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Old 04-12-2012, 07:31 AM
 
1 posts, read 3,688 times
Reputation: 10

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I tried the search feature and this is probably a question not asked often.
I'm contemplating buying a home that is also a towing/auto salvage yard. The house is in good shape it has a large shop with many buildings on its property. The things i like are the home, shop, land, small lake on property. I also like the cars 50-70's era car's some classic and rare. I planned on restoring cars in my home ive done it for years and made anywhere from 1000-5 grand a shot. So this is essentially killing two birds with one stone. I get cars and my first house. My issue is its got maybe 200 or so cars i can care less for. How on earth would i start getting rid of them when more than likely none have a title. Would this be something i have to do at the dmv with one mass list of vin's? My other thought is to include in the price of the house removal and clean up of the land. Is this something that can be done? The house is a steal at the price but its likely due to the amount of cars on the land. Thanks for any help you guys could give me
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Old 04-12-2012, 07:58 AM
 
1,135 posts, read 2,481,143 times
Reputation: 1974
Quote:
Originally Posted by space_heretic View Post
I tried the search feature and this is probably a question not asked often.
I'm contemplating buying a home that is also a towing/auto salvage yard. The house is in good shape it has a large shop with many buildings on its property. The things i like are the home, shop, land, small lake on property. I also like the cars 50-70's era car's some classic and rare. I planned on restoring cars in my home ive done it for years and made anywhere from 1000-5 grand a shot. So this is essentially killing two birds with one stone. I get cars and my first house. My issue is its got maybe 200 or so cars i can care less for. How on earth would i start getting rid of them when more than likely none have a title. Would this be something i have to do at the dmv with one mass list of vin's? My other thought is to include in the price of the house removal and clean up of the land. Is this something that can be done? The house is a steal at the price but its likely due to the amount of cars on the land. Thanks for any help you guys could give me
Not sure you need a title to dispose of an old car, but if not, sounds like you could make alot of money by selling them as scrap metal? I doubt the seller wants to clean up the old cars.
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Old 04-12-2012, 08:01 AM
 
35,095 posts, read 50,976,071 times
Reputation: 62660
Quote:
Originally Posted by space_heretic View Post
I tried the search feature and this is probably a question not asked often.
I'm contemplating buying a home that is also a towing/auto salvage yard. The house is in good shape it has a large shop with many buildings on its property. The things i like are the home, shop, land, small lake on property. I also like the cars 50-70's era car's some classic and rare. I planned on restoring cars in my home ive done it for years and made anywhere from 1000-5 grand a shot. So this is essentially killing two birds with one stone. I get cars and my first house. My issue is its got maybe 200 or so cars i can care less for. How on earth would i start getting rid of them when more than likely none have a title. Would this be something i have to do at the dmv with one mass list of vin's? My other thought is to include in the price of the house removal and clean up of the land. Is this something that can be done? The house is a steal at the price but its likely due to the amount of cars on the land. Thanks for any help you guys could give me

Questions like yours can only be answered by asking someone who KNOWS the answers NOT someone on a public forum. Call the DMV and ASK THEM, someone there should be able to direct you to the proper department. As far as the cleanup on the land...........PUT IT IN THE CONTRACT. Then the seller either agrees or doesn't.
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Old 04-12-2012, 08:18 AM
 
Location: Johns Creek, GA
17,405 posts, read 65,568,867 times
Reputation: 23517
In a lot of states, cars that are (X)years old do not require a title to be sold. In your case, you'd be "selling" them for scrap. As CSD said- call your state's DMV to be sure.

There are several mobile crushing companies that hit junkyards. The crusher is part of a semi/lowboy. They crush, load in/on another truck, and haul away- you get the market price of the day minus the service.

As far as the land itself- depending on how long that "junkyard" has been operating you may want to have an environmental impact soils test done. Over the years, there no telling what has come onto that property.
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Old 04-12-2012, 09:13 AM
 
Location: Brentwood, Tennessee
49,932 posts, read 59,579,270 times
Reputation: 98359
Quote:
Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr View Post
As far as the land itself- depending on how long that "junkyard" has been operating you may want to have an environmental impact soils test done. Over the years, there no telling what has come onto that property.
This would be my first concern as well. There is a huge probability that oil and gas, transmission fluid, power steering fluid etc. have seeped into the ground on that property. You also could have lead leaks from batteries or mercury from other parts, which could affect the water as well. If the groundwater or that lake is tainted, you would be subject to EPA penalties.

Is the zoning secure for that type of business? I mean is it in a city with established zoning, or is there a possibility that it could be annexed and placed under new zoning laws that could require you to clean it up, with all that entails.

You think of it as a hobby, but a sale might alert authorities to problems that no one wants to deal with, whether it's your first home or your tenth.
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Old 04-12-2012, 10:02 AM
 
3,244 posts, read 7,421,236 times
Reputation: 1604
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life View Post
This would be my first concern as well. There is a huge probability that oil and gas, transmission fluid, power steering fluid etc. have seeped into the ground on that property. You also could have lead leaks from batteries or mercury from other parts, which could affect the water as well. If the groundwater or that lake is tainted, you would be subject to EPA penalties.

Is the zoning secure for that type of business? I mean is it in a city with established zoning, or is there a possibility that it could be annexed and placed under new zoning laws that could require you to clean it up, with all that entails.

You think of it as a hobby, but a sale might alert authorities to problems that no one wants to deal with, whether it's your first home or your tenth.

Exactly.

A mile or so from where I used to live, the property there was a car junkyard for about 50 years. (all the cars are now gone, and it now has a residence on the property). When the MTBE and oil seeped into the ground water, the state got involved in a hurry (everyone around there was on water wells). The groundwater MTBE plume was tracked by drilling multiple test wells. The original junkyard owner (really old now, and lives in FL) claims he knows nothing of it, but the residents nearby had to have $6K water purification systems installed for their drinking water.

Personally, I would not walk, but would run away. The EPA wants to do the right thing, and I agree.... it just may be at your expense, if situations like this arise.

I remember as a kid, there was a favorite junkyard near to where I grew up, that had cars stacked all through the woods... great place for parts... but you could see the antifreeze dripping out of the cars (ethylene glycol then), into the local little streams. Batteries on the ground all over the place, and the classic oil thin-film intererence patterns on top of standing water. Ouch.
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Old 04-12-2012, 07:32 PM
 
Location: Lexington, SC
4,281 posts, read 12,620,147 times
Reputation: 3750
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life View Post
This would be my first concern as well. There is a huge probability that oil and gas, transmission fluid, power steering fluid etc. have seeped into the ground on that property. You also could have lead leaks from batteries or mercury from other parts, which could affect the water as well. If the groundwater or that lake is tainted, you would be subject to EPA penalties.

Is the zoning secure for that type of business? I mean is it in a city with established zoning, or is there a possibility that it could be annexed and placed under new zoning laws that could require you to clean it up, with all that entails.

You think of it as a hobby, but a sale might alert authorities to problems that no one wants to deal with, whether it's your first home or your tenth.
Your post is food for thought. I think the OP might be putting the cart before the horse.
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Old 04-13-2012, 09:20 AM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,702 posts, read 79,372,236 times
Reputation: 39415
We have had to get rid of some junk cars as scrap metal. No one ever asked us for a title. If they pick them up they usually give you $50 to $150, but sometimes they want you to pay them. It depends ont he prices for scrap metal. If you take them to them, you can sometimes get as much as $400 - $500. If the cars still have most of their parts, and at not all broken, you can often get more for them from a boneyard. Especially if they are relatively recent cars that have parts that are in demand.
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Old 06-02-2012, 10:58 AM
 
Location: Ohio
3,437 posts, read 6,054,535 times
Reputation: 2700
Quote:
Originally Posted by CSD610 View Post
Questions like yours can only be answered by asking someone who KNOWS the answers NOT someone on a public forum. Call the DMV and ASK THEM, someone there should be able to direct you to the proper department. As far as the cleanup on the land...........PUT IT IN THE CONTRACT. Then the seller either agrees or doesn't.

But it is more fun posting about a house with 200+ old cars some rare in a public forum, a classic car forum may not respond the same.
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Old 06-03-2012, 07:58 PM
 
Location: Sinking in the Great Salt Lake
13,139 posts, read 22,713,960 times
Reputation: 14115
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life View Post
This would be my first concern as well. There is a huge probability that oil and gas, transmission fluid, power steering fluid etc. have seeped into the ground on that property. You also could have lead leaks from batteries or mercury from other parts, which could affect the water as well. If the groundwater or that lake is tainted, you would be subject to EPA penalties.

Is the zoning secure for that type of business? I mean is it in a city with established zoning, or is there a possibility that it could be annexed and placed under new zoning laws that could require you to clean it up, with all that entails.

You think of it as a hobby, but a sale might alert authorities to problems that no one wants to deal with, whether it's your first home or your tenth.
That's what I was thinking. A former auto junkyard is undoubtedly a junior Superfund Cleanup Site. Don't forget asbestos from old vehicle brakes too.
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