One person’s trash is another person’s treasure

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Milton Hamilton
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  The 86th Force Support Squadron sponsors an Auto Recycling Center for military members and their dependents looking to repair, get rid of, or purchase a car.

There are two ways to buy a vehicle at the Auto Recycling Center: customers can bid in an auction or just outright buy the car.

“Auctions with sealed bids take place from the 1st through the 15th of every month,” said Casey Buckheister, 86th FSS tool and equipment operator. “The highest bidder has 48 hours to inspect the car and decide if they want to keep their purchase.”

If the customer decides to not purchase the vehicle after inspecting it, the next highest bidder gets priority.

If a car has no bid on it, it will be sold for a flat price of 350 U.S. dollars, said Buckheister. Customers can pay with cash or check. Credit cards and euro are not accepted.

“The Auto Recycling Center also provides a pick-and-pull service,” said Buckheister. “Meaning customers need to bring their own tools to retrieve the needed car parts.

“We have to drain the cars before we put them in the yard, but we do not pull the
parts ourselves,” continued Buckheister.

Old tires, batteries and scrap metal can also be discarded in the various dumpsters at the Auto Recycling Center.

The Auto Recycling Center is open from the Auto Recycling Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from May to September and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October to April. It is located outside the Ramstein East Gate at building 5122.