KUALA LUMPUR: There is money to be made from rickety vehicles that are no longer roadworthy.
Going by statistics from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, we are talking about RM9 billion worth of abandoned vehicles, which are now just literally “lying” around.
Instead of irresponsibly leaving them and drawing the wrath of others, owners could pocket good money by selling them as scrap.
The New Straits Times spoke to Jayakumar, a scrap yard owner, who said he could easily pay between RM680 and RM1,200 for a vehicle, depending on the weight.
“Instead of abandoning your end-of-life vehicles and causing problems for others, sell them to me and get some money. The owners need to present the vehicle registration card, a copy of the owner’s MyKad and the cancellation of registration certificate, which they must get from the Road Transport Department.
“We pay 90 sen per kg. So, for example, if it’s a compact car and the weight is around 760kg, they can get around RM684 and an extra RM90 if it comes with sports rims. If it’s an old continental car, the price can go up to RM1,200 because they are heavier.”
Jayakumar said most Malaysians were unaware of the value of unwanted vehicles.
“We even have to hire people to look for abandoned cars and their owners. And half the time, the owners were unaware that the cars were worth something.”
NST Actionline has received many complaints about abandoned vehicles from angry members of the public. Among the recent cases was one that had been left for more than two months in Section 8, Shah Alam, and another in Besut, Terengganu.