I have been trying to keep my eyes on the prowl for wrecked Benz'es with the intention of parting them to earn a little spare income. But the wrecked ones seem hard to come by... I have seen more in rough shape or needing say a transmission but I find myself wondering what I should be willing to pay for these cars so they can still generate a buck without paying below minimum wage for pulling parts. I am pretty familiar with 124's but I wonder if I could solicate a little advice on what to look for in a car.

It seems a car like the one I alluded to, needing a transmission, would be in the same category as a front end wreck and might be a good candidate. While I'm not so sure about a high mileage example, a 275,000 300sd 85' with a ripped drivers seat, several rust problems, bad AC, and a broken window regulator... like this one 20 miles from me at $500: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4557841187&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

I'm not even sure if this forum is the right place to post this, but at least it will spice things up around here.
So any tips as to where to look and what to look for would be most appreciated.

__________________
-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831799-post13.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831807-post14.html

Don’t pay more than $200 for a w116 or w123 deal in cash as much as you can paypal will snitch you off to the IRS. Your local authorities won’t be pleased. Be sure to have a method of dealing with the striped dead bodies. And most important is a good supply of free shipping supplies especially large boxes there is nothing like telling a customer his door will be $80 shipping will be $50 and handling will be $40 for packing material. That immaculate great looking old Mercedes with a cracked head that looks like a museum piece is not worth squat. Try to stick to 1985 and newer w126 cars and if you don’t enjoy stripping cars there are better sources of extra income you might enjoy refinishing rare burl wood trim for instance.
My half a cent
DHS

Thanks for your input and excelent tips. I had a feeling the late 80's early 90's would be the place to be (just more of them on the road needing parts).
How about 201's as compared with 123's?
Would that typicaly be someone who buys scrap steel?

__________________
-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831799-post13.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831807-post14.html

And another thing !

Check with your local laws about recycling...There also may be restrictions on the number of vehicles you can sell in a year.
EPA is REAL interested in oil/antifreeze/freon recovery systems you need.

Waste oil in the ground is hazardous waste violation ($150,000 and up....site cleanup.) and releasing freon is a $25,000 first offence with 90 day jail time too.

People get a reward for turning you in .....



.

__________________
[http://languageandgrammar.com/2008/01/14/youve-got-problems-not-issues/ ]

"A liberal is someone who feels they owe a great debt to their fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money."

I have parted a couple of cars. The biggest issue is the constant back and forth with people and their e-mails. Customer service is tough...people constantly change their minds on stuff, or work a price with you and then find someone who will do it cheaper.

I always tried to sell parts in groups.... like bundle stuff for 200 dollars or so..
Make it worth your while and theirs.

also: keep in mind that everyone wants the same parts...some just never sell.

__________________
1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

I hadn't really considered that angle thanks for the heads up... As to number of vehicles I would be planning on being pretty small time.

LOL You may be talking about me... The power antenna and window switches are working out quite nicely by the way.

Thanks for your insights guys... keep 'em comming.

__________________
-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831799-post13.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831807-post14.html

First, is it business or pleasure? If it's a business, think like it, act like it. That means paying attention to what you spend and how you intend to cover the costs; where is the revenue. (Asking questions is a great start on that).

Second, what do you actually know? Me? I can take apart any benz and if pressed, put it back together again. This comes from doing it for 20 years now. And yes, I sell parts when I have the time and inclination.

There is a strong market for used parts from the late 80's early 90's cars. back in the late 80's I knew two knuckle-head brothers who would buy every 50$ dead VW rabbit they could find and sell the parts. They made good money at it when there were lots of used Rabbits on the road. Then they found themselves stuck with a lot of useless inventory towards the late 80s.

The equivalent to the dead rabbit right now is the 124, 126 & 201 chassis car. If you can find it wrecked, can afford it, can get it home, can take it apart, can store the parts and can sell the parts, get the money and ship the parts you've just completed the car's "life cycle".

I had the pleasure of watching the parts buyer at Potomac German Auto one afternoon as he was doing a day's work trying to buy cars. There are plenty of auction sites out there; some of which that only cater to licensed dealers.

I haven't sold many parts in the past 18 months because I simply don't have the time to write ebay auctions or hit other forms of adverteasing. I do have a four car garage full of stuff, just no time to get rid of it right now. (Kid #2 is due in 4 days).

One good source of cars is get to know somebody that collects scrap metal. If you pay more than the junk yard for scrap, you'll be ahead. I worked out a deal with a guy that tried to sell me a parts car for 400$. I talked him down to 150$ and then made him a deal. He'd bring me a dead car, I'd strip it for what I could in a few hours and he'd turn around and haul it away. It usually cost me 50-100$ to have the car on my property for the day, and the garage just got more and more crowded as time went on. That's part of how I learned the basics of the 60s & 70s cars.

Having said all that? My professional advice is to not do it. If your sole reason is to try and make a few bucks. Because it will take a lot of energy to break even. In terms of dollars/hour, you'll do better working part time at a local store and you'll have more to show for it in the end. If you want an inspirational story on that subject, read about one of the soldiers killed in Iraq last week that worked at the Statue of Liberty concession stand before enlisting (www.newsday.com should have it). There was a kid that earned cold hard cash by having the discipline to work.

It's the lack of discipline that trips us up every time.

-CTH

__________________
- cth350@gmail.com
http://www.111lakeside.com/

Ibid.

In addition, do it only if you have the TIME, space, tools, (a farm tractor with a boom works great for pulling engines and loading scrap). I've parted something like 12 cars in the past few years, some I bought for parts to keep my 123 diesels on the road, some were bought to make a buck. I enjoyed it as a way to learn about these great cars.
If you want to do it for profit, you'll need to gain lots of knowledge about parts, pricing, shipping, elasticity of demand, and most of all, Don't piss off your neighbors! A nosey neighbor might construe your activity as a "chop shop" and make trouble.

Know your local laws regarding titles and disposal requirements.

Before you learn how to be efficent you'll be lucky to net about $10 per hour for your time.

If I didn't have a truck, trailer, cutting torch, tractor, space, and a source for boxes, I'd wouldn't have bought the second parts car...

__________________
Over 21 years I owned several:
w108
w110
w111
w115
w116
w123
w124
w126
w212

Wow. Thanks again for the great insights.

I am getting to be pretty familiar with my 124 and thats the model I gravitate towards. I see it as a great way to learn about cars, get some parts for myself, and make a few dollars to put toward an upgrade when I can't hold her together anymore.

I guess I see myself as being pretty small time... room for one car at a time... strip em down to the bones get rid of the chassis and maybe rebuild and polish up some pumps that don't move and put them on ebay.

Sounds like I need to pay a few visits to local scrap yards and get to know some folks.

Can't tell you guys how much I appriciate your input...
Thanks again.

__________________
-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831799-post13.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831807-post14.html