Parts car worth it?

[LateFan]

Would it make any sense to buy a very cheap parts car in my neighborhood when all the parts would have to be shipped a long way?

I'm in Montana - not a big E30 marketplace for used parts.

87 eta ES coupe with a broken rod. 5 speed. 185k or so. Hard to mess up an eta in 185k from what I have learned.

Grey-black houndstooth cloth sport interior, maybe some wear starting on the driver's thigh.

Faded white, straight with one small fender ding.

So, I store this half-stripped hulk somewhere, piss off the wife, sell a door, a pop-out window, an IS trunk lid.......then what? Is it really worth it? But it's just sitting there going nowhere.

[flyboyx]

how much is it? if you can get it for less than 400 bucks, it is probably worth it. if the body and interior are pretty nice, i doesn't sound like a parts car. its pretty easy to replace the engine. i may be a lot easier to swap the motor and resell it than part out. may make a lot more financial sense.

i always used to buy e30s and part them. i have changed my tune in recent years though. i generally buy, fix and resell now days. a decent car is always worth 3k especially if it is a manual.

[rcsoundn1]

I am looking to do the same thing. My family has parts cars for all their cars. its great to have a car right there for all the stupid crap that fails, because its right there for you to get a used one free

[Roysneon]

If you can make a list of parts that are on the car that you can see being sold locally in 2-3 months that will allow you to recoup the purchase price then it's worth it. That's how I guage a parts car.

Of the 3 BMW parts cars I've had (1 e36, 2 e30s) I've at least come even on all of them and have gotten all the m50 swap parts from the e36, sport interiors including premium sound, m-tech 1s and pop outs from both e30's and so far still have the drivetrains from both.

Things that I look for and could sell in my area are mostly rust free body parts, but after that elipsoidal lights, basket weaves and calipers. Cat converters I can usually sell to someone who trucks large loads of them across the border for 50-80$ depending on the price of scap. A set of alloy wheels (bottle caps) are worth at least $200 to someone with a Honda/Toyota or some other old 4 bolt Japanese car or $40-$50 at metal scrappers.

All that being said, slapping another m20 of some sort in there and reselling is gonna make you the most and keep one more e30 on the road if it's not too far gone body/rust wise.

[Red46]

I just parted out a totaled vert. I made a list of what I thought were the most valuable items and made sure I could at least break even and get a few of the parts I needed. Then there are dozens of parts that you can sell for $20-$50 and its all profit.
But like flyboy said, it sounds like you might do better swapping the motor and selling it as a runner. I don't know what it's like up in Montana but around here people practically give eta motors away.