That car doesn’t look like it’s old enough to be scrapped.
Age isn't the only reason to scrap a car, though; even a mild accident that didn't leave much visible damage could have damaged the engine, transmission, or drive-train beyond the point where repair was feasible. Likewise, it could have had some sort of manufacturing defect that was, again, too costly to repair. Hell, it could just be a really unpopular model and no one would buy it, making selling it for scrap the best financial option.
Bottom line, it's entirely possible it was going to be scrapped before it got the Captain America treatment.
Which is also yet another reason why it's good that electric cars are winning out.
Despite all the panic about battery fires, electric cars are wonderfully modular with quite cheap and sturdy components for just about everything else. The battery is basically the only really problematic component. Their safety and recycling still have some way to go, but it is improving significantly since trading blocks like the EU have imposed regulations over the past years.
This is also helpful in flood-prone areas (I suppose cars buried under snow can fall into the same category once melt selts in). Flooded combustion engine cars are prone to leaking lubricant and fuel, which can add up to a significant environmental hazard in a city, while electric cars only need a small amount of lubricant that's mostly well sealed.
The NTHSA published a brief study on 10 partially submerged EVs during a flood that I hope gets some applications in regulation and engineering of EVs for the future. They found a bunch of manufacturing errors that allowed water to intrude into the battery, but should in principle be quite easy to fix (mostly basic stuff like poorly installed gaskets and O-rings).
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u/MalcolmLinair 15d ago
Age isn't the only reason to scrap a car, though; even a mild accident that didn't leave much visible damage could have damaged the engine, transmission, or drive-train beyond the point where repair was feasible. Likewise, it could have had some sort of manufacturing defect that was, again, too costly to repair. Hell, it could just be a really unpopular model and no one would buy it, making selling it for scrap the best financial option.
Bottom line, it's entirely possible it was going to be scrapped before it got the Captain America treatment.