So three years ago i donated my 1997 Geo Prizm to the Local "alternative " high school automotive shop. It needed a harmonic balancer and some minor tlc and it would have gone another 246,000 miles or, (328,306 km for everyone else) no problem. I was told "Oh yeah we keep donated vehicles for 3-5 years and get them running, show students how to rebuild vehicles." I went down to pull n pay today for some parts and was curious if my old car was ever scrapped. Well come to find out yep November of 2017 "we crushed it sorry". What a bummer. I'm so bummed that this country disposes of 13 million cars annually. Anyone else have this happen? I kind of wanted to purchase it back. I was surprised they got rid of it so quick.
Really Bummed my car got recycled
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We have to crush them in Michigan they rot pretty bad after 20 years. Not too much demand for parts off a 97 prizm or in my case, a 97 malibu. Maybe the 3.1 engine or the tranny? Nah, nobody wants it. It does seem like a waste though. Every single one of those crushables were a pride and joy driving off the dealers lot at one time.
Does it rust where you are? It may have been in worse shape than you thought
I usually just scrap my cars at the local pull your parts junkyard. They sell parts off it then crush when nobody wants parts from that car anymore
I usually just scrap my cars at the local pull your parts junkyard. They sell parts off it then crush when nobody wants parts from that car anymore
Reminds me of Clark Griswold In National Lampoons Vacation going to the dealer and seeing that they crushed his trade before getting the Family Truckster.
Nope ZERO rust. Colorado is really dry. A guy out east has 50-100 acres of vehicles dating back to the 40's with very little rust. Check out the high plains junk yard High plains junkyard
Or I can't seem to find the article but a guy off the highway near Pueblo I think has dozens of old cars needing rescue. Some from the 40's and 50's.
Or I can't seem to find the article but a guy off the highway near Pueblo I think has dozens of old cars needing rescue. Some from the 40's and 50's.
Yep, donated an 89 Delta 88 to the Kidney Foundation about 10 years ago. The plates were mailed back to me from Pick and Pull. Too bad, it was a completely functional car.
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From your signature, I'm judging that you were really into your Prism. That's cool. Everyone tends to love certain cars that they have owned. But honestly, the Prism brand was really pretty basic cars.
Now if you had donated an '84 Buick GN, and they had crushed that - well that would be something to be outraged about.
Now if you had donated an '84 Buick GN, and they had crushed that - well that would be something to be outraged about.
Originally Posted by 97prizm
So three years ago i donated my 1997 Geo Prizm to the Local "alternative " high school automotive shop. It needed a harmonic balancer and some minor tlc and it would have gone another 246,000 miles or, (328,306 km for everyone else) no problem. I was told "Oh yeah we keep donated vehicles for 3-5 years and get them running, show students how to rebuild vehicles." I went down to pull n pay today for some parts and was curious if my old car was ever scrapped. Well come to find out yep November of 2017 "we crushed it sorry". What a bummer. I'm so bummed that this country disposes of 13 million cars annually. Anyone else have this happen? I kind of wanted to purchase it back. I was surprised they got rid of it so quick.
It was the story of my father in law's Escort. It only need something minor and it is a really great car. Yeah, the engine is smooth and efficient, and the transmission shifts like new. That's about it.
Everyone has rose tinted glasses on when they look at their ride, but they don't see the parts they are used to (i.e. the faded paint, the bouncing suspension, the weak AC, the rattles, the out of fashion, the lack of demand, the safety record, etc etc.
Cars get another chance in junkyard, they can be bought for cheap to be repaired and flipped, they can also be parted out to save multiple other cars. If they fail to redeem themselves, that's probably capitalism tells you that it is the end of life of the cars.
So three years ago i donated my 1997 Geo Prizm to the Local "alternative " high school automotive shop. It needed a harmonic balancer and some minor tlc and it would have gone another 246,000 miles or, (328,306 km for everyone else) no problem. I was told "Oh yeah we keep donated vehicles for 3-5 years and get them running, show students how to rebuild vehicles." I went down to pull n pay today for some parts and was curious if my old car was ever scrapped. Well come to find out yep November of 2017 "we crushed it sorry". What a bummer. I'm so bummed that this country disposes of 13 million cars annually. Anyone else have this happen? I kind of wanted to purchase it back. I was surprised they got rid of it so quick.
It was the story of my father in law's Escort. It only need something minor and it is a really great car. Yeah, the engine is smooth and efficient, and the transmission shifts like new. That's about it.
Everyone has rose tinted glasses on when they look at their ride, but they don't see the parts they are used to (i.e. the faded paint, the bouncing suspension, the weak AC, the rattles, the out of fashion, the lack of demand, the safety record, etc etc.
Cars get another chance in junkyard, they can be bought for cheap to be repaired and flipped, they can also be parted out to save multiple other cars. If they fail to redeem themselves, that's probably capitalism tells you that it is the end of life of the cars.
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I always thought the idea of taking old, but still structurally sound cars and refurbishing them and putting them back on the road would be a good idea. A lot less waste of resources.
Cash for clunkers really annoyed me, SO many perfectly good vehicles were destroyed in that fiasco!
Cash for clunkers really annoyed me, SO many perfectly good vehicles were destroyed in that fiasco!
That's a bummer. I thought the whole idea was to have a car in need of repair so the students have something to work on and learn how to diagnose and fix stuff.
The economics of the situation likely made the decision for them. Finding parts for that car to rebuild or fix it would be difficult at best...and relatively expensive as a result. I'm guessing the available budget for such expenses is nonexistent, especially from an already underfunded public school. And I cannot think of a valid argument that could be used to justify asking for more than was allowed.
Given the general undesirability of the end result, the powers that be likely saw no use in teaching students to work on something they'd never see outside that class, not to mention teaching repair skills and knowledge that couldn't be transferred to anything they are likely to encounter upon graduation.
Given the choice between that seemingly obvious misuse of funds and the immediate usability of the $300 they'd get for dragging it across the scales, it should come as no surprise which way they chose to go.
As with most scenarios encountered in life, there is what should be done, what can be done, and what will be done, and in my experience the 2nd one usually ends up dictating the 3rd one, despite our desire for number 3 to always be driven by number 1.
Given the general undesirability of the end result, the powers that be likely saw no use in teaching students to work on something they'd never see outside that class, not to mention teaching repair skills and knowledge that couldn't be transferred to anything they are likely to encounter upon graduation.
Given the choice between that seemingly obvious misuse of funds and the immediate usability of the $300 they'd get for dragging it across the scales, it should come as no surprise which way they chose to go.
As with most scenarios encountered in life, there is what should be done, what can be done, and what will be done, and in my experience the 2nd one usually ends up dictating the 3rd one, despite our desire for number 3 to always be driven by number 1.
Here is how I look at it. That car may have helped many students in the three years before it was crushed. Unless you were right beside the car 12 hours a day you have no idea what the teachers did with the car to help students in auto mechanics. They could have taught students anything from changing a tire to brake repair and the list could go on and on. I do think they should have offered to give it back to you at the end of the 3 year period instead of taking it to the recycling yard. Just a quick phone call.
While it may have had some sort of sentimental value to you the reality is that it's a 20+ year old wore out econobox that is worth nothing more than scrap value. It's just a car, and there are plenty more out there.
Kestas
Staff member
Agreed, there are plenty of needy cars these kids can work on to learn about cars.... more needy cars than there are people willing to own them.
The car had reached the end of life for you, otherwise you would have fixed it and kept it. It had a years or two at the auto shop teaching kids, and finished it's useful life there
99% of cars made get scrapped, once they repaired the problems (if they did, who knows) they moved on to the next vehicle.
Originally Posted by joekingcorvette
... I do think they should have offered to give it back to you at the end of the 3 year period instead of taking it to the recycling yard. Just a quick phone call.
It was donated, not borrowed.
They probably could not legally do anything with it besides scrap it anyway.
I have no idea what happens to my cars once I get rid of them (sold or donated) and don't care.
99% of cars made get scrapped, once they repaired the problems (if they did, who knows) they moved on to the next vehicle.
Originally Posted by joekingcorvette
... I do think they should have offered to give it back to you at the end of the 3 year period instead of taking it to the recycling yard. Just a quick phone call.
It was donated, not borrowed.
They probably could not legally do anything with it besides scrap it anyway.
I have no idea what happens to my cars once I get rid of them (sold or donated) and don't care.
I don't get it, questioning why a 22 year old cheap car with 250K on it going to the junkyard? There was very little educational value in that car, it was scrap and went where it belonged its that simple. Once I get rid of a car Its gone whatever happens to it after that bothers me as much as a bicycle falling over somewhere in China.
Originally Posted by Trav
I don't get it, questioning why a 22 year old cheap car with 250K on it going to the junkyard? There was very little educational value in that car, it was scrap and went where it belonged its that simple. Once I get rid of a car Its gone whatever happens to it after that bothers me as much as a bicycle falling over somewhere in China.
I have seen this far too often in the car business, someone trades in a car and gets very interested (and often times worried) about what is going to happen to a vehicle that they remove from their possession. Will it be resold, auctioned, salvaged, sent to a third world country, etc? Why should you care? You relinquished this property so it really should not matter to you.
This whole "they coulda woulda shoulda done THIS with my former car instead" is just wasted time and energy.
I don't get it, questioning why a 22 year old cheap car with 250K on it going to the junkyard? There was very little educational value in that car, it was scrap and went where it belonged its that simple. Once I get rid of a car Its gone whatever happens to it after that bothers me as much as a bicycle falling over somewhere in China.
I have seen this far too often in the car business, someone trades in a car and gets very interested (and often times worried) about what is going to happen to a vehicle that they remove from their possession. Will it be resold, auctioned, salvaged, sent to a third world country, etc? Why should you care? You relinquished this property so it really should not matter to you.
This whole "they coulda woulda shoulda done THIS with my former car instead" is just wasted time and energy.
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