GTA Online’s Chop Shop update introduced a new business venture: the Salvage Yard, offering players fresh gameplay opportunities and a new stream of income. While the idea behind the feature is exciting, many players have voiced frustration over one key limitation — the extremely rare ability to keep stolen vehicles for personal use.

How the Salvage Yard Works
After receiving a call from Yusuf Amir, players can buy one of five salvage yards across Los Santos and Paleto Bay through the Maze Bank Foreclosures website. Once purchased, the Salvage Yard becomes a semi-passive business, generating income through a mix of tow truck jobs, vehicle robberies, and salvaging stolen cars.

Every 48 minutes, the business deposits passive income into your account, and tow truck missions offer consistent, low-effort payouts. The core of the gameplay, however, revolves around vehicle robberies — high-value missions involving reconnaissance, planning, and stealing target vehicles.

Vehicle Robberies and Income Potential
Vehicle robberies are the most lucrative part of the Salvage Yard system. These missions can pay between $250,000 to $400,000, depending on the target vehicle and mission difficulty. After successfully stealing the vehicle, players can choose to sell it to Yusuf Amir or salvage it for a cut of its market value.

Occasionally, the game gives players the option to claim a stolen vehicle as their own, adding it to their personal garage. Unfortunately, this feature is rarely triggered. Most players report seeing this option only a handful of times, if at all — a frustrating limitation that feels like a missed opportunity for car collectors.

The Claiming Issue: A Major Disappointment
The rare ability to keep stolen vehicles has become one of the biggest criticisms of the Salvage Yard update. For many players, the thrill of pulling off a high-stakes robbery is diminished when they can’t add the prize to their collection. Instead, nearly all stolen vehicles must be sold or salvaged, leaving car enthusiasts disappointed.

This limitation makes the feature feel underdeveloped, especially when compared to earlier content that allowed players to earn and keep unique vehicles.

Is the Salvage Yard Still Worth It?
Despite the drawbacks, the Salvage Yard is still a profitable addition to any GTA Online player’s business empire. Upgrades can increase profits and speed up salvage operations, while tow truck missions help maintain a steady cash flow. The La Puerta and Strawberry salvage yard locations are considered the best due to their central position and reduced risk of interference from other players.

GTA Online’s Salvage Yard business brings a mix of exciting missions and passive income, but the limited ability to claim stolen vehicles holds the feature back from reaching its full potential. Buying GTA money cheap is a quick way to unlock everything you want. While it's still a strong way to earn money, players hoping to expand their garage with unique vehicles may leave feeling disappointed.

For now, the Salvage Yard is best viewed as a money-making business — not a vehicle collection tool.