Junkyard prices: How much haggling is too much?

Okay, so-
What do you expect to pay at junkyards?

I'm not talking "mom and pop" places, but yards like "Pick 'N Pull" and the like,
can anyone give me a straight answer as to how much flexibility they have on price?

I've always been of the opinion that whatever they don't sell to me for paper money they will get in chump-change from the recycler.

Am I way off base here?

I dunno, I guess this is a rant, but it pisses me off when I bring a part up and they ask me what it's from, and any legitimate/accurate response will result in "price gouging".

Does it make a difference to the scrap recycler if they are '59 ford fenders, or '80's truck fenders?

Does it really matter if it's an I-beam from a late 40's chevy, or the back suspension from a "soccer mom" van?

I dunno.. I like pulling my own damn parts, and when I do it I don't hack up other shit to get the parts I need. Sometimes I even put bolts back.
So it confuses and upsets me when I feel like I'm "overpaying" for parts I got myself.

So how much do you guys haggle when you go to yards?
How often do you just say "F**K it, you want to much for that," and leave the part there?

I understand it's a business and everything, but when I have to tell the damn register clerk what the hell part he is ringing up, I feel like I should get a damn discount or something...

Maybe I'm just too damn cheap though.....

Whaddya think?

Thanks!

 

Its worth scrap value if it doesnt have a market, but most old car stuff does have a market..hence, you pay more than scrap value. how much more should be negotiable..but getting upset about it tends to increase the price. nonchalance pays off .
ask and haggle before you pull stuff off.

 

now a days its hard cause the price they want is more then dealer on small stuff...i don,t haggle cause i know all the owners cause i had my own yard,,,,haven,t paid for a tire sinse 74,, one year my mom, my dad, and myself paid 25.00 for gas...i always go with coffee, soda , or hot soup for the entire yard.....14 cups of chicken soup and 14 hot chocolete equals a free small block and tranny .... haggle as much as the land allows,,,around the coffee truck is a good time

 

when you offer less, and they ask for more, you went too far

 

I like that one.

 

I see this shit all the time here, guys understand, that a large salvage operation does not make shit off your classic headlight rings, or your rusted 37 chevy fender, its a buisness mostly consisting of late model parts, these parts are expensive due to the economy (more people fixing stuff), large salvages do most of there buisness on line and ship better than 60% of there sales, with immediate payment, so with that said, if a salvage does hold back the vintage/hot rod stuff from the crusher it is most likely because the owner likes hotrods too.....treat him like a brother rodder and not a chisler who you think is trying screw you, chances are he knows a hell of a lot more than you do about parts anyway, new or old, people complain that they cant go poking around alone in the salvage, would you let somebody off the street into your stash alone? Half the people that bust the door are morons thinking that their dollars are worth more than the scrap price the owner will get.......wrong.....ever seen a twenty thousand dollar payment for a pile of crap you could haul on a utility trailer? Im done ranting, next time stick your hand out, explain what you need and be a man about it.....dont jump on the internet and ask advice on how to snivel your way into another mans pocket.........Vic

 

I don't haggle. They usually have a price sheet at the pick yer part by me so if what I need is too expensive I don't even waste my time pulling it. If I get to the window and they ask me what it is I tell them it's junk and I want to pay no more than scrap value for it. If they give me a price thats too high I just walk away. This is america not some third world country, you shouldn't have to haggle for anything. Prices should be clearly marked or advertised. I also noticed that they have two diffrent prices depending on what language you speak. The top half of a rochester 1 barrel, $30 if you pulled the part yourself and asked how much in english. $15 if you're the guy that just picked it up off the table and asked in spanish. Not to mention, I got two tops cleaned and inspected with new gaskets, filters and accelarator pumps for the same price at L.S.corvair. Plus they keep anything of interest in a seperate yard and charge you extra to go in after you already paid to get in the main yard. And they wont tell you what cars they have so it will cost you extra just to look. I don't even bother going anymore unless it's just to help a friend pull something.

 

Our U Pull Its rule is...you pay the standard used part book price or they keep the part...

I've seen a bunch of guys storm off in a huff when they wouldn't haggle...

 

I think it's kinda like bitching about the old guy down the road that is letting a car you want rust into the ground and won't sell it. People's stuff is their own to do what they want or price how they want. If it don't work for you, move on.

 

What he said!

 

ONAROLL-
Why you gotta talk shit Okie???

 

From what I hear, those pick & pull yards you guys have in California are run MUCH differently than any yard in my locale. Asking a yard in NJ (if you could even find a pair of 59 Ford fenders) why 59 Ford fenders are more money than 80's pickup fenders would be like going to a jewelry store and complaining about why the real diamonds cost more than the cut glass. It's just not reality and the price of scrap has little to do with the price of a vintage fender.

 

I start thinking I may have pushed it when my arse lands on the front side walk and the door slams shut.

 

I'm down to needing a handful of small parts. If I go to my yard and they say $20 for what you've got I'll gladly pay. Sometimes it's easier than buying/selling here or on ebay. The yards that have been around for years and still have the stuff we want, are getting fewer each day. Sure if they've had a car in there yard 30+ years they've probably made their money back many times over, but they still have it! Doesn't take much to fire up the crusher!

 

It's there stuff, they can ask whatever they want.What matters here is how bad do you want it?If you think it is too high WALK AWAY.I get a kick out of Svegals junk yard here in Denver.If you even offer less than there asking they show you the door and you walk through it with no parts in hand,LOL.

 

Yards I deal with here know what they have and will give me a price and tell me exactly where in the yard it is located,very organized,even have most of their stuff on the computer.Common sence ,that you"ll have to pay more for a part off an antique hard to find car or truck.

 

I,m a older shit, don,t haggle, first get rid of the attitude, go in friendly and biggest and formost these are biznesses, not there for your pleasure they are there for PROFIT just like the pages we are on they take moola to go don,t, spend so much on you I pod, tats,and cell and figure out what is important to you or just open up your rags and order away, but these yards a leavin the industry at a alarming rate you be the judge like most car shows not too many free ones are there it cost money to live is a real world!!!

 

I always have a price in mind before I even go to the yard. We have a lot of yards to choose from, they range from scrap operations to well-organized businesses where the parts are inventoried, tagged and cleaned up.

I'll ask if they can do any better once in a while, haven't been asked to leave a yard yet.

Bob

 

the one i love has a standard price sheet- if you buy a V8 it does not matter if it is a flathead, a 350, or a 427- you pay a standard rate. I like that- keep the gouging out of the equation and you don't have to haggle.

 

I needed rear window trim molding corners for my '65 Biscayne. They aren't made in aftermarket and the ones on a '66 are plastic. I went to Memory Lane because they had 2 Biscaynes there. Their sign saids, "No Tools Allowed", but I had a screwdriver in my pocket. I found the Biscaynes and one was a 2 door. I crawled in back and removed the trim molding corners. I went to the counter and showed the cashier the parts. He looked and said, "See ya!". I explained I got them out of one of the cars on the lot. How much? He said, "See ya!" and waved goodbye.

I generally don't haggle if the price seems reasonable. The window molding, I would've paid anything for them. It was the last piece for my restoration.

 

Fortunately we dont have any of those pic-n-pull type yards in my area, they're all mom-n-pop operations. The one yard I've been hitting for the past 3 months or so is VERY reasonable on their prices. Some stuff they have listed, some stuff they just look at it and give you the price. I dont even try to haggle cause the prices are that good. As an example, bought 3 sets of hood hinges for mid-60's ford pickups, a mirror off of a early 60's Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe, 2 pieces of side trim for a '66 F-100, a horn ring for a '66 Impala, a radio and a hood ornament for a '66 F-100. Total bill was 50 bucks. Bought some vintage gas station sign frames the other day, a Citgo, a 6 foot round Texaco and an Apco frame, all 6 footers for scrap metal prices. I always try to treat the lady at the desk very nice, and now she's got my number in the rolladex and calls me anytime they get any old gas station stuff. You can attract more flies with sugar then you can with shit.

 

Bring them an old car, its 65-100 bucks (if it don't sell, I bring it in so somebody can get something from it). The wheels will get sold for $30-40 each. The interior bits will get pieced off at 5-60 each. They make nothing but profit after the first couple hard parts get sold, but that is their buisnes, no problem there-I have a problem when they try to make 4x profit on each and every bit.
BUT you also get counter guys who get a bit too caught up with book price, and thats when you storm off in a huff. Same yard, one week I pay $40 for an item, the very next week I've got mr book price and my $40 component has suddenly turned into a piecemeal parts fandango that added a hundred bucks ontop-the guy was pricing me on individual parts that made up the entire component. He got to keep everything I brought up to the front. And unfortuneatly my regular guy was off that weekend, and the other counter guy wouldn't get involved. Yeah, I stormed off in a huff.
When you know what they pay for vehicles, and you know how they structure what they pay, and you know what you have paid over the years reasonably for parts, yeah, you get put off by their "book prices".

Alex.

 

My local yard has a standard price, but the 80 year old woman behind the counter exhaling cigarette smoke through the hole in her throat isnt someone I would try to haggle with.

 

Most Pic-n-pulls are franchise or corporate managed. I don't know how much good haggling will do you. maybe if you talk to the manager, I'm pretty sure the guy at the cash register isn't going to be able to make a decision.

I personally don't mind giving 5-15 bucks for a good used steel wheel.

 

Here in indy I needed a driveshaft, knowing I would have to shorten it. Called a yard abour 6 miles from me 150 dollars, went to pic-a-part about 20 miles from me 15 dollars.

 

When I sell something, I ask the absolute lowest price that I want (and expect). Because of that, I don't haggle with others and find it tiresome.

That said, Bib overalls and a good old boy drawl can sometimes be worth ten percent

 

My local pick-a-part is very reasonable - not much for old stuff, but late model is very reasonable.

They have a price sheet and are great about telling me before I bother pulling it what they want for something. The only thing they are unreasonable about is glass. If you pay for it before it's cheap ($30), if you pull it and show up with it, it's crazy ($200) - but I understand why....

My son has a fender bender in our minivan - I got the bumper cover with all lights, a headlight, a fender and the hood for $114 bucks. Along with a mirror, a handful of bulbs, a brake res cover, a rad cap and a bunch of other hand size bits in the bottom of my toolbox that they looked and said "nothing!". Then we went back a couple of weeks later - got an exhaust, jump seats, mirrors, relays for $65.

I'm counting my lucky starts over these prices.

 

Ever been to Sierra Vista? You drive thru Huachuca City on the way. Neat yard there, called Fort Auto Parts, owned by a grouchy old guy named Milo. How he's still alive, I have no clue.

I've been living here since 1983, every time I drive by that place I have to pretend all that neat old stuff just doesn't exist, because it might as well not exist, the way that son of a bitch Milo is.

 

lol...:d

 

I'm not far from this mindset. My 1st instinct with any car people is brotherhood. Works 99.9% of the time. I've been in buisness for years. Buisness is buisness and when you know and respect that you can develop a working relationship with folks and get great deals on what you really need. Nobody is really out to get you, they just want to make a living. Too easy to spot the gougers and you just say, "no thanks..." and go elsewhere. It's like a swap meet. If I have a star item I hope to sell I won't move much and many times have taken shit back home. The rest, sometimes the conversations and stories, the people you get to know, make it all worth the effort. I've given things to swap meet folks just because I felt like it. Many I've never seen again but I felt it was right at the time. Like I said, it's not hard to sort through atmosphere. Pay the man or say no. There are those who will never finish their project to the standards they seek because they spend more time seeking a deal.