Image: iStockphoto.com/Tomasz Pietryszek
About This Quiz
If you're in the auto resale or repair business or have scoured shops for project car parts, you probably already know that the junkyard of the 21st century can be a wired, high-tech and global operation. If it's been awhile, if ever, since you've roamed through aisles and piles of castoff cars and parts, maybe you'll find a surprise or two when you test your knowledge of salvage, wreckage and junk, online and in person.
What does NMVTIS stand for?
National Master VIN Tracking Information Service
National Motor Vehicle Title Information System
The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) is a U.S. government program from the Office of Justice that helps track vehicle sales and histories. Auto salvage dealers and consumers benefit from the protections of NMVTIS because it helps prevent theft and sales of defective vehicles.
Nonworking Motorized Vehicle Trade-In Salvage
Advertisement
Auto salvage and recycling companies need to detail their inventory to the U.S. government how often?
twice yearly
monthly
Junkyards and similar businesses should provide information on all the inventory they receive each month, including who they purchased vehicles from and what the intended use was (crushing, reselling, etc.).
It's voluntary, so they can report as desired.
Advertisement
Can you start a junkyard in your large backyard?
Yes, if you own the property.
No, it can't be in a residential neighborhood.
Maybe.
Some areas have zoning laws against having a junkyard in a residential area, but it varies by location so you should check with local authorities -- and probably with your neighbors, too.
Advertisement
What happened to cars traded in with the "cash for clunkers" program in the United States?
They were auctioned to used car dealers.
They were updated and re-sold at very low prices.
They were junked.
One of the goals of the clunkers program, officially called the Car Allowance Rebate System, was to put more efficient cars on America's roadways. Vehicles with fuel use of 18 miles per gallon or less were turned in for scrap, with the consumer getting cash to put toward another car with better fuel efficiency, as well as cash from the scrapped car.
Advertisement
Does a junkyard owner have to run a history on a car before buying it?
Yes
No
Running a history check is optional, although it is offered as a service of the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS).
Advertisement
Who was "meaner than a junkyard dog?"
Jeremiah the Bulldog
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
Jeremiah was actually a bullfrog (not very scary), and Fred Sanford, though intimidating, was a junkyard owner. Bad, bad Leroy Brown was meaner than a junkyard dog.
Fred Sanford
Advertisement
About how long does it take to crush a car?
45 seconds
It can take as little as 45 seconds to crush an automobile, and some crushers can handle four or five cars at a time.
3 minutes
7 minutes
Advertisement
What might you have to do before driving off in a salvaged school bus?
Paint it.
While all three would be good, many states insist that school buses converted for personal use NOT be yellow. They need to be painted over.
Make it faster.
Weatherproof it.
Advertisement
What cartoon had an animated band that played in a Pennsylvania junkyard?
Hey Arnold!
Get Along Gang
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
The Fat Albert cartoon featured low-income, multi-racial kids who played makeshift, salvaged instruments in a junkyard.
Advertisement
What is the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?
a barge for disposing of scrapped car metal
a floating landfill
The Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is the largest landfill in the world -- and yes, it's floating in the North Pacific. It's made up of 90 percent plastic, so it probably doesn't have steel car scrap.
a manmade barrier reef of old autos
Advertisement
What is an "instant title?"
a false car title
an inexpensive temporary title
an expedited title
Getting a car title as quickly as the same day is possible if you pay an extra fee at the DMV for an instant or fast title. These can be standard for those looking to buy and resell with a quick turnaround.
Advertisement
Where was the salvage shop of "Sanford and Son?"
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Fred and Lamont Sanford bought and sold junk in the gritty Watts section of L.A.
Gary, Ind.
Advertisement
What happens to junkyard cars before they get crushed?
Certain saleable parts are stripped for resale.
They are crushed whole, as is, parts and all.
both
Speed and cost factor in to whether a car gets crushed as is or is stripped of glass, tires, interior, etc., before it's crushed.
Advertisement
What is a good source for finding used car values, even for non-working vehicles?
Kasey Green Book
Kelley Blue Book
The Kelley Blue Book (KBB) was first published in 1918 and continues to be the go-to source for determining car and truck values.
Keller Allstate Book
Advertisement
Which of these is a common rule at salvage yards?
no tools allowed
no open-toed shoes
While it's a good idea to watch children closely, they are welcome in many salvage yards, as are the tools needed to remove parts for purchase. Wearing flip-flops around metal scraps and jagged glass pieces, is often prohibited.
no children
Advertisement
Where is the "highest junkyard in the world?"
Colorado
Nepal
Though not really a true junkyard, the World Heritage Fund reports that the base camp of Mt. Everest in Nepal has been nicknamed the "highest junkyard in the world" because of all of the medical waste and trash that's left behind by climbers and tourists.
Bolivia
Advertisement
What papers do you need in order to sell a car to a junkyard?
title and registration
proof of ownership
Proof of ownership is needed, though the "proof" part can be pretty fluid depending on the buyer and/or location. A deed of sale or signed receipt can be enough.
both
Advertisement
What is the so-called "outer space junkyard?"
It's an orbiting ring of junk in outer space.
It's a fictitious place from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
both
There is a real ring of space junk circling the Earth, and it's made up of satellites and discarded parts of space exploration vehicles. There also was a fictitious outer space salvage yard in an episode of the Star Trek spinoff.
Advertisement
What's the difference between a "wrecking" yard and a "salvage" yard?
A wrecking yard is just for crushing vehicles.
A salvage yard is for reselling, or salvaging, wrecked automobiles.
no difference
Same junk, different names.
Advertisement
How has New York City disposed of some of its out-of-service subway cars?
Dumped them off the Jersey Coast
They dumped them into the Atlantic off of New Jersey in order to create manmade reefs and keep sea life in the area waters. This ecological reuse was stopped in 2009 after the subway cars were found to be coming apart underwater.
Assembled them into public housing
neither
Advertisement
You Got:
/20
iStockphoto.com/Tomasz Pietryszek
Image: iStockphoto.com/Tomasz Pietryszek
About This Quiz
If you're in the auto resale or repair business or have scoured shops for project car parts, you probably already know that the junkyard of the 21st century can be a wired, high-tech and global operation. If it's been awhile, if ever, since you've roamed through aisles and piles of castoff cars and parts, maybe you'll find a surprise or two when you test your knowledge of salvage, wreckage and junk, online and in person.
