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Iraq
Chop Shop, Iraqi style
2008-05-29
It seems that after five years, car bombs in Baghdad have become an opportunity for scavengers.

On Monday, I saw five men gathered around the remnants of charred car that exploded over the weekend in western Baghdad's Qadisiya district.

The attack had targeted the governor of Hilla, who escaped. But the scavengers didn't seem to care Monday about whether anyone had lived or died.

They had gotten down to work with their wrenches and screwdrivers. They tore the car apart and distributed its pieces among themselves.

Their main argument was over who would get to keep the engine. After a few minutes, the dispute was solved when a man bought the engine from the others.

He loaded the charred engine into the trunk of his old Volkswagen and drove off happily.

He left the chassis of the car for the others
Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC

#7  Each year, hundreds if not thousands of old cars, vans, and pickups make the yearly migration down I-5 in Oregon heading for the Elephant's Graveyard of Mexico. As a matter of fact, I know someone who buys junkers from auto scrap yards, pulls a few parts, does a minor rebuild to get the clunker running, and then does a private sale to illegals heading back down to Mexico. He is doing a bang-up business right now since the slowdown in construction has a bunch of the illegals heading home; the vehicles are concrete forms of equity that are not as easily to take away as paper money, and there are not the hassles of the corrupt officials involved in wire money transfers once the money gets to Mexico. Lots of petty officials do "unofficial tariffs" on families getting wire transfers in Mexico.
Posted by: Shieldwolf   2008-05-29 20:16  

#6  We've noticed several trucks (Pickups) on the interstate (10) near Mobile, each hauling either another car, or pickup, usualy four sets together.

I finaly got to meet these folks at a rest stop, they're Mexicans who buy cars at auction, take them back to Mexico for resale, and quite nice folks. they're legit, papers and bills of sale and all, been doing it for years now.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2008-05-29 16:29  

#5  ouch, when my son was in Coronado years ago, I needed an extra day to get the papers right to bring it onto base, I brought the bike out to him, but not the proper paper work, my bad, so it was parked in a parking lot. It never had a chance, it was stolen that night. I was told it was probably taken into Mexico not being that far.

we've all heard the story of they guy on the side of the road fixing a flat tire and another guy stops and is opening the hood. He tells him go ahead and take the tires, I just want the battery.

I bought a locking gas cap today, sigh.
Posted by: Jan   2008-05-29 15:51  

#4  Yup, seen them in Texas as well. Plus all those convoys of used cars towing a second one behind them headed south.
Posted by: Steve   2008-05-29 15:06  

#3  We should export our junkyards.

Hmmm...we do. Seen many a truck or cabled towed thing-a-ma-bob with all sorts of junk yard vehicles/parts tooling south out of Albuquerque on I-25 with Chihuahua plates on the driver's vehicle. Just give them clear berth like the semi's hauling rocks without cover.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2008-05-29 12:37  

#2  We should export our junkyards.
Posted by: wxjames   2008-05-29 12:17  

#1  Recycle!
Posted by: Thusoper Tojo5736   2008-05-29 11:41  

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