Is buying broken AC units a good idea?

Hey, just yesterday i bought my first two window AC units from a neighbor friend of mine. She was going to scrap them herself, but i offered to buy them from her as is for $5 each. I have broken down several of them and they seem to have a decent value once broken down. i just have no real way to know how much i will get for the motors and compressors and copper and aluminum i pull out because i dont have a scale yet. i really wont be able to tell what the shells are worth either because i throw them in with a load of "white goods" (appliances) which is what they are called around here. any reassurance that $5 is a fair buying price to break them down would be much appreciated. thanks, all -Dirty

Note: neither of them contain freon.

I got a smaller newer one and pulled out the wires,motor,and coils. I can't find my ticket but I think I made like$20 total steel and non ferr

I personally wont pay for a window AC unit. But if you want to pay for them, tear them down and are comfortable with the money you are making off them then by all means go for it. This is something that you will need to determine.

thanks guys... i was kinda hoping for the average price of a torn down one, which will allow me to determine if its worth it. i know someone put together a collection of estimated prices for appliances on a thread somewhere back, but i couldnt find it, so i thought i'd ask. for a return of $20, i think i am comfortable, because it only takes me 20 min or so to completely break one down.

thanks again!

i average 5 bucks for a single sealed unit so u should be good