The Journey Of The Automobile
What started over a century ago as a shaky vehicle that couldn’t drive much faster than fast sprinters could run is now the dream of not only adolescent boys, but almost everybody with a driver’s license. Pretty much every kid looks up to their parents driving them to and from school and wonders when he or she will be able to do the same thing. No wonder that many children believe that being grown means to be able to drive a car wherever they want to go. It is even one of the most common answers by kids who are asked what it means to be grown.
Over the years the motor car has reinvented itself, been developed and remodelled and has finally become the fast, slick and efficient vehicle that we know today. Nowadays, cars are available in all sizes, shapes and with as many features as one can imagine. Every year new brands enter the market to claim their share of an ever-growing market, while others exit, making way for others. It is estimated that today there are over 1 billion cars in the world. It is rumoured that the 1 billion mark was first eclipsed in 2010 and it is said that this figure has since risen even higher. In other words, that means that every seventh person on the planet owns one vehicle. That is an incredible mark and one that could have never been imagined by the forefathers of the modern motor car.
Where does the journey of car begin?
The cars that we all know and have learned to love like close family members begin their journey in many different parts of the planet. Even cars mainly produced in one country, have their origin in all different parts of the planet. From oil stemming from the middle east, to raw metals in from eastern Europe, it is hardly imaginable from how many different directions car components come. In many cases, separate parts of a car, such as a dashboard or the seats are even produced in different countries and then delivered to the production plant where the vehicle is being assembled. Here, hundreds or even thousands of workers and machines await the parts they need in order to form the finished vehicle that can then be picked up from dealerships in many countries in the world.
Most people who test drive a vehicle, just to sign the necessary papers at their car dealership of choice don’t realise how many different hands their new vehicle will have touched when it arrives and how many different time zones it has crossed. It may not have always looked the way that it does when it makes it to the dealership, but in a sense, even the raw resources have always been part of the future of the car.
The end of the journey
Every car, just like any other good, loses value and functionality over the years that it is in use. Some cars do so faster, while others seem rather indestructible and may last 50 years or even more in the right hands. In some cases, the useful life of a car comes to a crashing halt in the form of an accident. With the immense forces unleashed onto a car during an accident, it doesn’t take too much for a vehicle to be totalled after a crash. When that happens, the owners will see themselves forced to abandon the old, now useless vehicle and pick up a new model or live without the benefits of owning a car. In most cases, due to the need of getting from point A to point B, people choose to go with the first option and buy a new car, leaving the old one behind. But what happens to an old vehicle that is no longer useful and well beyond repair?
The answer is easy, it is being recycled. Ever since resources are becoming increasingly scarce, recycling has seen a steep increase. During the recycling process old cars are being stripped, taking apart, cleaned and then either sold in parts or separated into recyclable materials for melting. Especially rising metal prices are making the recycling process more attractive for the owners of old vehicles. During these times it is even possibly to get nice sums of money for old, useless vehicles from cash for car companies.
One of such companies is We Buy Car For Cash. Here users of vehicles that are damaged, useless or simply in bad shape can get cash for their old vehicle. Upon calling and the exchange of a few details related to the car, it can be picked up for free and then recycled. This process will bring in a nice sum of money towards a new car and help preserve the environment, due to less emissions during the recycling process.
