Lexus ES300 Catalytic Converter Scrap Price and Ways to Sell

The Lexus ES 300 was made in three generations from 1991 to 2003. This vehicle was extremely popular in the US starting with its first generation. It allowed its owners to feel luxury driving compared to all those practical cars that were pretty popular among the buyers. And yes, it was one of the most reliable luxury sedans available on the American market of new vehicles.

But today, we'll be speaking mainly about the catalytic converters installed in the Lexus ES300 and the ways to sell these converters at a good price. Do you want to know the scrap price of these cats? Now, we'll tell you how much they should cost and how exactly you can sell them to get even more money than you may expect.

Here's what we'll be talking about:

1. The ES300 years and engines - types of converters.
2. How much is the scrap catalytic converter from your Lexus ES 300?
3. Who will buy the old Lexus catalytic converter and why?
4. Finding out the actual prices of the Lexus cat.
5. Can you still buy a new converter for an old Lexus ES 300?

Let's get started!

What kinds of converters does your Lexus ES 300 have?

The ES 300 was offered with a 3-liter V6 engine. This engine was changed and tuned from one generation to another, but overall it was still the same 3-liter V6 1MZ-FE Toyota engine that was a legendary unit with unbelievable durability. The V6 construction means the engine has two cylinder heads. It means that it also has two exhaust manifolds.

And this construction actually means that it's impossible to make an eco-friendly engine with only one catalytic converter. The Lexus ES 300 had two pre-cats and one main cat. But all of them carried some precious metals, so they can be sold now for some money.

Here's what you should know about these catalytic converters:

• the catalytic converters for Lexus were made by Toyota, so they will have the Toyota logo on them or no logo at all;
• the serial number may be seen on one of the sides of the catalytic converter, but sometimes, Japanese cats come without any numbers on them;
• these cats are integrated with the exhaust pipes, usually, the OEM cat converters are sold together with the pipes;
• the original Lexus cats are quite big, but the pre-cats that are located near the exhaust manifolds can still be small;
• the weight of the converters is big because they carry a big ceramic honeycomb inside them and this is an important thing;
• these cats are usually in a relatively good condition because they don't rust much and they are preserved without bad damage.

These are important features that your converter should have. If you own an aftermarket catalytic converter, you will not be able to get a lot of money for it. Such cats will probably cost about $20 or even less. And you should just sell them to a scrapyard without even wasting your time searching for any better options.

But if you have an original Lexus catalytic converter, you will be able to sell it at a pretty good price. Actually, recycling companies love these cats that were made in the 1990s and 2000s. They may contain much more precious metals than the modern catalytic converters. So, what should be the price of these cats?

How much do Lexus ES 300 converters cost?

The short answer: the Lexus ES 300 catalytic converter should cost about $200 for the main cat and $100 for one pre-cat. So, the whole assembly will cost about $400 when broken and sold as scrap.

It may seem like a very good idea to sell these cat converters, but please stop and let that grinder tool out of your hands! The cat converters in your car are essential for normal driving, they catalyze the harmful materials in the exhaust gases and help your car release less toxic elements into the atmosphere. So, you'll have to buy the new cats once you sell the old ones (or better before it).

So, here's what can change the price of your Lexus scrap cat converter:

• its year - basically, all ES 300 models had the same types of converters, but the year can influence the condition and the serial number, so the type of the cat;
• the condition - the cat should have no holes and no other bad damages because, otherwise, the buyer will never be sure that the converter still contains all the metals;
• the origin of the cat - aftermarket cats, as we've already said before, don't cost a lot of money and they aren't very wanted by buyers;
• the market prices for palladium, platinum, and also rhodium - this influences the potential revenue of the person or the company buying the cat;
• shipping expenses and some other factors that can change the price of the cat.

Unfortunately, you can't change any of these factors. It means you don't control the price of the catalytic converter. But still, what can you do to sell your cat at a better price? You can find a better company or a better person who will give you more money for the cat.

It means that the only thing you can do to improve the selling price of the catalytic converter is actually finding a good buyer. And that's what we'll tell you about further in our article. By the way, the Lexus ES 300 converter is not hard to sell at a better price because a lot of businesses will be ready to buy one.

Who is going to buy your catalytic converter?

We know at least four or five ways to sell a Lexus ES 300 catalytic converter. One of them is eBay, for example. You can advertise the unit for sale and get a decent price. But the problem is you will have to wait and no one can tell you how long.

Then, there is the most popular option among American drivers - scrapyards. These are located everywhere, so you can easily find one near you. But they all have one common problem - they will try to do anything to get the converter from your Lexus at the lowest possible price. And this is a bad option which is still popular.

Also, you can find resellers or middlemen - they are just people who buy cat converters and then try to sell them at a better price. The drawback is obvious - you will just lose your money. Why would you allow anyone to earn using your cat converter? You can just earn this money by yourself.

Finally, there are recycling companies, and this option is not bad at all. Here's how you can sell your catalytic converter to a recycling company:

1. Get the cat that you are going to sell, clean it a little and take some pics of it.
2. Find the recycling company or better look for three or four companies buying the cat converters.
3. Then, you may quote on their websites. Get to know which price they can offer for your cat by sending the pictures to them.
4. Compare the prices they can offer - this will not be hard to do, just see which company offers the best price.
5. Ship the converter through a stated company and just get your money in a bank account.

You should be careful with the law. In some states, it's not allowed to sell anything that contains platinum, palladium, or rhodium for cash. This law aims to prevent catalytic converter theft. You should learn more about that. But better just consult with one of the recycling companies. They will tell you everything about the law and also about the ways to legally sell your Lexus ES 300 cat converter.

By the way, these companies always send money via bank accounts, so the risks are minimal.

Can you sell the cat at an even better price?

The best prices for a quick sale are offered by recycling companies. You may quote and get the idea of how much money you can get for your converters. But yes, there are some ways to get even more money.

We knot at least about two of them:

• waiting for the best prices of precious metals on the market;
• selling the cat to a private person through eBay or any other website.

But all of these methods have one big drawback - the waiting time. You will need to wait for months before you are able to get some more money. Is it worth it? We don't know, we'll leave it for your decision.

Final words

The Lexus ES 300 usually has three converters - one main cat and two smaller pre-cats. Each of them contains some precious metals, so they all can be sold. It means that you can get some money after the cats malfunction and stop working.

We recommend selling any old cat converters through licensed recycling companies. They are fair and problem-free, they will officially buy out your cat at the best prices. But you may also try to find any more lucrative ways to sell the old Lexus cats.