Many people believe that once a car has been sent to a salvage yard, its days of hitting the road are over. This isn’t always the case, however—especially if the car is in repairable condition and just needs a bit of work done to it before it can be a functioning vehicle again. Salvage yards in Victoria, BC are rife with cars that still have good bodies or working parts, but need a fair amount of work put into them before they’re able to run safely and effectively again. Because of this, a small niche of people will actually hunt through salvage yards to find a car that’s worthy of their time and effort, in the hopes that they can turn it around and resell the finished product to someone looking for cheap transportation.
The first thing to consider when searching for a salvageable vehicle is the condition that you find it in and the amount of work you’re willing to o\put into restoring it. Finding a car with a pristine body is like finding a unicorn: it’s just not going to happen. Finding a car that needs a new hood, new doors or a pair of bumpers is far more likely, however. But, in most cases, you’re going to find a car that looks as though it has seen better days and is in desperate need of a few things before it’ll look like a presentable vehicle again.
Before you wheel a shabby car away from a salvage yard in Victoria, BC, it’s also important to take a look at its major functioning systems. Pop the hood and have a look around, crawl underneath to get a good look at the undercarriage and inspect the interior components for any signs of major damage. Here again, you’re likely to find a car that’s got several things wrong with it—things that will require a lot of time and energy to fix. If there are multiple things, but all simple enough to deal with, you may consider this a candidate for restoration, however if there are major components damaged or missing, it may be best to leave this car for the scrap heap.
Finally, consider the make and model of the car you’re going to attempt to restore. If it’s a common car, there’s a greater likelihood that you’ll find spare parts and pieces in the same salvage yard, which will allow you to get started on the process quicker and for less money. If you’ve picked out a gem, the odds of you finding replacement parts or complementary components is going to be much harder and could end up costing you far more than you bargained for.
If you do finally settle on a vehicle that looks like it could yield some results, be sure to know what you’re doing before undertaking a restoration task. Often times it’s not as simple as swapping out a bad part for a good one—if it was, there’s a good chance the car wouldn’t be in a salvage yard in Victoria in the first place!