Donating a car that doesn't RUN ?

As I understand it, the groups that take donations of cars take them running or not. They then decide if they are worth fixing or not. End result at the worst they take the proceeds of scraping it to fund their activities.

Aside, I went to peddle a pristine blue 1980 Ford Pinto (just for fun). Guess what? It isn't worth anything from the online sales guides. All I could get was N/A from the bluebook guides.

I guess that makes the car not even worth twenty-five cents. I would be fearful that I would now have to "pay" someone to take it from me and process maybe $50 worth of paperwork at the DM and scrap yard to be rid of it.

Guess I'll park it next to my trailer up on some blocks. ;^)

Mack

The ads for many such groups claim to take cars running or not, smogged or not, in registration or not; some specifically mention tow trucks, "that old clunker taking up space in your driveway," and other factors that suggest they may take a non-running vehicle.

I also generally see some fine print to the effect that they reserve the right to choose whether to accept any particular donation. I don't know if this clause is used to get away from undesirable cars, or in case they think something smells fishy about the situation, or what.

I wouldn't feel right about giving them a badly wrecked car or one that had chickens roosting in it or whatnot, but if it is either pragmatically rebuildable or contains a lot of worthwhile parts, they might be able to get more for it than they spend towing and processing it. Pick one and give 'em a call.

There are numerous such charities these days, representing a wide range of causes, so if you get turned down by one you may have better luck with another. You'll see a lot of ads as the year draws to a close -- people feel more charitable during the holidays, and, being human, would also rather be able to claim a deduction for this tax year than next year.

Here is some background information on how to check out the bona fides of a charity with respect to the attributes you consider important:

For car donations in particular, see

These pages also give tips on how to establish the value for tax-deduction purposes. If you choose to claim this deduction, be sure to retain documentation of the value for the same number of years that you would retain any other auditable records.

Cheers,

--Joe

I'm sure your local junk yard will accept your donation. Just call them up and arrange for a pickup.

--------------- alex

Going this route usually means more money for the charity too. Charities usually don't handle these donations themselves. They use a third party that takes a cut. When a car's only value is the for scrap metal, most of the money goes to the third party, not the charity.

-------------- Alex

Some of these so-called charities won't take it. Some won't even take running cars if they're not late-model cars. You can tell the worthy charities are the ones who are grateful for any donation. I believe the Salvation Army is one such.

National Kidney Foundation is another.

Regards,

Marv

Clift>

Just because it's "old" don't assume that it's worthless. If you've had this car for 5 years in non-op condition, the parts could be worth a lot. For example, if it's an 87 Monte Carlo, almost everything is worth something to hotrodders. Heck, I'd take the whole steering assembly from it if it's a MC for my 1967 Jeepster Commando.

My favorite charity to donate cars to is the Humane Society. They get no 'official' funding of any kind and rely soley on donations for all operating expenses. Practically every one I've ever talked to is happy to accept autos in any condition short of burned out or completely stripped hulks. A Google.Com search with "humane society" and your home town or state should get plenty of results and likely a website with contact info on it.

Cheers, - Jeff G

WOW I never knew they let the humane society animals drive :)