In GTA Online , since the Chop Shop update, you can purchase a Salvage Yard as a new property, which also serves as a base for a new business. This gives you access to towing missions, allows you to complete various mini-heists and gives you additional passive income.
But the question arises: is the high initial investment worth it, or would it be better to choose a different property in order to earn a lot of money quickly?
With regard to Salvage Yards, the first question is which one to buy in the first place.
In GTA Online, there are a total of five such properties at different locations on the map. The two Salvage Yards in the north of the map have already been ruled out due to their better connections. This leaves three options in Los Santos. The choice essentially depends on where existing properties such as the nightclub, the motorcycle club, the arcade or the car repair shop are located.
Many players now prefer the Salvage Yards at La Puerto, as the gang attack located there is removed. It is quite centrally located, the distances for selling stolen Heist vehicles are not too far, and in my case, for example, the arcade is very close by.
At a cost of around 2.7 million GTA dollars, this is also the most expensive Salvage Yard. Alternatively, you can of course opt for the spot at Strawberry or Murrieta Heights.
As far as upgrades are concerned, it is important to choose carefully. Some options, such as changing the color scheme, have no impact on the business and are purely visual. The trade prices as the second upgrade option do not add any value to your business, apart from discounts at Mors Mutual and LC Customs.
However, the tow truck is a useful upgrade, as it unlocks the new towing missions and quickly recoups the costs. The battered tow truck costs 650,000 GTA dollars and is basically all you need. The polished version for 1,100,000 GTA dollars looks nicer, but makes no difference in terms of gameplay.
The vault in your scrapyard has a standard capacity of 100,000 GTA dollars. You should empty it regularly to be able to collect more money. Alternatively, you can buy a safe with a capacity of 250,000 GTA dollars for 750,000 GTA dollars. However, this investment is hardly worthwhile, especially if you regularly look after your money.
In any case, you should invest in the upgrade personnel, as it doubles your personnel and speeds up the cannibalization process.
In summary, the scrap yard at La Puerta has a total cost of 3,965,000 GTA dollars if you only choose the real estate price, the rusty tow truck and the staff as an upgrade.
There are three main ways to earn money with the scrap yard:
- Income from robberies:
- The mini-heists can be started every week and earn between 260,000 and 395,000 GTA dollars.
- You can perform a maximum of three of these heists per week.
- Income from stripping vehicles:
- You can expect to pay around 30,000 to 50,000 GTA dollars per vehicle.
- You can have a maximum of two vehicles towed away and cannibalized one after the other.
- Passive income through the vault:
- For every vehicle towed away, your popularity increases by 25 percent, up to a maximum of 100 percent.
- With 100 percent popularity, you will receive 24,000 GTA dollars per in-game day as passive income.
At best, you could make up to 550,000 GTA dollars in one hour with your scrapyard. However, it is important to note that this estimate is optimistic and can only be achieved once a week. Apart from the heists, the income this week is limited to the towing service and the passive money in the vault.
Conclusion:
In summary, the Salvage Yard business does not offer hours of grind opportunity and revenue is limited by the weekly limit on heists. It also requires a sizable investment of around 3 million GTA dollars, and participating as CEO or motorcycle club president might be a hurdle for beginners. It might make more sense to invest the time in other businesses such as the nightclub or to perform the Cayo Perico Heist multiple times.
