I wrecked my 1990 Geo Prism last wednesday, It was towed to a Savage yard.  It is undriveable and totaled by insurance standards.  I only had liablility insurance on it.  So insurance has nothing to do with this.

I go to the salvage yard today to see how much they will give me for my wrecked geo, and they will give me "nothing" but if I bring in the title they will take it off my hands and I still owe 55 fucking dollars for tow bill!  


It is damaged but only on the front passenger side. The engine is runied but there are still 4 good tires a good battery and everything else from the dash back is in fine shape.  Is this standard salvage yard kick you in your pants while your down tatics?

I think I will rent a car dolly and go get my baby and sell her for scrap or somthing.  I can't stand getting $0.00 for her. And still paying a tow bill.  Im pissed.

No salvage pro's in the house?

You will owe the tow charge and any daily storage fees.  The fees are where you really get screwed.  Usually 5-15 dollars a day.  The value of the salvaged vehicle should be several hundred dollars and then you deduct the tow and storage fees.  Your insurance company may be able to give you an appraisal on the value but may not since you didn't carry collison coverage.  I take it you were at fault for the accident.

Part it out on eBay, they sell (or buy) everything there! [:)]

Better yet, tow it to the local private shooting pit and you can relieve some frustrations.  Shooting cars is [u]almost[/u] as much fun as blasting a computer into a million pieces!

Option #1 Abandon it.

Option #2 Pay the $55, and go in and strip the tires, radio, spare, maps, cupholders, air filter, windshield washer fluid, seats, lightbulbs, fuses, and anything else you can manage, and call it even.

Option #3 Shoot the bloody thing to hell.

Yep.  Take it someplace and shoot it with your friends.  Charge them to at least recoup your towing fee.  That's what we do with our beater cars.

Have fun!

Don't buy a Geo again.  It was totaled when you bought it.

Crappybob, sorry to hear about your problem.  It sucks to go from having a working car to having nothing and owing $55.  I've got two nonworking cars in my driveway that aren't worth the money to tow.  I've considered, like Kevin suggested, parting it out on ebay, but I don't want to deal with the hassle of shipping, even though I know I could make some money.  Since both cars have some of the same parts, both are straight drive V8 Chevy's, I'm considering buying another old Chevy and using those two for parts.  It might work.  If you see any good deals on ~1990 Geo's that need a little work, preferably from the dash back, you might want to consider keeping yours and buying another.  Having a parts car can save you tons of money as compared to junkyard (rip-off) prices.z

Yes, you are getting screwed.

We used to buy and repair salvaged vehicls, and I have spent plenty of time in yards buying parts.  Doors, tires, axles, wheels, seats, radios, glass, even the undamaged quarter panels will bring the yard money.

Call some other yards, ask them what they will pay for a damaged 1990 GEO.  They will probably want to see it, so have some good photos handy.

My opinion: They're counting on you not taking it out of there.  TRG's approach sounds best to me. The pictures would be essential - the only alternative would be putting it on a trailer and pulling it from one yard to another.  At lesat with pictures they don't have to go there to see if they're interested.  But make transporation the buyer's responsibility.