If you own a Buick Century, you are driving a legend. Its first generation was made almost a century ago (what a coincidence with the name of the model!) but you still can see some last-gen models on the road. The latest generation of the Century was made between 1997 and 2005 and we'll be mainly talking about those cars. But some things will still be true for older generations of the Buick.
Today, we'll tell you how much you can get for a scrap catalytic converter that you can take off the Buick Century. And how you can sell it to get more money. It's not that hard to sell your cat. All you need to do is to read this article and make your own conclusions.
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So, let's get started!
What do you need to know about the Buick Century cat converter?
This car used L4 and V6 engines. It means that the set of converters will not be the same for all vehicles. In most models, though, you will find only one catalytic converter - the main one. It's located under the vehicle, right before the muffler. It actually looks like a muffler resembling a bread loaf.
Some latest Buick Century models also had pre-cats to improve their emission control system. Those pre-cats are placed near exhaust manifolds and they aren't really valuable because of the small weight of precious metals inside.
Here are some key points:
- all Buick Century models of the latest generations have converters in their exhaust systems;
- these initially were GM OEM converters which are pretty valuable when sold as scrap;
- the majority of still-alive Buick Century cars have had their cat converters replaced;
- the average lifespan of the cat in a Buick Century is about 12 years or 180,000 miles;
- each main converter should have the serial number on it to help you easily identify the cat;
- an aftermarket converter will never be as valuable as the OEM one.
So, if your Buick Century now has an aftermarket converter in the system, you should give up reading the article and just sell the cat for some money to the nearest scrapyard. If you still have the OEM cat in the vehicle, you are lucky and should read further to know how to sell it.
How much should an OEM cat cost in a Buick Century?
So, the average price for the OEM cat in your Buick Century should be $120 to $190 depending on its year, model, condition, and some other factors. Also, market factors will influence the optimal price. For example, the sharply falling rhodium price will affect the price offers you can get for your catalytic converter from the Buick Century.
If you want to know more, you should find the serial number on your catalytic converter. This will help you identify the converter type or just give the serial number to a specialist who will give you all the needed information about the unit.
How to sell the Buick Century catalytic converter?
Now, it's very important to find the appropriate buyer for your converter. All our efforts to write this article will be worthless if you just go to a local scrapyard and sell the converter for $20. The best solution for you is to investigate what different buyers offer and choose the best option.
Unfortunately, most of the buyers are just middlemen and resellers. They want to buy your catalytic converter cheaper and then sell it at a higher price to make some profit. Want to avoid this? Just sell your converter directly to one of the recycling companies.
Here's how you can do this with your Buick Century converter:
- take the old cat off the vehicle and clean it to find the serial number;
- take pictures of the cat and show its condition in the photos;
- find a couple of websites that represent recycling companies online;
- send those pictures to the recycling companies you've found;
- wait until all of them send their offers to you and see if the offers are good;
- just choose the best buyer and sell your converter easily.
This will help you sell the catalytic converter for a couple of hours. Usually, recycling companies are the ones that offer you more money for old cats. But you can also check the offered prices from scrapyards, private buyers, on eBay, in exhaust shops, etc.
Final words
Now you know how to sell the old malfunctioning cat from your Buick Century. If you still hesitate, just follow the steps we've outlined above and you will know exactly how much you can get for the old cat that you have in your possession. In most cases, this will give you enough information to make your decision based on the data.
About the authors
The CarAraC research team is composed of seasoned auto mechanics and automotive industry professionals, including individuals with advanced degrees and certifications in their field. Our team members boast prestigious credentials, reflecting their extensive knowledge and skills. These qualifications include: IMI: Institute of the Motor Industry, ASE-Certified Master Automobile Technicians; Coventry University, Graduate of MA in Automotive Journalism; Politecnico di Torino, Italy, MS Automotive Engineering; Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Mechanical University in Skopje; TOC Automotive College; DHA Suffa University, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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