Junkyards not only sell parts from cars, they also sell entire cars as well. These cars are typically vehicles that have been written-off by insurance companies as being totaled or vehicles that are old that would not generate much of a resale value. That does not mean that these vehicles are worthless though.
#1 Spare Parts
One reason to purchase a junkyard car is for spare parts. If you like fixing up cars yourself, you can purchase the same make, model, and year car that you already own from a junk yard in order to have a supply of parts for your vehicle.
Or, if your vehicle was damaged in an accident, you can purchase a junkyard car in order to get access to the parts you need to fix up your vehicle. For example, if your vehicle sustained front-end damage, you could purchase a junk car that was rear-ended and get all the parts you need for fixing up your car.
It can often be more affordable to purchase an entire junk car for its spare parts than it is to purchase each part that you need one-by-one. It can also cost you time to source all the parts that you need from multiple junk vehicles, instead of getting all of your parts from one junk vehicle.
#2 Fixer-Up Vehicle
Not all cars that you can find at the junkyard are really junk cars. You can often find cars that, with a little time and effort, could easily be fixed up. Many times, owners or insurance companies that don't see the value in a vehicle send the vehicle to a junkyard.
However, if you have mechanical knowledge, you could take a damaged car from the junkyard and fix it up. Maybe all you need to do is replace the side panel in order to drive around in a nice car. There are lots of vehicles that an at-home mechanic could take and fix up.
Vehicles end up at junkyards for all sorts of reasons. It doesn't mean that the vehicle is damaged or lacking value; it just means that its original owners have given up on the vehicle. You can use a junkyard vehicle as a source of spare parts, or you can fix it up and turn it into your newest ride. Check out the inventory at your local junkyard on a regular basis in order to find a car that you can use for parts or transform into your own ride.