About a month later our partnership dissolved, he bought me out, and I went on my way, leaving him with this so-called operation. I ran into him a year later in Mississippi and he was driving a, you know what, U-Haul. He told me that he sold the two joints we had accumulated and bought a small concession trailer joint. Then had rented the U-Haul, the previous August, to pull the trailer for the rest of the season. He then left the trailer in storage in Slidell, Louisiana in November. He asked me if I wanted to partner up again, and if so, we could put our money together, to get the trailer out of storage. I was in because I had nothing better to do.
Every state and town has at least a salvage yard where useful parts of dilapidated vehicles are salvaged for re-use. Most of the parts would be non-functional. But even the most dilapidated vehicles have a usable part either on the inside or on the outside.
The junkyard - You can save a mint by visiting your local salvage yard for a "new" bumper or a replacement radiator. True, you could buy these items new but you'll pay a bundle for each part. The more common your model, the more likely your junkyard has what you want. U-Pull-and-Pay and Pull A Part Join Forces of all, many modern day yards computer inventory all of their salvaged vehicles so a simple call to the yard can reveal whether that model is there or not.
Horizontal sliding windows are the biggest air infiltration culprit because the operable sash is simply sitting in the frame. While many modern sliders have weather strip and gaskets to try and reduce air infiltration, the windows are still more prone to movement in the wind.
pull a part canton We then went to the bus station to buy some tickets to North Carolina. In the same parking lot was some Hertz trucks. We went inside and bought tickets and had about an hour wait for the bus. I needed cigarettes and asked if he or his girlfriend needed anything from the store, they said no. The lady sales clerk did and wasn't afraid to ask me to pick up some cigarettes for her. I went and picked up everything and on the way back I notice my friend and his girl walking to towards the Hertz trucks. I knew right away.
Pull-A-Part What cannot be used, like aluminum, is compressed and sold when the prices is right. Hubcaps are sold for very little and the same goes for batteries.
Decide what you want to spend for the part before you go. This can keep you from overspending on your budget. Sometimes these junkyards have staff who will pull the part or get it off a shelf. If you know what you want to spend it will help you determine if you want it from this place at all. Also, find out what they will charge you for it if you find it and pull it yourself. You don't want to go through the hassle only to leave it behind because their prices are out of reach.
Also, despite the accepted wisdom of owning a home, buying a home is not necessarily an investment. It is a huge liability, according Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series of investment books.
When rehabbing, of course, keep all your receipts for tax and file purposes. For the big stuff, take back what you don't need and get a store credit or get your cash back when you're done. But keep the little stuff. You're bound to have tons of miscellaneous leftovers like nails, screws, bags of sand, concrete mix, tubes of spackling, a pallet or two of roofing shingles, tile pieces, felt, sheetrock, mud, tape, etc. Just find a nifty corner in your garage or basement for this stuff. If you're in this business for the long haul, you'll use it again.