**********THE ALL-TRAC FARM**********

All,

As the proud owner of several 4th Generation Celicas I am often struck with both the lament of the loss of these vehicles to the scrap yard and the never-ending search for space to store my own parts/vehicles. I know many of you deal with the same issues. What pains me most is when I see other members say that if X, Y, or Z parts don't get bought they're going in the trash. As a die-hard Celica driver for life that's totally unacceptable.

So I'm thinking and dreaming about a solution. My idea borrows from my other passion, aviation. When the DoD no longer needs one of our military aircraft the aircraft is sent to a boneyard out west to be mothballed or parted out to support the active fleet. My fiancee and I stand to inherit 60 acres of land in southern Illinois. I'm thinking of providing a space for ST165s and ST185s that are to be sent in for scrap. I would drain them of fluids and weather-proof them as well as store parts.

This wouldn't be a profit minded effort. I would not want to store my money in buying up parts for a limited car community that will only shrink with time. And thus I would not be interested in trying to sell those parts. It would be purely altruistic and for the good of the community. However, that's where my idea runs into road blocks. I have no idea how this would work. So I'm looking to you all to help brainstorm and help me further cultivate a place where unwanted All-Tracs can hibernate until they find a new home. How would we agree to transport the cars? What if someone wants to be compensated? These are the types of issues that I need input on.

So remember, this is a community thing. I get nothing from you. You get nothing from me. With that said how would we set this system up? Please discuss....

This sounds like it could really work. Awesome idea!

I have no clue how to help make this work, but I support it 100%. I saved my RC from ending up at the scrapper due to a mechanic too lazy to change some spark plugs. Most cars can be saved, those that can't should be allowed to die a gentle death, slowly rusting away until they rejoin the earth.

Or some poetic crap like that.

I don't think this will work for free.. It often is just due to lack of time and space that cars are scrapped while there are still good parts on it like you said. How about:

Owner brings "dead" car, you register it as stock (maybe with pics) and write down owners details. Someone wants a part, you get it off the car, sell it for a price the owner is happy with and you get say 20% for storage/spanner action/general effort?

Or

Owner brings car, you register owner, you sell the parts to whoever comes first, if owner wants a part of his car he gets it for free?


Just don't divorce and lose half of the cars. wned:

Biggest thing would be who's going to pay for shipping the cars.
And you need a dry place to store them. Otherwise they're going to rot, no matter how well you weather proof them.

If I won the lotto I'd probably devote a huge barn to parts cars.