Anyone ever donate a car to charity?

[Narnia_girl]

And can you recommend a reputable one? We need to get rid of the oldest car in our "fleet". We had planned on selling it outright but with the constant snow/ice we've had it hasn't been good timing to list it for people to test drive. Thankfully, our neighbor spends her winters in Florida and she let us keep it in her garage all season.
The license expires at the end of February and there is just no point in us keeping it registered/insured.

So now we are thinking about donating it. Any suggestions?

 

[akcire]

Sell it donate the $$


A reputable charity could lose money or get next to nothing. An old friend is the general counsel for American Heart Association. He said the costs incurred by the car company made most cars worthless, including cars with book value of 10k. They scrapped the car program. So unless a charity has a direct auction or wholesaling relationship where fees are waived they don't make anything.

 

[Narnia_girl]

I should have clarified, I didn't mean any old charity, but one that actually asks for donated cars, such as Heritage for the Blind.

 

[stsomewhere]

We donated our old van to a Boy Scout Camp. Another time, we donated an old car to a firefighters group to use for practice. Both times , we got tax deduction s

 

[Jeff_G]

My mother donated her car to to a charity. Basically you call them up tell them you have a vehicle to donate, let them know if it is working order ie drivable or needing a tow. They will come by you sign over the title to them and they take the car. You will get a tax statement after they sell the vehicle showing the amount the charity received for the vehicle and you can use that as a write off.

Now you use the word "Fleet" if this is a business and the vehicle was used for the business and depreciated yearly you should consult your tax adviser on the deductability of the depreciated asset.

 

[Narnia_girl]

My mother donated her car to to a charity. Basically you call them up tell them you have a vehicle to donate, let them know if it is working order ie drivable or needing a tow. They will come by you sign over the title to them and they take the car. You will get a tax statement after they sell the vehicle showing the amount the charity received for the vehicle and you can use that as a write off.

Now you use the word "Fleet" if this is a business and the vehicle was used for the business and depreciated yearly you should consult your tax adviser on the deductability of the depreciated asset.

The fleet part was wink-wink. We've added cars as our sons got their licenses: we have four drivers and five cars. No point in paying for the license and insurance for a car that just sits.

 

[akcire]

I should have clarified, I didn't mean any old charity, but one that actually asks for donated cars, such as Heritage for the Blind.

I understand. The American Heart Association had an active car donation program at one time. After a few years they realized they were making very little to no money because most functions were outsourced. Also based on the book values of the cars they were coming out far behind.

I also know they have a glut of donated cemetery spaces....so if your ever in the market for one hit up lawyers for charities, I'm sure they will make you a good deal to get them off their books.

 

[JillyBean1899]

Also check with schools around your area. When I lived near Orlando we donated my old car that wasn't running to a high school that had an auto mechanic/body shop class, and they fixed up the car as part of their classwork, then sold it and used the proceeds to buy more stuff for their shop. It was a school attached to a church, so it was considered a tax write-off, which is always nice.

 

[tvguy]

I understand. The American Heart Association had an active car donation program at one time. After a few years they realized they were making very little to no money because most functions were outsourced. Also based on the book values of the cars they were coming out far behind.

I also know they have a glut of donated cemetery spaces....so if your ever in the market for one hit up lawyers for charities, I'm sure they will make you a good deal to get them off their books.

All the major charities here that take car donations outsource to the same private for profit company. 10 years ago I tried to donate my mom's 1976 Ford Pinto with a motor problem. I would fill out the form online, and never hear back. Finally I get a call from a nice lady from the company that handles the program for all the charities, and she said because of the sharp decline in the value of scrap metal, they only accept donor cars that:
1) Run. (mine sort of ran)
2) Have a current SMOG certificate (nope)
3) Have less than 100,000 miles. (77,000 miles)
4) Were in ready to sell condition. (mine wasn't because of the engine issue)

If the car I was donating met those criteria, I would still be driving it.

I ended up donating it to the local high school auto shop. They were DELIGHTED to have it because it had a number of things in one car that they could use to teach kids about:
1)Front disc brakes
2) rear drum brakes
3) A carburetor
4) Mechanical lifters, not hydraulic

 

[MillauFr]

I've donated two cars. The charities just send the cars to auction. I got a $1,500 tax deduction. Last time I gave to community services for the blind.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I donated an unrunning van.

Well it ran but the computer inside was shot so you never knew how fast you were driving and you had to be careful because you couldn't see what gear you put it in.
They towed the van away at no charge - I just signed over the registration to them.

This was about 6 years ago and I donated it to Kars for kids. I think I ended up with a 500.00 tax deduction. I was surprised at that much but they were able to get it. It did take a few months before I got a letter from them with the amount for the tax deduction once they took the van.

 

[Narnia_girl]

Thanks for the information. I feel like if charities are actively advertising for cars then it must still be profitable for them. I hear the radio ads frequently. Some even offer a "weekend getaway" in exchange for the car donation....alas, it doesn't include WDW.

 

[daughtersrus]

And can you recommend a reputable one? We need to get rid of the oldest car in our "fleet". We had planned on selling it outright but with the constant snow/ice we've had it hasn't been good timing to list it for people to test drive. Thankfully, our neighbor spends her winters in Florida and she let us keep it in her garage all season.
The license expires at the end of February and there is just no point in us keeping it registered/insured.

So now we are thinking about donating it. Any suggestions?

Many years ago, we donated a car to Make A Wish. The very next year, DD#3 was born. DD was diagnosed with a very rare genetic disease when she was 7 years old. 17 years after we donated the car, DD was granted a wish trip to Hawaii. It was a trip that wouldn't have been possible without Make A Wish. This past summer, we donated another car to them. It's our way of paying it forward for another special child.

 

[scrapquitler]

My mother donated her car to to a charity. Basically you call them up tell them you have a vehicle to donate, let them know if it is working order ie drivable or needing a tow. They will come by you sign over the title to them and they take the car. You will get a tax statement after they sell the vehicle showing the amount the charity received for the vehicle and you can use that as a write off.

We donated two cars (and getting ready to call about a third) to the American Diabetes Association. In both cases, the car had upwards of 150K miles and needed a large repair. It was easier and worthwhile to us to call them and have them tow the car and give us the letter for the $500 donation.

 

[MOpGrad2013]

Yes, my DH donated his car to the local battered women's shelter. It needed some minor engine work so before he took it to them, he asked if they would be able to recommend where to take it to get repaired. The shelter said to bring it as it was...They had someone who would repair it and fix it up.

The shelter was going to give it to a woman so she could start her new life.

 

[DawnM]

We donated a car last year. It was our old 1996 Saturn.

They told us upfront that if they couldn't get someone in their organization to get it running properly (or wanting to put in the $$) they would sell it and keep the money. We just had to sign a form saying they had informed us they may sell it and that they were allowed to keep the money. We also were told that if they got more than $500 for it they would need to send us a letter stating the amount for tax purposes.

They sold it for $700.

Dawn

 

[lovesdumbo]

We donated our Toyota minivan to the salvation army a few years ago. It had low mileage but needed a $1,000 repair and had a water leak. We got a write off for what they sold it for at auction.

 

[kymom99]

Years ago I donated a car to St. Vincent DePaul. They gave me a signed receipt and told me to look up the blue book value for a tax deduction. Around here, Goodwill advertises that they take car donations.

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

We've donated a few cars to this organization.

https://www.rawhide.org/home/donate/car-donation/car-donations.cmsx

 

[AverageDiser]

Check your local womens' shelter, as a pp mentioned, or your dept of social services. As a single Mom driving something with 220,000 miles on it, my biggest stress right now is what's going to happen when it dies. Something like that would be a lifesaver!