Why You Should Opt In For Cash For Junk Cars: Denver Edition!

After finally making the last payment for your car loan, you swore to yourself that you would never buy another until you run this one into the ground. Life without that monthly car payment is bliss, and you’re in no hurry to go back.

Unfortunately, that promise was made fifteen years ago. Now, your car’s back left window motor is blown, the electrical socket in the car hasn’t worked in half a decade, and your entire car shakes like a leaf while idling.

It’s safe to say that your car already has at least one foot (wheel?) in the grave – but even that may not be enough to convince you to sell it quite yet. Thinking of getting another car loan still gives you shivers at night, even after all these years.

While we sympathize with the sentiment, in reality, you’re probably either not saving much or losing money every month by sticking with the old junker. A car is a complicated machine made up of hundreds or thousands of individual components that degrade over time, which leads to a lot of reduced efficiency and expensive repairs.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common problems you’re likely to encounter with a car that’s managed to live past its useful life expectancy.

1. Reduced MPG

A car’s MPG rating is determined by a variety of factors – aerodynamics, weight, acceleration, and individual technologies contained in and around the engine. While the structural aspects of the car are unlikely to change with age unless modified, the components that help keep the engine running efficiently are a common culprit for reduced MPGs as the car ages.

These components range from simple and easy to fix to integral to the engine and difficult for a layman to replace. Simple fixes include replacing your air filters and ensuring your tires are kept to the manufacturer’s recommended PSI.

More complex fixes include removing and replacing your engine’s oxygen and coolant temperature sensors, both of which are significant causes of MPG degradation in aged cars. A bad oxygen sensor will send false signals to the fuel pump to add extraneous fuel into the engine that will just be wasted. Similarly, busted coolant sensors signal that the engine’s temperature is far cooler than it actually is, causing the fuel pump to work overtime to compensate for the colder temperatures.

2. Cascading Failures

Ever fix your car, just for a new part to break down the very next day? You’re not alone, and there’s a reason for that.

Many automotive hobbyists share a conspiracy theory that car manufacturers design their vehicles with an obsolescence scheme in mind – one major part whose failure causes a cascade of related failures. A faulty intake plenum, for example, that blows your head gasket, which in turn causes a flood of issues with the engine that totals the car.

Each car is a series of interconnected systems, many of which have a lynchpin component that, once damaged or destroyed, causes everything else in the system to deteriorate rapidly. As you spend the money to fix the initial problem, as the weeks go on, you’ll notice another related issue pop up and another after that.

3. Smog Test Troubles

Emissions tests emerged from the bad old days of Los Angeles in the 1970’s, when the air was so polluted it knocked birds out of the sky, and they’re required for vehicle registrations in 33 out of 50 states. Most people think about them once every few years when they’re required, which makes it easy to forget about when refusing to turn in their old beater.

The most likely culprits for your failed emissions test are a faulty EVAP (evaporated emission control system) or a degraded catalytic converter. Catalytic converters are known to be one of the costliest single components in the car, so you’d be better off selling the car by the time the cat’s days are numbered.

Other possible suspects for your failed emissions test are our old friends, the oxygen sensor and fuel pump, which work together to create an overly rich fuel mixture that shows up in a test and causes the car to fail. Depending on the part that is causing the problem, getting the necessary repairs can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars – a nasty bill for a geriatric car.

4. Frozen Suspension

Your car used to take speed bumps and dips in the road like a champ, but lately, you’ve noticed that you nearly bounce out of your seat every time you slowly roll through the parking lot at your local supermarket. The road is harsh even on specially engineered parts meant to come in contact with it, and one of the primary victims of this contact is the car’s suspension.

During its long hours on the streets, the car rolls over and dips into a variety of obstacles and obstructions, the impacts of which are absorbed by the suspension. Over time, that suspension gets compressed, which means you start feeling the full brunt of every impact.

While this at first seems relatively minor, keep in mind that a lack of impact absorption can be dangerous, especially if the vehicle runs into an unseen obstacle in the road. Here in New York, potholes are everywhere, and if you hit them at speed it can be painful even with fully functioning suspension. It can also cause damage to other components in the car as each jarring bump causes unforeseen stressors throughout the vehicle.

5. Power Problems

Most people are familiar with a dead or dying battery, but it’s only one part of the car’s electrical system. Modern cars are filled to the brim with electronics, from stereos to lights to seat warmers, and each component is a potential point of failure.

Just like any other part, electronics degrade over time. This includes the wiring that runs through the entirety of the body – corroded wires cause shorts, blown circuit breakers, and even electrical fires if the casing is damaged.

The problem with this is finding the damaged wire – you’re either going to have to rip the car’s interior apart looking for the issue or use specialized tools. That means a lot of labor costs – aka, another heavy sigh before taking out your wallet.

At some point, we all have to come to grips with the fact that death is just a part of life, and say goodbye to old friends. Give your car a viking funeral, sending it off aboard a pontoon before setting it alight from afar.

No, wait a minute – that’s probably illegal. Instead, sell it to us here at Peddle. We offer cash for junk cars in Denver, Seattle, New York, and (almost) everywhere in between. We’ll even pick up your junker for free if you can’t move it yourself – and you’ll get the check right there on the spot. Get your quote today in just minutes!