If you ever wondered where totaled cars go to die, you need only visit a salvage yard to find out. These are the cars that are so far beyond saving that insurance companies would rather pay out on a policy than shell out the dough to fix them. Some are just too old and damaged to be worth ongoing repairs.

Regardless of why these automobiles end up in salvage yards, they’re good news for mechanics or DIY gear heads in need of parts. Salvage yards are an ideal place to find parts both common and rare, especially if you don’t want to shell out major money for brand new parts to repair, upgrade, or restore a vehicle.

What kinds of parts can you expect to find at salvage yards that offer cash for cars? It may depend on the type of salvage yard and how they operate, but here are a few items that might be on your radar and how you can go about finding them.

Generic Parts

Certain types of parts are going to be relatively easy to find regardless of the salvage yard you visit. For example, if you’re a big fan of Mopar, you shouldn’t have much trouble finding what you want in a salvage yard because there are so many interchangeable and aftermarket parts for this niche.

Rare Parts

Some parts are always going to be more difficult to find than others, and there are a couple of reasons why. First, the car you’re repairing or restoring might be gaining popularity, in which case a lot of people are after the same parts as you. Or the car you’re tinkering with might be old or rare, making it harder to find viable replacement parts, or any parts at all.

Still, there are ways to find what you’re looking for. These days, many salvage yards are moving away from the in-person, pick and pull mentality and starting to inventory cars and parts in their yard online to increase patronage. This is a mutually beneficial situation that puts customers into contact with dealers and parts outside of their region.

If you’re looking for specific or rare parts and your local salvage yards simply can’t deliver, shopping online through virtual salvage yard inventories could deliver the hard-to-find parts you’re after.

Parts Cars

In addition to parts galore, salvage yards often have entire cars that you can purchase and mine for parts, assuming they haven’t already been picked over.