When you first buy your car (especially if you buy it brand new from a car dealership), you were probably head over heels in love with it. And like all lovers, you probably tended your car with all the love and attention your wife would have wanted but that you couldn't give her (because she's not a car, to put it simply.) But all cars, regardless of how much love and attention we put into them, will inevitably wear down, decay, and get to the point that the most merciful thing you can do with your beloved car is to either donate it to a car museum or sell it for scrap. So when should you scrap your car and how do you go about it?

One common reason even the best cars go for scrap is that the current owner just cannot cope with the cost of maintaining the car anymore. The older your car gets, the harder it becomes to find spare parts for it, to keep the car in good working condition, to find mechanics who know how to treat the peculiar problems that old cars get, and even to find appropriate storage facilities for your aging car. All these problems will cost you money (like when you need to rent storage space to park your car in) – and of course, you too aren't getting any younger so there might come a point when you have to choose between financing your own needs and that of your car, you opt to scrap your car instead.

If you do opt to scrap your car, you are actually doing not just yourself a favor, but you might also be serving the community. To scrap your car, you should take into consideration just how much your car is worth to other people. Like, is your car a vintage motor vehicle? If so, there might be considerable demand for the different car parts that will be produced when you do scrap your car. One collector might pay a hefty price just for your steering wheel, another might like your hubcaps, and yet another might give you a pretty penny for the body of your aging car (well, she was always a beauty anyway.) At times like these, you may feel that taking care of your car all these years the way you did is certainly paying off for you.

Some of you might get emotional when it is time to scrap your car, because you may feel a special bond to this motor vehicle which has served you for so long, so faithfully. Some people even have special nicknames for their cars. So you might want to get someone else to scrap your car for you if you feel such a strong bond to your vehicle. There are companies that specialize in the scrap-your-car business – some of these simply dump the car in a car compacting machine. If that is not the untimely end you want for your car, be sure you know what type of company in the scrap-your-car business you are trying to contact. You probably want a scrap-your-car company that will take apart your car carefully so that any valuable parts worth selling will retain their market value.

Nowadays, it is no longer a matter of just deciding on your own to scrap your car – government has also made specific rules for the public to follow regarding how to scrap your car, and when. Be sure to learn what these rules are and any benefits that come with following the regulations (like possible tax breaks for you.)