My engine died... not from an IMS failure

[Giller]

Originally Posted by KRAM36

I'm pretty sure Woody buys all these Boxsters and parts them out to lose money.

You just don't see the big picture. He has a complete car to part out, motor, trans, air conditioning unit, alternator, lights, fenders, doors, wheels, top, probably everything in the interior is worth selling, hood, trunk, tires, spare tire, tool kit, bumpers, under body panels, the list goes on and on.

Let me ask you this. If you just started out with just the carcass, what would it cost you to replace all the parts to put the car back on the road? Not counting the motor, probably $10,000 or more using used parts.

I get the big picture. First, Woody - yes, he makes money or else why do it? But does he also have a lot of parts sitting around he can't sell? Most likely. He also has all the shipping figured out and as it's his business, it's worth his time. For someone who has never done this and probably doesn't have all the tools, it's a big undertaking. You will have the carcass there for a long time. Wonder how patient his wife is? Does he have a lift? Can he himself even get the motor out? How do you ship a motor?
You can't compare someone who does it for a living and is an expert (Woody) with someone who has never done this.

You are making a big assumption that just because he is parting it out, people will line up for everything he has. He could have the hood sit and collect dust for months and months or longer. Or the trunk. Or a door panel. Or all of the above. You yourself have never done it, so you really don't know.

Again, this forum has it's fair share of people who are parting out cars and they all still have parts hanging around - some of which are big items that take up a lot of space. I'd love to hear them chime in and say whether they would do it again or whether or not they would choose to sell it as-is.

To me, to part a single car takes a lot of time and energy and tools and space. Some people have that to spare, so good for them. Great way to learn about the car. All the power to them. But to assume everyone who has a dead car should part it out is silly.

[KRAM36]

Originally Posted by Giller

To me, to part a single car takes a lot of time and energy and tools and space. Some people have that to spare, so good for them. Great way to learn about the car. All the power to them. But to assume everyone who has a dead car should part it out is silly.

The OP asked

Should I try to sell it as-is? Should I dismantle it and sell the parts (is it even legal)?

My answer was based on his question. I'm not telling everyone to part out their cars. Like you said some don't have the time or tools to do this. With the OP asking that question, I gave my answer which way to get the most money back vs selling it as a roller.