Why is there a bidding war over my junk 2001

You still got the catalytic converter?

 

Yep those who offer the most will only want the CAT

A guy down south was selling 4 beat up insights and the high bidder said he would only pay X if he got the cats and the owner kept the rest of the cars

If you want the car kept semi intact and driven by someone you would have to sell the cat and car separately

my guess CAT $1200
Car $250

 

That cat is currently worth alot scrap. Dont sell it for under 2k

 

I figured most people wouldn't be happy about a 50% loss...

 

Thanks for sharing. I had no idea the CAT was worth that much and will keep this in mind if I ever sell my '01.

 

Because the Gen 1 converters are selling for $1700 on ebay

2001 2002 2003 Toyota Prius Exhaust Catalytic Converter OEM | eBay

 

Does the CAT actually have $1000+ of platinum etc in it, or is it more that they are in demand to fit to the Gen1 Prius because they keep getting stolen??!

 

Been wondering the same, I have two sets I would like to cash in while the prices are around 2k! but being in Australia I'm not sure how to get best deal

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Toyota has sold out of gen1 cats and they are not produced anymore, so if your cat is stolen,
in California, your car is now essentially worthless as it can't pass smog.
I've bought two Gen1 just for the cats, but I've had THREE stolen, the last cat I have is tucked away and NOT on my car which has a straight pipe on it now.

I am working on building a Bait car to catch them. The Sac police doesn't seem to care, they don't get back to me.
An electronic alarm is easier and cheaper than the other things, which I've been working on, I want them BUSTED and not just scared off.
Problem is it takes 5min to steal them, the police can't arrive in 5 minutes.

 

Should make a bait CAT that isn’t a CAT at all, have a tracker and a dye pack to explode all over

Also if it is physically impossible to comply with a law
said law can be overturned or ignored,
Due to the common law of grandfathering you can’t interfere with a persons right to ownership , if the law is actively removing your ability to use your existing property the government needs to provide you with the means to comply,
someone really needs to push this up to the top.

As a start I would see what the process is to file an objection , the laws intent isn’t to junk clean high efficiency cars in favor of older more common cars that still have OEM parts

 

Hmm, I'm surprised to hear the cats being worth that much. I sold a couple out of my parts cars last year for about $500 each. And that was more than the online rip-offs wanted to give. I'm thinking anyone paying more than that wants them to reuse in a Prius and not to resell for the metals. I only got another couple of hundred for the rest of the car, complete except for the front clip. Still doesn't get to $950.

Sounds like a good racket - steal the cat and then sell it back to them. When it's pay up or throw the car away, they don't have a choice.

 

stick a tracking device in the cat/actuator in the bait car. wait til they go back to hq, call the caps w/ the location. bust them with the entire stash.

 

In most jurisdictions, I would imagine this is a low-level misdemeanor theft. Petty theft, auto burglary.

Personally, I'd like to let our hog dogs pin them down. Set up that bait car somewhere, and sit in truck around the corner with some of the boys and the dogs icing up the beer for the after party. Boobytrap with a bag of pig blood and a motion detector to tell you the scum have arrived, then let the dogs out. At night, in the woods, it's like Blair Witch Project with that hog screaming in the darkness and everyone running with flashlights. Streetlights probably work in the city, but the scum would sound the same. You can take your time getting there, and beating on them. The dogs won't let them go anywhere. If you time it right, they'd still be under the car, legs sticking out. Not much for the dog to hold to, fortunately.

 

The cat is a steel enclosure, it is VERY hard to get any RF signal out of them, and no way at all to get a GPS signal IN.
My latest idea was to use a high-power FM transmitter which would be illegal and interfer with a radio station,
but with just a FM radio you could track it down.

But another plan is to build a smoke machine that heats up and starts generating tons of smoke from the cat,
which should panic them and either they have to leave the car its in and a smoke signal for the police to find.
It would be too hot to touch. Probably over the top and prone to failure, but fun to think about.
Still haven't had time to finish being consumed with other projects right now.

 

perhaps you could put it near the flange or replace where the o2 sensor is and use the wiring to "get out"

 

motion-activated knock-out gas. Every time they come to, it hits them again. You'll find them there in the morning, evidence in their hands. Just yank the gas can right before the police get there. Another dang druggie.