PT Cruiser Catalytic Converter Scrap Price – How Much For A Chrysler’s Cat?

If you own a vehicle that has already gone more than 120 000 miles, you should spend some time and read our article about selling a scrap catalytic converter. Chrysler PT Cruisers have had good original converters and they can give you some money as compensation for your expenses on a new cat and labor for its installation.

We are pretty sure that when you have the old converter in your hands, you will think about a scrapyard as a final destination for this piece of scrap metal. Or it will just lie there on a shelf in your garage. But this thing can earn you more money than you think. Especially, if you have an original (OEM) Chrysler catalytic converter.

Here's what we'll tell you about today:

1. What kinds of converters does the PT Cruiser have?
2. How much do different types of Chrysler converters cost?
3. Why are scrap prices lower than the overall price of precious metals?
4. Where should you sell your old catalytic converter?

Let's get started!

PT Cruiser - types of converters and their longevity

Chrysler PT Cruiser was not the most successful model of the company. The vehicle was produced between 2000 and 2010, only one generation was made. The company sold many PT Cruisers, but people still didn't love them much.

One of the problems was with the engines. The company offered a weak 1.6-liter starter engine and then 2-liter and 2.4-liter engines that were basically OK but very thirsty for gasoline. There was a 2.4 Turbo engine which was good but not very reliable. And also a diesel version that wasn't sold much in the US.

Here's what we can say about the converters:

• the 1.6-liter engines had only a small converter that doesn't cost much as a scrap part;
• all other engines had normal middle-sized Chrysler converters that you can sell at a decent price now;
• the average lifespan of Chrysler converters in PT Cruisers is about 10 years or 120 000 miles;
• the original converters cost much if you want to buy new ones, they are not available in all dealers' shops;
• the aftermarket converters for a PT Cruiser will be much more affordable - around $300-$400 for a good part;
• all the original converters are quite good, they don't fall apart and save their value even when they start failing.

Chrysler is known to produce converters that contain quite a lot of precious metals. The cat converters from 1.6 PT Cruiser will contain around 4 grams of platinum and palladium and less than 1 gram of rhodium. The bigger converters will contain an average of 7 grams of platinum, 5-6 grams of palladium, and also over 1 gram of rhodium. If you just count up the money, you will be amazed.

So, why do the recycling companies offer just a little money for them? Let's figure it out.

How to get the precious metals out of the PT Cruiser converter?

The thing is that these precious metals don't lie there in the converter like pieces of metal. They form a very thin film on the ceramic honeycomb that plays the role of a filter for exhaust gasses. For getting these metals out of the converter, you will need some special equipment that heats up the converter to extreme temperature and the metals then melt.

The equipment is expensive and it can only be used by licensed companies. Also, the energy or heating up the converter is expensive, too. This forms one of the problems - recycling companies need to spend a lot of money and effort to get these metals out. So they just can't pay you the full price for your old converter.

Also, some old converters don't contain full honeycombs. The buyer of scrap converters is always at risk of losing some money because of the damaged honeycomb or some other problems.

So, how much is the PT Cruiser cat converter?

The catalytic converter from your PT Cruiser is likely to cost anywhere from $80 to $200. It depends on the engine and also on the condition of the converter that you want to sell.

The most expensive converters were installed on the 2.0 and 2.4 PT Cruisers. These cats will sell for $150 to $200. The cats from the weakest PT Cruiser engine will sell at the price up to $100. But we know some conditions that can ruin your chance to get that money. And it's not only about the type of converter.

Here's what can go wrong:

• aftermarket converters - a lot of PT Cruisers now have aftermarket cats because their original ones have already been replaced due to failures;
• damaged converters - the place where the cat is installed in your PT Cruiser is not the best location, so the converter may be damaged;
• rust - unfortunately, Chrysler doesn't make the most reliable cats in the world, sometimes they get holes and the honeycomb just falls apart;
• market prices for precious metals - this is an important factor because if the prices go down, no one will buy your cat at a full price;
• buyer - you will need to spend some time and find a recycling company that will want to pay more for the converter.

Now, you can sell your cat for $10 if you just find a bad buyer who will persuade you that this part doesn't cost a dollar more than that. But we think you should refuse any offers like that and find a deal that will be much more lucrative for you.

Of course, if you have an aftermarket cat, $10 or $20 will be a good price. These cat converters don't usually contain a lot of precious metals. They are very unpredictable. Aftermarket converters are lighter, they are damaged by rust faster, and they will not go 100 000 miles. So, everything we tell you today is about the OEM Chrysler converters.

Who can you sell the converter to?

Selling a catalytic converter is easy. But selling a converter at a good price is a little complicated. A local scrapyard or a private buyer (middleman) will offer much less money than you expect. The top price we've heard about at scrapyards for a PT Cruiser catalytic converter was $90. Middlemen can offer more money, some of them work illegally and just resell the cats to recycling companies. But still, their offers will not be very good.

Also, you may try to sell the cat online using the eBay platform or something like this. It's a bad idea because you will need to spend months to get some results. But yes, the price will be a little better.

We offer a direct sale to one of the recycling companies. Here's how it works:

1. You find the website of a recycling company. Better find a couple of companies to compare the price offers.
2. Then you send pictures of your converter to these companies.
3. They come up with a certain price for your converter and send you the offer.
4. You compare the offers of different companies and choose the most appropriate option for you.
5. Then you just sell your converter, the shipping costs are usually paid by the company.

This is a simple way to get the highest price for your old catalytic converter. Usually, the mid-sized Chrysler converters cost at least $180 or even more. The final price depends on many factors that we've already described before.

When taking pictures of your old converter, don't forget to take a photo of a serial number and the place where the Chrysler logo is placed. This will prove that the cat converter is original and it's worth some money. One good thing to do is to put your converter on scales and take the picture of its weight. This will also help the recycling company to come up with its offer.

Can you sell the precious metals from a converter?

We see two main problems with this idea. Firstly, you will not be able to take these metals out. Do you have some professional metallurgical equipment to deal with melting the metals and then dividing the alloy into different components? We don't think so. Physically, you will have problems at this stage.

Even if somehow you manage to do this, who will you sell 1 gram of rhodium and 5 grams of palladium to? These are purely industrial metals and companies want to buy pounds of them, not just some grams.

Final words

Many people have their old catalytic converters lying in their garages and gathering dust. But these parts from your PT Cruiser may actually bring you some money. If you think that this part may just cost a couple of dollars, you believe in the old myth that scrapyards want you to believe. Forget about it and contact some recycling companies. You will see that your old converter is still able to bring some money instead of taking some place in your garage.