After the ignition switch is ripped out of an old car, is it pretty much worthless?
My youngest son has a 2001 Chrysler Sebring with about 116,000 miles on it. We have already spent a ton of money on it fixing things like the air conditioning, the power windows, new tires, struts, starter, alternator, battery, radiator, water pump, etc.
Last month, after the police recovered it, it’s pretty much trashed on the dashboard. The radio and other parts were removed. i’m thinking we could sell it as a fixer-upper for about $300 to a private party on craigslist. But my wife is thinking the junkyard is probably the best way to get rid of it.
My friend actually had a Buick station wagon back in the day, that was stolen in Detroit, and they popped the ignition. The car was recovered and she drove it with a screwdriver because her father was too cheap to get it fixed, despite living in a nice suburb on the lake. LOL I don't know that you could do that today, but in the 90s, she did for many months.
You might try to sell it and see if anyone wants it for a parts car, but perhaps see if there's a Mopar forum where it might be better to advertise it as opposed to Craigslist. If not, I'd donate the car to charity, since you can get a tax write off for the minimum value, and they can sell it at auction for parts or whatever.
If it were me i'd probably advertise it as 'spares or repair'.
Price up the component parts. That'll give you some idea of total value, then figure out if its worth having it cannibalized for parts on the driveway bit by bit or whether to just offer the whole thing at a cheaper price if buyer collects.
Surprised the insurance company didn't right it off
@ScottR if you can fix the ignition cheap then its worth fixing i know where there are several of those same cars in nc all with bad engines reason was poor oil pump design pumps were weak and oil pans too small
Try "Vehicles For Veterans". They'll tow it away for free, scrap it and use the proceeds to help disabled vets. It's a non-profit charity and may mean tax deductions for you, plus you get to help others.
@ScottR I have to admit that I was leaning more towards what @mysteryespresso said myself.
It doesn't look too bad for it's age, aside from the problem with the ignition - and my soon to be ex drove around starting a car with a screwdriver for almost a year (key snapped in the barrel) with no problem... even after that, he could still use it around private property.
So it could be worth looking into how much it might cost to get it repaired again.
