US Junk Cars
a Laravel platform for vehicle enquiries
A migration of more than 100,000 pages changes how I judge a rebuild: the archive must survive while the enquiry system changes underneath.
- Field
- Automotive services / United States
- Built with
- Laravel / PHP / JavaScript
- Project year
- 2021
The challenge
A nationwide vehicle-buying business had a site that was difficult to maintain and extend. Replacing it meant retaining a large archive of location pages and metadata while making enquiries easier for the operations team to handle.
The approach
The backend was rebuilt in Laravel, with more than 100,000 content pages migrated into the new data model. The interface was initially retained, then replaced with the client’s new design as the platform expanded.
The project, in detail
The images show the interface and its context. Captions distinguish project archives from current-site views.
Content migration without losing control
Importers preserved page content and metadata. Location templates combine regional fields with editable copy, allowing administrators to update an individual state, county or city page without rebuilding the entire catalogue.
An enquiry that arrives with context
A multi-step form collects make, model, condition and vehicle photos. A central dashboard receives enquiries from several sites and supports detailed filtering and spreadsheet exports for the staff handling them.
Estimation and reporting
An API-backed calculator returns an indicative vehicle value and generates a PDF report. VIN-related information extends that workflow, while the implementation keeps the external valuation service separate from the website interface.
Scaling content and daily operations
Layered caching reduces repeated work against the large dataset and can be refreshed from administration. The platform later supported additional regional sites, a shared enquiry dashboard and accounts for vehicle-yard operators.
The outcome
A maintainable Laravel platform linking regional content, valuation requests and multi-site lead handling.
Details of US Junk Cars
How much content moved to Laravel?
More than 100,000 pages, including location content and metadata, were migrated into the new data model.
How were enquiries handled across sites?
A central dashboard gathered leads from several sites and gave staff filtering and spreadsheet export tools.
