I say go for it but please put me on this list. :D

Yeah, go for it man. And do keep in mind the member discount, that was spoken by a wise man. The idea of renting garage space and/or tools is also a good one -- not necessarily practical, given how many old MB drivers there are in Central Texas, but still good.

Alright!
A forum enthusiast bone yard!
Get some coupes in there... ;)

Thanks all, for the voice of support!

Since this particular enterprise would wind up being rurally located, 80-odd miles NE of Waterloo (Austin), it will pretty much have to be a mail-order, on-line op. However, there would be plenty of room for an occasional GTG and such. In my spare time, I'm going to work up a pro-forma to see what all it would take to make a go of it. More on that as it becomes available.

HEY ! Don't forget my voice of reason. I tried to get you close to me and even offered my tractor and implements on this place down the road.... but you are going to a place that does not even have a Post Office...
I was shocked at how bad parts runs were just 25 miles out from town... I am worried that you being 80 miles from town will really be a drag... you are Such a City Boy....
PS, the berries are still blooming....

Economics Rule
 

That raw land near you would have been nice but, it was going for $4000/acre. My place is fenced, has a well, electric service, two tanks, pipe stock pens, a barn and is a shade over 100 acres for 1/2 the price.


FWIW-I rarely ever buy car parts in Austin; moving 80 miles will change little in that regard. For ag stuff, it will be better. Milano's (Co-Op & feed-hardware store) is 6 miles away, Hearne is 14.

An idea resurrected.
 

I'm moving forward with the used parts plan. Stay tuned.

talk to henry R Leo .. i bet he can be of help too

I think it's a great idea. In June 2006, I started visiting U Auto Pull it places with the specific intent of purchasing hard to find items for the cars I know, Mercedes, BMW, Volvo and VW. I started an E-Bay store with the philosophy that I will NOT SELL JUNK! I will only sell parts that I feel I would use myself if my cars needed them. This included lenses, switches, interior trim,things that will fit in a Flat Rate USPS box. I now have a rating of 100% positive with a score of 152. I have some shelves in my garage that I store the cleaned, tested parts, I photograph them and list them in my store. I normally have one or two parts on auction and then refer them to my store. I keep my starting prices low with the hope that they will sell for more than I paid for them. I have usually about 40 items listed. Itry not go with more, because then it is too hard to manage. This is a part time job and I will not list more than 5 or 6 items at auction at any time.
I really enjoy doing this, and it has been very profitable.
Good luck to you, I have always dreamed of actually having some property to store vehicles with the intent of parting them out for profit. (But I have always stated that I will not sell junk.) I feel that I am providing a service for classic car collectors and enthusiasts that need to keep their cars running.

If you want, you can visit my store ( it's really not that exciting, nor goroundbreaking ) to get an idea of waht I have and then look at my feedback rating for the parts that I have sold and how much they went for.
JRB's Classic Euro Parts

Good Luck
John

Absolutely.

If you get up north ... Kadingers in Downing, WI (near St. Paul MN) is a class act you could try to copy. Every vehicle is tested then dismantled, inventoried and stored indoors. Lots of open air sheds with mega shelving. Engine test stands. All fluids are salvaged (used oil is burnt for heating) so there is no spillage. A tear down area and wash (steam) area with in floor fluid collection which is then pumped to home heating oil storage tanks, saved mess & regulation hassles.
Make sure to so a VIN check (I'm sure you know this) as there are many vehicles on the market from Mt. St Helens and New Orleans out there.
The big issue are time & $.
On the good end, you may come across your dream MB.
So, I'd take every opportunity to visit the better yards before jumping.
Good luck and the best of sucess to you.

That is an excellent mission statement.

thats how i would have my yard like

every vehicle is given a check and all parts would be stripped from it and put on shelves


R Leo perhaps you could look into some old cargo contaiers as storage sheds

I say go for it. I could haul all my junk down to your place. :D

If you wanted, I bet you could get forum members to help you source parts cars.

Dunno how the shipping would come into play, but I know where there's a running, unrusty gas 126 you could get for less than $500.