 3 pictures and a couple of sentences, congratulations I can see your future and it is bleak. You won't sell the car. No effort... no reward. You should have at least 15 or 20 pictures and 2 or 3 paragraphs to effectively describe your vehicle. Also, the more text you have in a description, the more keywords that will kick out in a search engine query. This will increase the amount of traffic you get to see your auction in the first place.
Communication. I can't believe how many times I've received an email on one of my vehicles that was posted at an online auction that at the end of their question they state "Please Reply". What? This tells me that they have experienced asking questions to other sellers and they have gotten no reply. That makes me happy because that means that I'm going to sell my vehicle, and for more money and the people that didn't reply to the bidders questions will get the opportunity to either cheap sell their vehicle or have to re-list it.
Timing. If you allow your vehicles auction to end in the middle of a work week during the day, the odds are you will decrease the amount of last minute bidders. Some people will be at work and are not around a computer and others will be involved in their daily rituals and completely forget that they were going to bid on it in the first place. Next thing you know, you will be getting an email stating that they missed the auction and was willing to give way more for it than it brought. If you close your auction during dinner time, you will get the same reaction. So, it is best to close an auction when you think that your target market will be relaxing for the evening. I'm in the Midwest and I try to close my auctions to coincide with the time differences from coast to coast. Usually I end them around 8:00 p.m. Central Time. Again, this maximizes the amount of people that have a chance to see the auction end. The end is where the action is.
Your price is too high! I know you have the nicest 2001 Dodge Caravan anywhere and it is worth way more than any book or person would even understand. Truth is, you may be right, but you will still own your vehicle. It just won't sell. Unfortunately we live on a planet called Earth and we have to abide by principles referred to as reality and these realities have a direct impact on what your car is worth. Books are just guides and nobody will want to give you top price of any book no matter how nice your vehicle is. Also, availability has a lot to do with pricing your vehicle. You may have the nicest 2004 Chevy Corvette, but unfortunately GM made a few more of those cars than just yours. There may be hundreds or thousands of these cars available for sale and this will effect supply and demand aspects of your auction. Do some research, see what other vehicles are being sold for. Notice I didn't say what other people are asking for a car but what two people actually agreed upon as a final price. Then make realistic adjustments to your price. Face it, if you gave the farm for it a few years back, odds are it went down in value (unless of course it was a collectible, muscle car, classic). You will be less stressed out if you just sell it an get on with your life. I'm not saying to dump it. Well this leads me to another point about car pricing. The internet is available to most of the civilized world. And many of the people that are looking for your specific car are seriously in the market and have done their own research in advance of bidding. If you think that you are the only person that knows what your car is worth, I'm sorry my friend, you are sadly mistaken.

Ok, I lied this wasn't a short article. I just couldn't help myself. These principles are so obvious that it had to be said. I have successfully sold hundreds of vehicles at online auctions. There is no magic formula to selling each one, but if you put some of these principles in play, you will drastically increase your chance of success. Good luck!

Unrealized Value in Flipping Project Cars

2008-03-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

A common misunderstanding about car pricing gives speculators the upper hand in realizing real value for their money. In analyzing the true nature of car pricing, you can see where the real benefits are won and lost.

New cars are priced based on a hard cost platform that varies slightly depending on the price of steel, plastics, glass, labor and the many other components that make up an automobile. This gives the new vehicles a fairly predictable price point.

Used cars have a more variable pricing structure depending on the owners situation; a leasing or lending institution that needs to liquidate to cover a loan gone bad or a matured lease, a rental company dumping vehicles that have reached a mileage or year plateau, auto dealers covering overheads and sales commissions or an individual that is looking to replace their current vehicle. Depending on their needs, they will be selling the vehicle at or around a reasonably small price range, banks and other lending institutions at the low end of the price spectrum and dealers struggling to get top dollar. Even though there is a range of value, it is still a reasonably tight and predictable market.

Then we have project vehicles, classic cars from the early 1900s to the previously new car that gets into an accident pulling out of the new car store lot. There are a million things that can happen to a vehicle in its lifetime to make it end up a project car; fires, floods, accidents, shootouts, bad transmissions, engines blown, and even a failed customizing attempt. It could have just been a very good car that has been around forever and wound up in a field or in a barn somewhere. When it comes to putting a real hard fast value on a project vehicle it gets a little cloudy. Some owners will have a low perception of its value for whatever reason, other owners will overprice the same car or truck for different reasons. Some buyers will think that a vehicle is worth nothing while another gives it more credit.

The wonderful thing about project cars is that there is a wide range of cost perception between buyers and sellers. This volatility gives speculators great opportunities in some instances and sellers great opportunities in others. I have put this concept to work for many years myself and it has paid great dividends.

Bad Economy is Good for me

2008-03-03T14:57:00.000-08:00

If you go to an auto auction when the economy is smoking and every ones attitude is optimistic you will find it nearly impossible to get a good deal. Thousands of cars and trucks go through and they are all unbelievably high. But if you have a marginal economy where people are unsure of the economic outlook, the deals start to reveal themselves, especially on project vehicles.

I have been to the wholesale auto auctions many times during good economies and the prices are so high that it makes you a little sick to your stomach just to watch it. You just wonder if the auction staff is going to give the high bidders hot dogs and balloons with their retail purchases. I personally cannot imagine what they are doing with these vehicles that they get hung in the backsides, but apparently they pass the cost off on their loyal customers. You would often wonder if they can actually find someone out there that would be willing to give more for the units than they did.

Not to mention during the better economies a lot of people decide it would be a great idea to become a dealer. They usually don't last long, but while they are around these newbies become the target of an unspoken campaign to relieve them of their assets. That is another subject all together. The point is that their inexperience leads them to give to much for cars and trucks. Then you add the fact that new car stores are buying up everything with a steering wheel, 4 wheels and under 70,000 miles. Which in effect forces used car dealers to give more for lower quality vehicles just to have some on their lots. I'm sure they resign themselves to the fact that "I'll just have to sell more volume and make less on each unit.". Which is comical to me, worst part is I've caught myself saying such ridiculous things (again another subject).

When the economy is bad the dealers confidence wavers and they will pass on a lot of great deals just because it needs some paint work, windshields a transmission or whatever. That is the stuff I target year round. The dealers dropped perception of value becomes the greatest opportunity. The same dealers that were given the bank for cars and trucks with damage are running from any kind of necessary repairs. The funny part about it is that even if you buy one you think is perfect at an auction, you discover otherwise by the time you get it home.

Give me a project car anytime. You know for a fact that it has problems and are rewarded for your confidence with a better price. As long as you have a good network of mechanics, body shops etc.. you will do well to get it repaired and road ready.

If you are an individual who is thinking about becoming a dealer, by all means reconsider. You will make more money buying project cars as an individual than you could ever make as a dealer. I remember the days when I was just buying them on the side and making a ton of money. As a dealer you have high insurance, paperwork, overhead, customer liabilities (a big one) and a lot more to deal with. You would do better to get cars and trucks from a local public auction or an online auction venue like VprojectCar.com.

Now is the time to start buying them up. Get the deals while they are out there. You will make some money and stimulate the economy getting it ready and maybe help someone else get a great deal on a vehicle when you sell it. Happy project car hunting.

There's no such thing as dumb customers, just dumb questions

2008-02-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I post my project vehicles on ebay (an online project car auction) and I always start the bidding at $1.00. I figure that there are billions of people in the world and at least 2 people on the entire planet will want to give fair market value for anything I am listing. Well a lot of times it will be a few hours after I post the car before anyone starts bidding on it. Then finally someone will bid and then another and another etc..

It never fails for someone to give me a call and ask "Is that price right? Is it really only one dollar?". It is obvious that the bidding has just begun and that the auction has 10 days left to go. But, they immediately want to come and take a look so they can pick it up. "Why take a look? You can't bid a car sight unseen for a dollar?" I'm thinking. I should tell them that they should buy a lottery ticket because they stand more chance of winning that for a dollar investment than they have a chance of buying one of my cars for a dollar!

I know what you're thinking, "Why start it at a dollar? Start it higher and eliminate the possibility of dumb questions like that. " The reason I do it that way is to garner some excitement and mob mentality over my auctions. If the vehicle has had 60 bids on it, then it adds to its credibility and desirability. Everyone wants what everyone else wants. But, of course the downside is that I have to screen calls for the first few days.

This all reminds me of a famous clip:

Who new it wasn't flat? I never stop laughing at that one. As a matter of fact she could have possibly been one of my auction callers.

Jeep Liberties top of my list for gas guzzlers.

2008-02-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

Well, now that I sold my 06 Jeep Liberty Limited at auction, I'll be happy to tell you that when I drove it to St. Louis from Springfield Missouri it just about bankrupted me in gas fees. You would think a small SUV like that would not be any big deal on gas, but if you combine automatic, 4 wheel drive, V6 and heater blowing it adds up quick. I've taken that trip a hundred times (literally) and I never gave gas prices a second thought. I have the receipts but I must have spent $60 there and back.

I guess it was the fact that it was such a small vehicle that really set me off about it. I could understand if I was driving a Yukon or Navigator, you would at least expect it then. But what a surprise this was.

While I'm on the subject of Liberties, have you ever driven a 5 speed liberty? It kind of reminds me of driving a 3 wheeler for the first time. It has a very strange feel to it, just not natural. I'm mentioning this because a friend of mine just bought one to resell. It turned out to be a 5 speed with 2 wheel drive. I'll have to ask him about the gas mileage on it...

We did some work on it for him when he got it at the auto auction. So, I drove it to my shop and in the middle of the drive I had to call and warn him of the vehicles strange feel on the road. He said I was imagining things. He was at the sale the next week trying to dump the thing. "Nobody is ever gonna buy this heap after they drive it!" he says.

Well, I don't like slamming other peoples products, but in this case they are a frustrating little truck. Jeep has made some great ones over the years, but this one has missed its mark.

But, as I always say, "I couldn't have built it any better."

Ice storm temporarily lowers wholesale car values?

2008-02-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting all winter for that perfect week to buy cars and trucks. Well finally it arrived. I got up Thursday morning and went to the sale. The roads were icy and it was sleeting, windy and cold. When I arrived the parking lot at the auction was only 3/4 full and I was 10 minutes late. To give you an idea of why that is so unusual, on most auction days the parking lot is completely full, the parking lot across the street is full and cars are parked illegally all over the place. So, to see that there are open spaces to park on auction day after it had already started was a great site.

I have been having problems buying cars for quite some time. The prices did not seem to fall this winter as they use to, so getting any deals has been quite s a chore. But, today, I told myself that whatever it took, I was going to get 10 units. Mostly out of the previous weeks frustrations of not getting more than one or two a week or getting totally skunked and getting nothing at all. Armed with this determination and the lack of competition, I went all out and was bidding like wild-fire.

Usually I cherry pick for bargains, mostly project cars, but today it just felt like the deals were attainable. I've always been a price buyer and not a content buyer getting anything from a $200 junker to a $25,000 luxury vehicle just as long as it is worth more wholesale than the cost at the time. Today I was giving more for the vehicles than usual and smiling about it.

Apparently what was happening had something to do with my perception. Maybe they weren't necessarily cheaper that day, but maybe my perception of less competition because of the weather and the abundance of units available just made me think they were cheaper. However it all came about, I ended up with 10 units, but lost 2 of them due to some auction technicalities (I'll explain in another post). When I got home and took a look at the market reports to my amazement all of them were cheaper than the average over the last 30 days.

I've not been the best car buyer over the last few years. The internet, as much as I love it, has really put a damper on things in the car business. It has really tightened up the profit margins due to the ridiculous amount of information that individuals have to make a decision. It's not really that they are armed with more weaponry to get a good deal, it is just that they have more crap to input into their noggins to make a decision. Creating an environment where they are looking for the vehicle that doesn't exist on the planet earth.

Hopefully this new perception that I'm having will continue to be effective over the upcoming weeks and I can continue to get great automotive opportunities.

Lesson Learned

2008-02-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

Thought I was done learning the big oops lessons, but last Thursday I purchased an 06 Jeep Liberty Limited with 30K miles on it and a little fender damage. I gave $10,500 for it in the lease lane. Turned out most of the ugly on the truck was from the duct tape holding the molding on. Cleaned off the tape and the adhesive and used enamel reducer to take off the paint transfer, buffed it and viola... just like new.

Today I take the truck to St. Louis for the sale. I'm expecting to get around wholesale market value of $12,500. As soon I arrive a Jeep just like mine goes through and it brings $13,200. Same year, miles the whole bit and I'm lovin it. Then like a wet dream gone bad, here comes another one, and another, and another. Oh no, I look out towards the lot and there is a field of 06 Jeep Liberty SUV's. I could only guess, but there had to be between 150 and 200 of them out there.

Even though there was an abundance of the Jeeps, they were still breaking the bank on the block. They all appeared to be lease returns or whatever program. After a bit it was my turn. My Liberty rolls up to the block in the lane right next to the hoards of the same. The auctioneer starts 14 gimme 14, 13,5 etc.. all the way down to 10 grand and no hitters. Unbelievable....

My mistake was not doing my research before I drove a few hundred miles for nothing. The buyers at that sale had plenty to choose from with the institution that was selling them, so they had no need to risk buying from an independent.

I did however get a great deal on a 02 Dodge Caravan, so all was not lost.

Traffic increase on VprojectCar

2008-02-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

For some reason we are having a big increase in traffic on project cars for sale today. We are also getting an increase in people posting vehicles. Must be getting some search engine keywords hitting. This website has only been going for about 4 weeks now and I guess google and other search engines are beginning to index the pages.

I'm excited about the whole concept because project vehicles are great opportunities for people. I don't worry about it hurting my business because I can't buy them all anyway. Hopefully there will be some project planes, boats, recreational vehicles, kit cars and who knows snow mobiles. Oh crap, I forgot project snow mobiles. Note to self.. add snowmobiles to the category list. Being from the Midwest we don't see many snow mobiles.

If you can think of any other categories that I've missed on project cars for sale just leave me a comment to this post. Thanks to all of our new users that registered on the site. Hope everyone gets what they want from the website.

UN Bus burns to the ground

2008-02-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

It was a horrible afternoon, one minute the bus was just fine and then moments later it was engulfed in a torrent of flame. Is it really a UN bus? No. Did it accidentally catch on fire? Yes. I'll try to keep this reasonably brief.

I originally bought this bus at a government sale for around $3,000. It had a little damage on the back of it (easily repairable) but it mostly ran and looked great. They were bringing around $9,500 retail, so I'm thinking I got a great deal. Not to mention there were similar buses at the same auction bringing around 7 to 8 grand. But, my project bus had a little damage so I'm in tall cotton.

In my city a small production company was shooting a low-budget movie called Nine Grounds and action movie shot to go direct to DVD. The script called for a UN bus so I was happy to oblige. They painted the UN symbol on the sides...
shot a few scenes with it...
It was used for the production over a few days and everything went well. The footage was looking good, the acting better than expected and then plans to shoot the final scene.

Suffice it to say the final scene didn't get shot. The entire cast and crew were ready to begin shooting. They got the actors makeup ready, set the lighting, placed the cameras and put the bus in its place. Then it happened.

An accident occurred that I was not prepared for. It began burning in the back and the crew rushed in with around 5 or so fire extinguishers. It wasn't enough so we immediately called the fire department. Unfortunately we were way out in the country so it took them a little while to get there. They immediately began working on it.

They did a great job of putting the fire out, but by the time they arrived there was no saving the bus.
We were left with this..

Who knew school bus seats were so flammable.

They even had a camera mounted in the interior of the bus. I'll bet that is some great footage. Too bad we will never know. Apparently it was not part of the script for the bus to burn to the ground and they had to re-script a few scenes. But they ended up getting some great shots of the bus exploding into flames. They called it "production value".

Well after all this I was expecting to have a had time disposing of this bus in the condition it was in. But, I posted it on an online auction and it brought just under a grand for parts. Here is a pic of them towing away this $2,000 mistake of mine.

No, I didn't have full coverage on the bus, so it was looking like a complete loss. The production company was not at fault but they were great to deal with throughout. I would do it again, but next time the fire department will be closer to the shooting location.

You can't win on every project vehicle you purchase, but if you are smart you will on most of them.

Here is a trailer to the movie Nine Grounds:

CarFax or Autocheck

2008-02-14T22:41:00.000-08:00

If you are buying a project car or any car for that matter, you will want to get a history report on it. The two leaders in this arena are Carfax and AutoCheck®. They both give you good information. My personal experience has been that occasionally they have conflicting info. But usually it was due to improper data input at an auction or State office. Most accident reports and derogatory history issues are the same though.

I get most of my project cars from the auctions and they generally use AutoCheck®. Not sure if it is because one is cheaper than the other or easier for them to use when they have to check thousands of cars in a few days. They have access to Carfax I'm sure because they had to compare the two for me a few times. Also, the larger auctions have partial editing capabilities. Not exactly how much they can edit, but I've witnessed some data reversals, (with proper documents of course).

There are a lot of reasons to get a vehicle history report on a vehicle, but don't be shocked if there is some undocumented information about they car you buy. Anything can happen, some people don't report heavy damage on their vehicles and I'm sure there are other reasons that it wouldn't show. I've gotten a few vehicles that have been jil-wacked on an entire side and no history of it anywhere. But for the most part, they are accurate and at least a very good guide to go by.

Some of the report information you just have to take with a grain of salt. Statements of this mechanical repair or that repair are pretty much useless, considering the fact that they were "repaired" it is no longer a consideration. And if it was repaired somewhere that they have access to database inputs, they probably did the repairs properly.

Keep in mind that this information is merely from my personal experience. I have no interest in researching something to death nor the time. So if you are a history report representative and you don't agree with something I've said, quit surfing the web and get back to work.

Poker and Project Cars Don't Mix

2008-02-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

Man, do I love playin poker. Got invited to a home game this afternoon as a matter of fact. Unfortunately the time and thought expenditures are too high. After running to auctions and hassling with some customers, trying to figure out if Billybob is bluffin you with nothing is a little too much for my psyche. Some people can unwind when they play, unfortunately for me it's like clocking in and going to work. Now I understand how a lot of players can say that they are professional poker players. They didn't plan it that way, they just started playing and never stopped.

I'm no master of time management, but playing for 12 hours in the middle of the week is not going to work for me. Not to mention, godfabid, I lose money! Don't even want to think about that concept. When you're playing a table full of people and at least half of them are on the same skill level (not saying I'm in the top half of that equation), most of the time you're going to walk out down in poker chips. Common sense tells me this and fortunately most of the time I stay away. But, on rare occasion, a few friends and I will run up to Tulsa and play at the Cherokee Casino. It's about a 3 hour drive from here. There are a few poker joints along the way, but Cherokee is the destination of choice. They have a ton of tables, great service, music, everything.

This topic doesn't particularly have a direct link to the project car business, but it is just another thing getting in the way of making money. One more time sapper that can cost you in the long run. I'll try to remain on point in the rest of my articles. I guess it is just me not having the time to play at the home game today that is weighing on my mind. In further posts I'll be talking about things like "Dirty little tricks car dealers pull" and a lot more.

Profit from donated cars

2008-02-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

A lot of people, for whatever reason, will donate their cars and trucks to different not for profit organzations. These car donations are great opportunities for profit.

Someone has a car that they bought new and passed it down to their teenager who is now off to college with a new car. They no longer have a need for it. They hate the idea of selling it to an individual because they can remeber giving 28 grand for it new. Then they notice an ad in the newspaper that says "Donate cars to charity". They call the organization and schedule a pickup time. They give them the car and the title and they get a tax deduction. Last I read the IRS only allows deductions of the amount the car brings at sale, unless it is sold directly to a needy person at a reduced rate or is used by the organization themselves to deliver meals etc.. (in which case they would get a fair market value deduction). By the way I'm not a tax attourney. So, when the donated car leaves the hands of the original owner, the percieved value is far less than before. The Donees have no vested interest in what the Donors perceived value was.

That's where you come in. Generally these vehicles are liquidated at public aucitons. Most vehicles at the sales are sold with a reserve. But, with these donation cars, it is common practice to sell them as is with no reserve or "sure sells" as they are called. If you can ask the auction reps in advance for a list of these charity cars and find out if they are sure sells, you will have the upper hand in bidding. Others may miss a great chance for a real sleeper.

By donating cars the original owner gets a warm fuzzy feeling inside, the non-profit gets some much needed capital to continue doing the good work and you get a great deal on a one owner vehicle. Many times information is the key to great opportunities and knowing the status of these donated cars in advance will give you the upper hand.

Project Cars For Sale "Easy Money"

2008-02-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

After getting a few emails questioning why the name "Project Cars For Sale" for my blog, I thought I would explain. The main reason is that most people interested in project vehicles use this phrase to search for it. Shame on me for using such a base technique to gather readers, but writing for the sake of it is no fun.

As far as "Easy Money" is concerned, I have found that my purchasing project vehicles over the years has made a lot of money. However, I'm sure you are assuming that these project cars were all repaired in retailable condition. In reality we did repair some of them, but most of them were sold at online auction on EbayMotors in as is condition. "Why on earth wouldn't you fix them and get max dollar out of them?" you might ask. Well sometimes the worst thing you can do to a good deal is spend money on it. For instance, I gave $2,900 at auction for a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 ClubCab with 70K miles on it. It was a trade in at a local new car store and it had a lot of surface body damage and bad bodywork on it. It had great tires and the interior was in good condition. After bidding and buying it, to my amazement, I discovered it drove great.

So now comes the decision making part. One option is to spend the $2,500 for paint and bodywork, $150 for the windshield, $100 for odds and end marker light etc.. and another $125 for a detail and own the truck for around $5775. And this all takes time and effort (brain damage as I refer to it) just to get it on the market. If the truck is finished and slick, I'm going to ask $8,900 for it and maybe have to negotiate down to somewhere in mid to upper 7's. Netting me around $1,700. Sounds great? Here are the downsides:

1. What if the bodyshop does an inadequite job of painting it? Your not paying for a retail job so it may not be retail quaility. What if they take forever to get it ready, again wholesale jobs take the backburner.
2. You tie up your money for the entire time or your building interest at the bank. Do that on a couple of hundred cars a year and see where you stand.
3. Time it takes to sell the vehicle may be as long as 2 or 3 months because it is just like all the other super slick Dodge trucks on the market and it has nothing special about it.
4. Every other crazy thing that can happen when you set on a commodity for too long (hail damage, busted windows and so on).

Or, what happens to most of my great automotive bargains that we get our hands on, we sell it at online auction. We originally gave $2900 for the truck, put it on project cars for sale and sold it to the highest bidder for upper 4's in 5 days. Ok, we netted $1,700 in 5 days. No brain damage, no bodyshop excuses just gone out of my life forever (bustin bugs). Why did this work? Because I left some meat on it, it stood out in the market of all the other Dodge trucks out there. The buyer will have a great time reconditioning the truck and I had a great time making a few bucks.

Now I get on the road and get 3 or 4 more of those in the time it takes me to sell one super slick Dodge truck.

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Why are car and truck prices so friggin high?

2008-02-10T08:33:00.002-08:00

I get this question a lot this time of year from other auto dealers at the auctions. I can only speculate to the answer because there are a lot of variables involved. You hear the regular canned answers like "It's income tax season." or "There are not as many vehicles in the system.". Not sure how these are the primary reasons for the increase in price of used vehicles because:

a. In my opinion, people are not spending their income taxes on cars as much as they use to. Instead they are paying their bills and catching up. Also, fewer people put anything down on a car loan or auto financing these days. Banks and Credit Unions are very generous with their auto loan values.

b. There are plenty of vehicles in the system. For the same reason that there are a lot of real estate foreclosures, there also are currently a lot of auto reposessions. I've not seen a dramatic decrease in vehicle numbers available at the auctions recently.

Instead, the prevalent concept of perception is rearing its ugly head. You can see a form of unbridled madness on the auction blocks at the turn of every year. I think dealers become enthusiastic about the upcoming tax refund season and possibly their renewed confidence after making that soon to be discarded New Years Resolution.

Auto auction prices are normal one day and then they go wild high all of a sudden and then they generally stay that way until sometime mid-summer. Hence the reason I personally got into purchasing project vehicles. Fix a fender, install a carpet, take one to the tranmsission shop to get a bargain? You better believe it. I stay away from flood cars, salvage cars or any heavily damaged vehicle for that matter. There may be an increase in sales during this period, but considering the increase in cost for each vehicle, it's not worth the increase in units sold.

Other reasons may be from an increase in new dealers during this season. Most of them don't have experience and get into a business that costs them in the end. I wish them luck though. Unfortunately their lack of experience costs consumers in the long run I suppose.In closing, as I said a lot of variables causing the increase in prices after the first of the year. I'm sure these are not all of them and quite possibly any of them. It's a crazy world and I don't have a crystal ball...

First Post

2008-02-10T08:33:00.001-08:00

I just launched project cars for sale a few weeks ago and thought it would be theraputic to unload some of my efforts onto this blog. This is my first attempt at blogging so bear with me. I started the online auction for many reasons, one of which is that I am a licensed dealer and have been buying and selling project vehicles for years and liked the idea that an online auction that would let you upload video as well as pictures would help people make a good buying decision. Also to be able to relist an unsold vehicle without having to pay more fees would be beneficial.So far I'm getting a few people listing vehicles for sale which I'm excited about considering we are just getting started. At this point the site is averaging around 500 unique visitors a day. I've made a lot of efforts to get links out onto the internet and have spent a little on adwords (not much). My goal is to post a new article on this blog everyday, which won't be too hard considering I wake up in a different world every day.