Buick LeSabre Catalytic Converter Scrap Price – We Know The Average

Buick LeSabre is a legendary vehicle that was produced from 1959. The latest generation was made by GM between 2000 and 2005. Unfortunately, the company decided not to continue this vehicle, but it's still a very important part of the American automotive industry. A lot of us remember that big and comfortable car that wasn't bad at all compared to many of its counterparts.

Today, we'll be speaking about the catalytic converter from a Buick LeSabre. A lot of these vehicles are now old and their cats fail, so how much can you get for one? It's not a simple question, so we decided to focus our attention on the Buick LeSabre catalytic converter and its scrap price.

We'll be talking about the following:

1. Buick LeSabre catalytic converter - type and location.
2. Why are Buick LeSabre catalytic converters so valuable?
3. Ways to sell your old Buick catalytic converter.
4. Why do prices for Buick cat converters vary?

Let's get started!

Where are the Buick LeSabre converters placed?

We are basically talking about the seventh and eighth generations of the LeSabre because the older Buicks are already resting in scrapyards. Some of them have already become rare cars for collections, but those usually have not cats because the technology wasn't there where they were made.

So, the LeSabre will usually have one cat converter placed right under the vehicle before the muffler The converter is big enough, so you will easily notice it. These cats are heavy and hot, they are usually wrapped in a heat screen.

Here are some signs you have an original Buick cat:

• it's quite big and heavy, it doesn't rattle when you shake it;
• the catalytic converter may be rusty, but not totally rusty;
• you can find a serial number on the catalytic converter body;
• the cat converter has the Buick (or Chevy) logo on the body;
• the cat converter isn't welded into the system, it's an integrated part of the exhaust system;
• inside the cat, you can see a ceramic honeycomb.

These are the signs that you are holding an original catalytic converter in your hands. Unfortunately, not all Buick LeSabre vehicles will have original cats now. The last LeSabre was made in 2005, that's almost 20 years ago. So, most likely, the original cat was already replaced at some stage of the life of this vehicle.

But if the cat converter was replaced with another original cat, you can still sell it at a good price. The thing is that aftermarket cat converters are never sold at a really good price. They are usually sold for about $10 or something like that and they are not bought by many recycling companies because the shipping costs are greater than the scrap value of the cat.

How much should a Buick LeSabre converter cost?

So, once again, we are talking about original Buick converters that have serial numbers and logos on their bodies. These cats will cost some money because they contain a certain amount of platinum, palladium, and also rhodium. It's not a lot, just some grams of each metal. But given these metals cost $35 to $600 per one gram, you can still get good money.

Well, it's not about hundreds of dollars and we'll explain to you why. The optimal price of the Buick LeSabre catalytic converter (scrap) is thought to be around $120-$140. Some companies will only offer $90. The reason is that the cats are quite old and they may have been destroyed during their life.

Also, selling a Buick cat converter at this price is not easy. You will need to find a company that is ready to buy your old cat for this money. It's not about the most obvious ways to sell your catalytic converter. Let's talk about this.

How to sell your LeSabre converter?

If you are sure that the cat converter is original, you may start searching for some way to sell your cat converter at a better price.

You may find different ways to sell the converter. For example, you may decide to sell the part through eBay or any other service that allows you to advertise old parts for sale. Some forums also have this option. You can get up to $150 this way, but you can spend months and even years on selling the cat converter which is really bad.

Also, you have some other options you may use for selling your LeSabre original cat converter:

1. Your mechanic may buy the converter, but usually, this method is bad in terms of the prices. You can only get $20-$50 depending on the model of the converter.
2. You can try scrapyards in your area. Actually, this is a fast and convenient method, but again, the prices won't be very good. In most cases, you will get around $50 or even less.
3. The next method is going to middlemen. These people can buy out cat converters and they give better prices. But the Buick LeSabre converter is not expensive at all, so they will probably offer about $60.
4. The last option is to sell your LeSabre cat converter to a recycling company. Choose a company that is specialized in cat converters and knows for sure the optimal price for your cat.

Recycling companies will offer about $120. But the price may differ. In the next parts of our article, we'll see why the prices can vary.

You can clearly see that the Buick LeSabre cat converter is not extremely expensive, but it can actually earn some money for you. Instead of just putting the old rusty piece of metal on one of the shelves in your garage, you can get some money.

How to sell a Buick cat converter to a recycling company?

Unfortunately, most car owners in the US still think that the only way to sell a scrap cat is to go to a scrapyard and agree with any price they offer. But you should try and sell the converter to a recycling company. It's not hard to do, you can just spend some minutes and get a chance for a better price.

Here's what you will need to do to sell a LeSabre cat converter to a recycling company:

• take off the cat converter and cut the exhaust pipe;
• take pictures of the cat including the pictures with the serial number;
• find some websites that belong to recycling companies;
• send them pictures of your converter and ask them to quote the price;
• after you get the price offers, just compare them and choose the best one;
• talk to a manager of that company and sort out all questions with shipping.

This is the easiest method of selling your catalytic converter, so everyone can use it. This method will also give you more money than just selling your LeSabre converter to a scrapyard.

If you think that you can still a cat converter from a Buick LeSabre and get $120 for it, forget about this insane idea. A company may ask for any documents proving that the Buick belongs to you or that you didn't steal this cat converter. A stolen converter may only be sold to a half-legal scrapyard that will pay you $20 or something like that. It isn't worth the risks.

How much will they earn with your converter?

Many people think that recycling companies earn millions daily because they just buy cat converters for about $100 and then sell all those precious metals for hundreds of dollars. But you should know more about the process of recycling.

For getting the precious metals out of the converter, the companies need a lot of heat energy because they just basically melt the metals out of the honeycomb. They also need expensive equipment to do this. They pay taxes, salaries, and license payments, and they need to pay for recycling the side products.

Yes, they can sell precious metals for about $800 from one Buick LeSabre converter, but they actually spend all that money on their expenses. So, these companies are not as rich as you may think.

One more thing - they are always at risk. Their revenue depends much on the current price for the precious metals that are included in the LeSabre cat converter. Today they can rely on $800 from one converter, but tomorrow this revenue will shorten to $600 and they will actually lose their money.

Final words

You should remember that your original Buick catalytic converter costs some money even after it fails. You can still sell it for $120 or even more if you find a recycling company willing to buy it for that money. It's not hard - just inquire in a lot of companies and compare what they are ready to give to you.

Buick LeSabre is an old car though, and you can just have an aftermarket converter that doesn't cost much. Check it before you start the procedure of selling your old cat.