Monday, February 9, 2009

junkyard blues

in my other post, on car domain.com, i have been writing about the death and demise of the junkyards as we know them today. i realize it is hard for many to understand, even more so, when all you car about is your own need(s), what is happening and why. with the geo-political nature of the world today, faltering economies and the "greening" of many countries, the time is ripe, if not all ready happened, in the end of days for the independent auto junkyards.
first, many people fail to realize, unlike their own hobbie, or the federal governmant, businesses must make a profit; the years of living off the fat, has brought us to this point of time. i also realize, there will be plenty of people who will tell me, i still know of a place and so on and such, but they are in serious denial and i don't mean the river. most junk yards, were covered, pell-mell of cars, thrown around like a kids playground, no real reason or order. most of us, knew someone, who knew someone, who'd let you take your craftsman buddy box in and fill up for a few bucks, while novices paid dearly for any little thing.
like the rat infested, wasp nest paradise they were, sal, behind that wooden counter, covered in all those books, that looked important, and old, out dated girlie calenders, this was the next best way a boy became a man, thru the glazed vent glass of old chevies and fords. alas, old Sal passed away and his daughters didn't know or care to take over the nuts and bolts of the business. sure, it was grandfathered to some one else, so as to keep the business going, but times were getting leaner; old cars are harder to come by, federal and local laws keep trying to close you down and that dirty word that eats into the profit and hearts of all that deals with it, "insurance", forced many to try and streamline the industry, to eek out what ever profit is left after all the rising costs. now, wrecks are bidded on by auto salvage yards, who cater to the body repair industry, not the poor smuck who just wants a tail light lens for his neon. also, keeping in mind, they don't make 1965 chevies no more, finding old wrecks is harder and harder to find, and getting them, with the price of fuels and wages, eats into the costs of any parts one may sell off the cars.
as many, such as myself, who buy and sell on ebay, a few years ago, scrap metal went thru the roof; hell, any rolling piece of metal commanded good coin and it was far more profitable for folks to crush that old chevy or ford, rather than the $50-100 a junk yard would fork over for. supply and demand my friend, has caused many tettering business to go under and the rules of averages keeps on working; there are fewer and fewer lots around; those who are still there, know what they have and those who specialized in certain makes, have found theirselves quietly approached by the car companies, to sell out, and keep the whole ball of wax, from cradle to the grave, to their selves.
it's coming folks; the electric cars and hybrids, are giving the car companies a ticket to ride from our friends in public office, under the guise of protecting ourselves, from ourselves, rulings. like in japan and many european countries, forced obsolsence, is a way of life and is coming here. don't think for a minute, you'll find many hybrid's in junkyards in 10 years or so; the government has mandated the demise of most of the so-called hazardous parts of these cars, in the hands of the car companies, not poor old Sal at Ed's used car parts; the future is already upon us, and in many ways, has already past many by and sealed the coffin's of the automotive junk yards of the past.

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