Breaking cars....
Discussion
A mate of mine does it as part of a wider business selling performance parts. He has to break 3 cars a week to make it worth his while. He has large overheads though.
I’ve broken a few cars in my spare time so have some experience. The big popular stuff goes quickly if you price well and are good at adverts. The small stuff and trim just hangs around forever but you can be sure that as soon as you chuck it someone will message you wanting it.
You need to pick cars that have lots worth selling and have a good following as it’s easier to sell the stuff.
I’ve broken a few cars in my spare time so have some experience. The big popular stuff goes quickly if you price well and are good at adverts. The small stuff and trim just hangs around forever but you can be sure that as soon as you chuck it someone will message you wanting it.
You need to pick cars that have lots worth selling and have a good following as it’s easier to sell the stuff.
if you're just doing it on the side and have your own space it can be lucrative with the right cars. For example old Megane R26's aren't worth much now but often have a loads of modded bits on which people want. Sellers get fed up with trying to sell to timewasters and break the cars for more money
Definitely worth a shot
Just make sure you pick something with a strong base and pick out a niche market ie fast fords get in and around the owners clubs and get known for providing proven parts quickly at a sensible price.
If someone can pickup up the phone and have a known good alternator or starter etc on their doorstep next day you'll get business.
Sticking to a particular marquee does tie you on somewhat but makes your marketing easier as well as your specific knowledge on your parts and value. It's also easier to catalogue your stock too for example knowing there's only say 3 variations of alternator that you stock
Just make sure you pick something with a strong base and pick out a niche market ie fast fords get in and around the owners clubs and get known for providing proven parts quickly at a sensible price.
If someone can pickup up the phone and have a known good alternator or starter etc on their doorstep next day you'll get business.
Sticking to a particular marquee does tie you on somewhat but makes your marketing easier as well as your specific knowledge on your parts and value. It's also easier to catalogue your stock too for example knowing there's only say 3 variations of alternator that you stock
Friend of mine used to do it, he bought and stripped VW's and the odd performance Audi. He'd buy mot failures, unfinished projects etc. He picked up many performance cars for peanuts just because of minor problems that he knew from his knowledge were an easy fix. He was on a lot of the forums and got a good reputation and found this was a good place for a lot of stalled projects, with cash waved in front of them he nearly always got them for rock bottom price. He did have some pretty high over heads though with a large farm unit but subbed out the corner for a couple of mates to store their project cars.
Ford fan said:
Glasgowrob....TOP Man!!! Cracking ideas there... I already decided only to break ford's for now as there's loads on the road and parts are always in demand... But going for that niche sounds even more lucrative.
Thanks again
My cousins started a Ford only breakers in Stockport town centre in the 70's...REMOCO.....made a LOT of money at the time with several employees, but sold it many years ago. I see it now seems to have closed down unfortunatelyThanks again
Used to be probably the biggest in the country for Ford parts at that time..
The thing is it doesn't have to be fast fords just find a niche and stick with it
Break corsas
Their popular plenty hotter models to get on that side of the market and you have a huge market who will be always willing to buy parts off of you again I'll reiterate the importance of building a reputation for competitive pricing and known working parts
Targets back street dealers and garages
Make it your card on the wall for that particular marques parts
Oh crap need a window regulator for Mrs Smith's Corsa
Oh phone corsabreakers the guys top drawer and will have one here for us in the morning
The important things being
Known good parts that are guaranteed to be working
Quick and I mean at latest next day availability
And knowing your stock inventory management is a key thing here
Ha e everything listed and ideally available on line vatalouged with photos time consuming and boring but imagine it from a customer point of view
Log on 3/4 separate pictures so you can confirm its the right bit of trim or the right start motor click click and it's at your workshop the next morning
Break corsas
Their popular plenty hotter models to get on that side of the market and you have a huge market who will be always willing to buy parts off of you again I'll reiterate the importance of building a reputation for competitive pricing and known working parts
Targets back street dealers and garages
Make it your card on the wall for that particular marques parts
Oh crap need a window regulator for Mrs Smith's Corsa
Oh phone corsabreakers the guys top drawer and will have one here for us in the morning
The important things being
Known good parts that are guaranteed to be working
Quick and I mean at latest next day availability
And knowing your stock inventory management is a key thing here
Ha e everything listed and ideally available on line vatalouged with photos time consuming and boring but imagine it from a customer point of view
Log on 3/4 separate pictures so you can confirm its the right bit of trim or the right start motor click click and it's at your workshop the next morning
Glasgowrob said:
The thing is it doesn't have to be fast fords just find a niche and stick with it
Break corsas
Their popular plenty hotter models to get on that side of the market and you have a huge market who will be always willing to buy parts off of you again I'll reiterate the importance of building a reputation for competitive pricing and known working parts
Targets back street dealers and garages
Make it your card on the wall for that particular marques parts
Oh crap need a window regulator for Mrs Smith's Corsa
Oh phone corsabreakers the guys top drawer and will have one here for us in the morning
The important things being
Known good parts that are guaranteed to be working
Quick and I mean at latest next day availability
And knowing your stock inventory management is a key thing here
Ha e everything listed and ideally available on line vatalouged with photos time consuming and boring but imagine it from a customer point of view
Log on 3/4 separate pictures so you can confirm its the right bit of trim or the right start motor click click and it's at your workshop the next morning
This is a good post. Break corsas
Their popular plenty hotter models to get on that side of the market and you have a huge market who will be always willing to buy parts off of you again I'll reiterate the importance of building a reputation for competitive pricing and known working parts
Targets back street dealers and garages
Make it your card on the wall for that particular marques parts
Oh crap need a window regulator for Mrs Smith's Corsa
Oh phone corsabreakers the guys top drawer and will have one here for us in the morning
The important things being
Known good parts that are guaranteed to be working
Quick and I mean at latest next day availability
And knowing your stock inventory management is a key thing here
Ha e everything listed and ideally available on line vatalouged with photos time consuming and boring but imagine it from a customer point of view
Log on 3/4 separate pictures so you can confirm its the right bit of trim or the right start motor click click and it's at your workshop the next morning
What is particularly interesting is that to make this approach work requires good marketing (so potential customers know about the service being offered), a good website which provides the information the customer needs, a very good sales/delivery process and tight stock control management.
In fact the core requirements which many businesses need. Breaking the Corsas or Fords will be the relative easy bit. It also might partially explain why the businesses who previously worked in this sector are no longer in business.
EddieSteadyGo said:
This is a good post.
What is particularly interesting is that to make this approach work requires good marketing (so potential customers know about the service being offered), a good website which provides the information the customer needs, a very good sales/delivery process and tight stock control management.
In fact the core requirements which many businesses need. Breaking the Corsas or Fords will be the relative easy bit. It also might partially explain why the businesses who previously worked in this sector are no longer in business.
That in itself is going to be expensive - unless you simply advertise the parts on ebay (the selling of which is then expensive)What is particularly interesting is that to make this approach work requires good marketing (so potential customers know about the service being offered), a good website which provides the information the customer needs, a very good sales/delivery process and tight stock control management.
In fact the core requirements which many businesses need. Breaking the Corsas or Fords will be the relative easy bit. It also might partially explain why the businesses who previously worked in this sector are no longer in business.
Also, are there not very tight regulations if you're a car breaker these days? Breaking a Corsa in a lock up might be a handy way of making a few extra £££ and would mean you could stay under the radar but doing so on the scale that you are nationally recognised as a "Corsa Breaker" or whatever is going to attract close scrutiny.
Also, its all very well being known as "the man" for Corsas, but each car you break only has pretty much one of each part. So you sell the alternator one day and someone rings the next day looking an alternator and you dont have any. They're going to go elsewhere that time and probably from then on.
Becoming the person who can reliably supply used parts every time would be an expensive business....
daemon said:
EddieSteadyGo said:
This is a good post.
What is particularly interesting is that to make this approach work requires good marketing (so potential customers know about the service being offered), a good website which provides the information the customer needs, a very good sales/delivery process and tight stock control management.
In fact the core requirements which many businesses need. Breaking the Corsas or Fords will be the relative easy bit. It also might partially explain why the businesses who previously worked in this sector are no longer in business.
That in itself is going to be expensive - unless you simply advertise the parts on ebay (the selling of which is then expensive)What is particularly interesting is that to make this approach work requires good marketing (so potential customers know about the service being offered), a good website which provides the information the customer needs, a very good sales/delivery process and tight stock control management.
In fact the core requirements which many businesses need. Breaking the Corsas or Fords will be the relative easy bit. It also might partially explain why the businesses who previously worked in this sector are no longer in business.
Also, are there not very tight regulations if you're a car breaker these days? Breaking a Corsa in a lock up might be a handy way of making a few extra £££ and would mean you could stay under the radar but doing so on the scale that you are nationally recognised as a "Corsa Breaker" or whatever is going to attract close scrutiny.
Also, its all very well being known as "the man" for Corsas, but each car you break only has pretty much one of each part. So you sell the alternator one day and someone rings the next day looking an alternator and you dont have any. They're going to go elsewhere that time and probably from then on.
Becoming the person who can reliably supply used parts every time would be an expensive business....
EddieSteadyGo said:
daemon said:
EddieSteadyGo said:
This is a good post.
What is particularly interesting is that to make this approach work requires good marketing (so potential customers know about the service being offered), a good website which provides the information the customer needs, a very good sales/delivery process and tight stock control management.
In fact the core requirements which many businesses need. Breaking the Corsas or Fords will be the relative easy bit. It also might partially explain why the businesses who previously worked in this sector are no longer in business.
That in itself is going to be expensive - unless you simply advertise the parts on ebay (the selling of which is then expensive)What is particularly interesting is that to make this approach work requires good marketing (so potential customers know about the service being offered), a good website which provides the information the customer needs, a very good sales/delivery process and tight stock control management.
In fact the core requirements which many businesses need. Breaking the Corsas or Fords will be the relative easy bit. It also might partially explain why the businesses who previously worked in this sector are no longer in business.
Also, are there not very tight regulations if you're a car breaker these days? Breaking a Corsa in a lock up might be a handy way of making a few extra £££ and would mean you could stay under the radar but doing so on the scale that you are nationally recognised as a "Corsa Breaker" or whatever is going to attract close scrutiny.
Also, its all very well being known as "the man" for Corsas, but each car you break only has pretty much one of each part. So you sell the alternator one day and someone rings the next day looking an alternator and you dont have any. They're going to go elsewhere that time and probably from then on.
Becoming the person who can reliably supply used parts every time would be an expensive business....
I think its probably an ok venture for doing maybe 1 car a month and flogging the bits on ebay / facebook / gumtree, maybe storing the bits that havent sold after a month but are likely to sell and then disposing of the remains. Expanding beyond that, i'd have my doubts.
The other issue is actually buying the cars to break at a reasonable price. Most "mot failures" tend to be old and near end of life. Understanding the sweet spot of the car being old enough to be bought cheaply but young enough for there still to be demand for the parts is key.
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