sell or junk?

[matta46]

I've had my '03 SE since '04 and it now has 305,000 miles. I bought a new car in 2019 so since that time the Bonneville has been a 2nd car so I don't depend on it. The plan all along was at some point to get rid of it got worn out to a point I no longer feel like dealing with it. I might be at that point now. It needs new tires (they're 9 years old and starting to dry rot) and just developed a brake leak in the metal line going to the rear left wheel. The leak's about in the middle of the car in the section of line running across to the wheel. I figure my best bets are to either sell it to a junkyard or try to sell it as a parts car, but I've never attempted such a sale and wonder if it is worth the effort? Looking for advice from people who've done it before, and given that Bonnevilles are rare these days, wonder if there's a good market for it? The only mechanical issue with the car is the leaking line and the tires. Starts and runs well, I've been driving it regularly all along. Engine does require about 2 quarts between changes and there's noticeable rust on the underframe. It was also in an accident last year and insurance wanted to total it, but I told them not to and I fixed the damage myself with body filler and repainting. Did just an OK job as it's starting to rust through but it's just mostly cosmetic. Best offer I got from a junkyard was $570, so if I could get considerably more if I sell it myself, might be worth it. Looking at used listings I'm seeing Bonnevilles listed for over $2,000, some even with high mileage over 200,000. Any advice is appreciated. If I try to sell it privately, what's a good site, ebay, craigslist?

[95naSTA]

If it was pre-covid I would say junk it but it seems like the minimum for a running driving car is at least $1k more now than what it was.

I've had good experiences selling and buying cars/bikes on Craigslist but that may depend on the area. Offer up and FB marketplace seem to get more traffic though.

[MattStrike]

I would 100% agree, that selling is the better option right now.

Private sale, though, you might need to fix the brake line to get $2k for it. Without seeing it, no effort put into fixing it, I'd expect that a private sale would get about 2x what the junkyard would offer. I'm basing that on what I would think to see in Michigan for "rust". It's not a lot of effort, though you might have to wait a while for a buyer to be interested. Depending on traffic, I've had the best luck parking the vehicle by the road with the for sale sign, FB marketplace and Craigslist tie for second place.

[xrob]

Where are you located with the vehicle?