Copart and shipping wrecks

Kinja'd!!! "Spaze" (spazegun2213)
01/28/2020 at 16:39 • Filed to: None

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Alright, so I’m sure we’ve all browsed copart... I mean the idea of picking up an Lambo for 20K with “minor” damage is very appealing.

That said, I’m VERY close to purchasing a 2008+ Camaro SS for a project I’m working on. This is a great thing, because there are literally a metric *** ton of them out there and most are within a price I’m willing to pay (sadly the ZL1's are outside the budget).

My Problem: if I buy a wreck that doesn’t drive. How am I supposed to get it shipped? I’ve never shipped a non running auto... so I’m not sure what the process is.

So, has anyone purchased non driving wreck and had it shipped? If so, please drop me a line and let me know... because if I can get over this hangup, I’m finding a broker and going shopping! 


DISCUSSION (20)


Kinja'd!!! CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Spaze
01/28/2020 at 16:55

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Any wrecker/tow firm can do it, for a price.

I own a wreck (2002 F250) and just had it towed 450 miles...for free!  Total loss insurance claim, the tow company towed it 225 miles to the wrong city, then towed it back.


Kinja'd!!! 66P1800inpieces > Spaze
01/28/2020 at 17:04

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I’ve had two cars shipped, one non running but with operating steering and brakes.  I think it was an extra $100 or 2 two (7 years ago) for them to push or winch it on the trailer.  


Kinja'd!!! Darkbrador > Spaze
01/28/2020 at 17:26

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Has anyone here purchased a vehicle from Copart / Crashed Toys ?

I’ve been looking at a few things recently and it seems that the “auctions”, some of them at least, are not real auctions. The s ame vehicles appear back on the block again and again if they can’t make enough out if them, it seems ... ?


Kinja'd!!! smobgirl > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
01/28/2020 at 17:36

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That’s impressive.


Kinja'd!!! I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Spaze
01/28/2020 at 17:44

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I’ve bought on Copart before. I had my car brought home by a buddy who has a trailer (it was bought at a local Copart locations). Copart will not let you drive off the lot under any circumstances. It is illegal to operate a Salvage title vehicle on public roads.

My friend who went with me buys Copart cars fairly regularly. You can purchase shipping through Copart’s registered shippers, but it will be expensive. There are transporters not in Copart’s system who will be cheaper. For $400 my friend had a car shipped from Illinois (I think) to Ohio.

In many states, only Clean title (ie, donated) vehicles require a broker. Know your local rules and look around on the Copart user forum.

Best of luck!


Kinja'd!!! SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Darkbrador
01/28/2020 at 17:45

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Yeah, I have bought several. They do have “off book reserve- minimums” and there’s clearly some game-playing going on— I assume that “regular customers” must have some special discretion to renege on bids, because sometimes you see boomerangs.

Having said that, as a Buyer I see far less “screwing around” with the bids than, say, EBAY. If you win the bid, there’s definitely a car there for you to pick up.


Kinja'd!!! I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Darkbrador
01/28/2020 at 17:46

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Yeah. Many things in Copart are sold with reserves or seller approval. Those items go to auction multiple times if reserve is not met or if the seller rejects the “winning” bid. Pure sale stuff goes to the highest bidder. 


Kinja'd!!! CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > smobgirl
01/28/2020 at 17:46

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There was apparently two red trucks in their yard, and they...didn’t bother checking the vin?

Towed the wrong one 250 miles.


Kinja'd!!! I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
01/28/2020 at 17:47

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Also- be sure to request bill of sale. The desk will only give one unless you ask for a second copy. The one copy they give you is the release ticket you must give the porter. 


Kinja'd!!! SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Spaze
01/28/2020 at 17:48

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Certain shippers will. “ Runs/Doesn’t Run” makes no difference to the guys actually LOADING the cars. I’ve never had to drive/tow/winch a CoPart car onto a trailer... EVERYTHING gets loaded with the longest-boom forklift you’ve ever seen. Regardless of the fragile bottom on the car.

So, all you need is a trucker and a flatbed willing to put up with the Wait At The Gate.  No special handling is required because they ALL load with a forklift.  Of course, you have to have a way to get your treasure off the truck at the destination...


Kinja'd!!! SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
01/28/2020 at 18:28

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I’ve even had my “bid coordinator guy” giggle about how nutty the seller’s expectations were on some Bid Lots-- you wouldn’t think you’d have as much of that BS in the salvage world, but it happens.


Kinja'd!!! SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > 66P1800inpieces
01/28/2020 at 18:29

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The yard in Fontana charges an extra $50 for the “forklift fee” but they always seem to load Non-Ops with a forklift.


Kinja'd!!! Spaze > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
01/28/2020 at 19:01

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the problem is I’m in CA, the car I want... is in GA. So ideally i buy it and it just shows up. I’m not flying to GA to pick it up or anything like that. 


Kinja'd!!! SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Spaze
01/28/2020 at 19:10

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No, I didn’t mean to suggest you would. I was just passing along that the “loading” part is trivial— on a non-op car any CoPart yard is going to load it with a forklift.

The trick is to locate the carrier or load dis patcher that can deal with the logistics of a Non-Op car. Generally, they’ll load it far to the front and put your delivery at the end of the line.

There’s a bunch of online providers that you can order up for that service. Most of my  Reliable Transport deliveries have been operable cars, so I don’t know how (if) they handle non-ops.

It might worth trying one of the online guys for a quote to see what’s possible:

https://www.smartdispatching.com/


Kinja'd!!! I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
01/28/2020 at 23:37

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My local Copart has had a Tacoma with 304k miles the last several auctions on reserve with buy it now at 3000. It’s Prerunner trim (rwd) V6 and manual but like... 304k miles. 


Kinja'd!!! SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
01/29/2020 at 09:17

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Yeah, this kinda stuff.  In the most recent case the damn thing didn’t even have a salvage title, only a “parts only, not for export” cert and the Seller had a reserve on it that would have been pretty good for a used car.


Kinja'd!!! I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
01/29/2020 at 09:22

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Huh. I’ve never even heard of that. Was it a no title or a non-repairable title? There was a flood title BMW 4 series at mine that would have made a nice racecar, but had a non-repairable title. All the panels and paint were straight and it wasn’t even musty inside. Must have been electrically destroyed. 


Kinja'd!!! SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
01/29/2020 at 09:43

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I think it’s a “California thing”... The Legend on the Co-Part site said “Salvage Certificate Only, Not For Export”. What I got, in the mail later, was just an quasi-official looking piece of paper with the VIN that basically said it was for parts only. No Title.

I assume The Republic of California wants to prevent them from being hauled to Mexico or Central America and being put on the road. I have no idea why The Republic of California cares, but they seem to worry a lot about stuff that doesn’t concern them.

I only wanted the drivetrain and ECU out of it, so didn’t really care about the lack of title.


Kinja'd!!! I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
01/29/2020 at 10:32

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That’s certainly very strange. I bet it went way below market value, right? I certainly wouldn’t complain.


Kinja'd!!! SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
01/29/2020 at 12:18

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Certainly less than the sum of value of the components— it was basically a good deal on the engine-transmission-harness-ecu-bcm. I’m going to use the heated seats in a Land Cruiser I have and the wheels/knuckles/calipers probably end up in something else.  The HID modules are unique so I might be able to use those...

At least I have “a cert” when the carcass eventually goes to the wrecking yard.