What to do with a dead car?

[JennCa]

I have a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe that needs a new transmission, other that that it is in good shape : )

I've gotten an estimate of $3000 to get it fixed and think I don't want to pay that so am looking at new cars. SOOOOO what do I do with my old car? Do people actually sell them on craigs list? Is there any reputable charity you donate to? I don't want to donate to something where the proceeds are squandered away. Just as a FYI I am in Sacramento area.

Any ideas???

Jenn

 

[Disneybuckeye]

We always just trade ours in. I am leary of Craigs list and have never tried donating.

 

[midwestdee]

We have donated two cars to the American Lung Association. I wouldn't sell a car on my own anymore - way too many nuts out there. Unfortunately, the amount of the car we can take as a tax donation is basically restricted to a value of $1500 (state law, Illinois) I would still rather do this. When we buy a car, we have driven it in the ground so we wouldn't get much as a trade in. On the plus side, when we buy a new car, we pay cash - but of course, we will drive them 10 - 12 years.

 

[bettymae1121]

there are charities that will take them, I know the lung assoc. is one. That's the route I'd take for a non-workinger older car.

 

[MSSANDRA]

We have donated twice to the kidney association with no issues but I have recently heard of people having situations where the cars title/insurance was not handled correctly and they were held liable for damage done after they had donated the car and the article was warning against donating any longer. Might want to check it out to be sure.

 

[sunshine1178]

Paperweight.





Actually, the used car market is really strong right now. You might be surprised what you can get for it.

 

[Tink-aholic]

We have donated two cars to the American Lung Association. I wouldn't sell a car on my own anymore - way too many nuts out there. Unfortunately, the amount of the car we can take as a tax donation is basically restricted to a value of $1500 (state law, Illinois) I would still rather do this. When we buy a car, we have driven it in the ground so we wouldn't get much as a trade in. On the plus side, when we buy a new car, we pay cash - but of course, we will drive them 10 - 12 years.

This is what I do, too.

 

[fakereadhed]

My DD totaled her 98 Camry. We sold it for around 700 to a guy who does bodywork. He whipped out his cash pretty fast so we could have asked more. Try Craigslist! Maybe there's a mechanic who wants to fix it up and sell it. You will be out nothing.

 

[Lucille1963]

We called the junk car place that advertises on TV (Victory Auto Wreckers for those in the Chicago area) They arrived in 12 hours and gave me $400 in cash.

 

[luv2sewtjr]

You will get something for it if you call a junkyard.

If you want to donate it, your local technical high school could use it for their auto program.

 

[DianeV]

Try Craigslist. You would be surprised who is out there that is willing to buy it and fix it

 

[nancygirl1]

Our conversion van still ran, but needed a lot of work. Instead of trying to sell it, we donated it to the Salvation Army. They came and towed it away. No problem at all. We got a receipt in the mail to use for our taxes as a donation.

 

[poohbear22]

We donated our last two cars to Habitat for Humanity. The process is really easy, you fill out some forms online, send in your title, and they come pick up your car for free; after they sell it they send you a letter for tax purposes.

 

[JB2K]

Do people actually sell them on craigs list? Is there any reputable charity you donate to? I don't want to donate to something where the proceeds are squandered away. Just as a FYI I am in Sacramento area.

Craigslist? I wouldn't, given the complexities of selling/titling a vehicle (and the horror stories that go with CL).

Reputable charities are going to vary from market to market -- however, I know both Goodwill and The Salvation Army accepts such donations in the St. Louis area...

 

[ericf70]

Donate it to a charity (tax benefit) or sell it to a junkyard (probably get $350) are the easiest ways. You could probably get more by selling it privately, but that is a hassle.

 

[dhdozier]

My husband and I traded in my Ford Expedition for a new Chevy Yukon a few months back. Before the actual deal we tried to sell the Ford ourselves hoping to make some extra $$ over what we thought we would get for trade-in as the SUV was in perfect shape and very low miles. Well, after trying for 3months we decided to go ahead with the trade. We were surprised that the trade-in value for the Ford was only about $1000 lower than what we were asking and found out from the salesman that it is better for them to sell a used can than for us. We asked why and he said that if something goes wrong with the car after selling it to someone that they can come back to us with the trouble and expect us to fix it, even if they did it - whereas when the dealership accepts it as a trade-in they can't come back to you with any problems. So maybe you can still trade in your car for a lower price since it needs work and not be bothered with the hassles, or possible potential ones, of selling it yourself.

 

[fakereadhed]

Craigslist? I wouldn't, given the complexities of selling/titling a vehicle (and the horror stories that go with CL).

Reputable charities are going to vary from market to market -- however, I know both Goodwill and The Salvation Army accepts such donations in the St. Louis area...

It isn't hard to do the title- you meet them at DMV with your paperwork, they pay you, and you sign it over to them. DMV=public place. Great for CL.

 

[tifany]

I worked for a school system that had an auto shop class. The class would accept cars and work on them throughout the school year. So, like in your situation, the car's transmission is out . . . the owner donates the car to the school and gets a voucher to use against their taxes as a charitable donation.

Then the class works on the car all year, gets it working, sales the car and the proceeds go back into the class/school for the next year.

There are also local agencies that will accept cars, repair them, and donate them to individuals in need of transportation that meet certain income criteria so that person can go back and forth to work.

 

[JennCa]

Thank you for the replies. I called around and it looks like a local recycler (junkyard type place for cars) has offered me $1000 so hopefully it will go according to plan when I drop it off. I have to have it towed to there which is todays job to figure that out. He offered to tow it for $100, but I can't imagine it really costs that much to tow it but I'll call around and see.

Jenn

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

My husband's 2000 Saturn just died and he plans to take it to the scrap yard and see what he can get for it. Right now, the motor is in pieces in the trunk. He said he would probably be able to get $300 for it. The junkyards around here will only give about $50 and I'm sure with the motor in the trunk in pieces nobody would take it as a trade.