Mar 31st 2025
Where to find a project car in 2025
15 years ago you could hit up Craigslist for some pretty crazy deals. Think of a bone stock Integra, non-running, that just needs a fuel pump and a good detail. These days it’s hard to find these deals, that’s why we’re going over some alternative places to source your next project car.
Quick links
Everyone knows the cesspit that is Facebook Marketplace. The place where you have to deal with sh*t-posters, scammers, and unmotivated sellers. As a seller, you’ll find low-ballers, tire-kickers, and flakes. Sure, Craigslist had these too, but at least buyers had to construct a coherent message instead of slapping the infamous ‘Is this still available?’ button.
The other problem is that so-called ‘project cars’ aren’t the same these days. ‘Shells’ aren't cars that simply need an engine and transmission, instead, they need a drivetrain, interior panels, a diff, brakes, random suspension parts… Oh, and the cherry on top: ‘It doesn’t come with the wheels, so bring your own’. Check out ‘shells’ on Marketplace if you don’t believe us—most are absolutely lobotomized.
To be fair, you should still check Marketplace. It’s the most active, so the law of probabilities says that you’ll have the best chance of finding your project car here. But if you look and you’re still having trouble finding a deal, luckily there are other options.
So, where can you find a good deal on a project car in 2025? We’re going to discuss some of our favorites in the rest of this article—pros, cons, and if any are right for you. Some sources have tons have cars, basically any model, trim, and color you desire, while others are more about seizing an opportunity if it pops up.
Disclaimer: Buying any used car, regardless of the source, comes with risk. We’re not responsible if you buy an absolute lemon.
Some of the methods here are high risk, high reward. It’s up to you to inspect the car beforehand. If you don’t have the know-how, that’s not our fault.
Consider this purely educational content.
Auctions
There are tons of auction platforms, we are going to talk about a few, some are well-known, others not so much.
Some sage advice that applies to all auctions: come up with a max bid beforehand and don’t go a penny over. Auctions are rigged to turn into a certain type of measuring contest. Egos get the best of people in these environments, it happens whether bidding is online or in-person.
Insurance auto auctions
If you’ve heard of any auto auctions, this would probably be the type. IAAI and Copart are the big names. But can you get a deal from these places? Yes, but only on certain things.
The appeal of these platforms is the selection of cars. They’re giant conglomerates that have branches all over the country, and more recently, even abroad. You can find pretty much anything you want, that is, if you’re willing to pay for shipping. You can find everything from exotics to minivans. Looking for a ‘90s Bentley? No problem.
These are known as salvage auctions. Most of the cars have body damage, but if this isn’t your thing there’s still a decent selection with mechanical, theft, vandalism, and flood damage. Cars end up here because they’ve been written off by insurance companies. This means that they’ll come with a rebuilt title. If you’re the end user it’s not a huge issue; you know the damage, you fix it, and enjoy the car. If you plan to sell your car down the road, however, rebuilt title cars are going to command significantly less.
240sx with minimal front-end damage
6-speed M3 with undercarriage damage
If you want to build a dedicated track car, don't sleep on water/flood damaged stuff. These can be excellent starters to a build given you’re going to strip all the affected parts anyway. You can get a straight shell and save a few thousand in the process. This is how some Formula Drift teams source their shells.
56K for a flooded Supra! Just because it’s water damaged doesn’t mean it’s automatically a deal
One downside is the fees. First, you have to buy a membership. Then, if you buy a car you have to pay a % based on the final price, then an online bidding fee, handling fee, ‘environmental charge’... For a cheap $1000-2000 car, you could pay more than 50% on top before you even get it home.
The convenience of an online auction is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you can find just about anything, on the other, so can everyone else. The competition is stiff. It’s not every day that a deal will ‘slip through the cracks’. The next type of auction is the complete opposite of this.
Towyard auctions
Also sometimes called ‘abandoned vehicle auctions’ or ‘police impound auctions’. Towyard auctions are where cars end up that have been impounded and no one bails them out. After some time, the tow company auctions them off to recoup their expenses.
These are the polar opposite of insurance auctions—there like the Wild West. The cars are not professionally inspected, it’s up to you to do that. Most are in-person only, so you have to put in some leg work. You have to check the list of various auctions, show up at the designated time, put in a refundable deposit, do the bidding, and then, if you win, it's your job to pay and get the car out by dawn.
In rare cases, you might find something like this Maserati Quattroporte S2
The major downside is the lack of selection. If you live out in the sticks, your local tow yard might have a few cars to browse every few weeks. If you live in a big metro area, each location might have 15-30 cars every week. Even then, a lot of it will be pure garbage, in other words, not worth saving. After all, there’s normally a reason a car has been abandoned.
Check out our Fitment Guides so you don't do this to your car
That said, once and a while some gems roll through, and when this happens, they often go for stupid cheap prices. Because this type of auction is localized, the turnout is going to be much smaller, maybe one or two dozen people. It’s possible that there could be a 2nd Gen 4Runner and you’re the only one who bids on it.
Low mileage 5-speed Z32 - sold for 1K
Again, inspecting the vehicle is up to you. If there’s zero oil on the dipstick, or it looks like glitter, there’s probably a reason for that.
This type of auction has low fees, if any. However, one thing to note: 95% of the cars don’t come with keys, so unless you're buying a car for parts, you’ll have to factor in the cost to make new ones.
A lot of the stuff at these auctions is ... nothing special. But if you keep looking you'll find something
Other auctions - honorable mentions
There are tons of auction platforms. Here are a few more that might be worth looking into, although it really depends on what you’re looking for.
Non-auto-specific auctions
You probably won't find a truck at these, but they can be a great place to find a truck or other fleet-type vehicles.
There are a few types here, we're lumping them together:
- Government surplus auctions
- Machinery & equipment auctions
- Consignment auctions
Government surplus auctions sell all kinds of stuff, including pickups, and you can find a few hundred on the list at any given time.
Machinery and equipment auctions. There are nationwide, online auctions where you could source a fleet vehicle. If you Google you’ll also find local equipment auctions. Between the two, the local ones would be our choice as they have less competition.
Bring-A-Trailer 'projects'
Most of the cars on BAT are completely restored or meticulously maintained and it’s reflected in the price. But BAT also has a ‘projects’ section populated by around 20 vehicles at any given time.
E34 manual - That's a lotta car for only 6K
The prices are still high, but if you’re looking for something that can’t be found on any other platform, it could be the ticket.
Classifieds (the ones you forgot about)
There’s always going to be a group of sellers who are either stuck in the past or simply despise Marketplace. If you’re just getting in the game or a seasoned veteran, you probably know of these archaic sites. It’s probably not worth listing your own stuff on these, but if you’re hunting for a deal, leave no stone unturned.
Craigslist
As soon as they started charging to list cars, Craigslist quickly went the way of the dinosaur. But, believe it or not, there are still some people that are listing stuff on there. No, we are not talking about used car dealers, which is probably the first thing you’ll see.
These days private party sellers have switched from the ‘cars & trucks’ section, to just about everywhere else.
To use CL in 2025, you want to be searching the entire ‘for sale’ category, or if you wanna narrow it down, try the ‘auto parts’ section (yes, you’ll find whole cars here). There isn’t a ton of selection and you might have to deal with some boomer who ‘doesn’t do texting’, but it's worth a shout if you’re struggling to find a deal.
Offerup
This site is quickly following Craigslist—if CL is dead, Offerup is on life support. The reason is the developers decided to absolutely flood it with ads. For every few listings you click on, you have to endure an unskippable video ad. Luckily, there’s a way to make it bearable.
If you wanna browse Offerup, don’t use the app, instead do it on a desktop or the browser version on your phone.
The annoying thing with this platform is that you can’t filter cars by private party or dealer. Still, like CL, it’s worth a look.
Wrap up
So, we gave you some methods of finding a project car that doesn’t involve going around knocking on doors. While you’re not guaranteed to find exactly what you’re looking for, at least you’ll have more avenues to search. Even if the perfect car comes up, it’s not a given it will go for less than you could find on Marketplace.
And remember, for auctions, set your max bid and stick with it!