Donate Your Car

Lamborgini, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Chevrolet, and many more; all conjure up images of dream machines that one would like to possess. Cars have always been an integral part of ones lifestyle and indicators of the status quo.

If given a chance we would like to change and upgrade our wheelies every year or once in two years. Generally the car that we change is passed on to other family members or sold of in flea markets. Why not do something more useful and satisfying with it??

The answer to this is Car Donation. They are a good way to support a charity, get rid of your old car and also save tax in the deal. This way you can help by donating your car and also benefit through it. 

Many charity organizations have started accepting cars, trucks, vans, boats, and even small planes, processing them to obtain money or help the needy. This way Car Donation serves a dual purpose and is a win-win situation for both the parties concerned.

Determine the vehicle you need to donate. Charities accepting car donations accept anything from cars to trucks, motor homes, motorcycles, farm equipment, vans, boats, and recreational vehicles such as snowmobiles, jet skis, etc. The vehicle need not be in a running condition for it to be donated. It can be an old vehicle but the cost has to justify the cost of towing involved. If the towing cost is more than the money received through the sale or auction of the vehicle then it might not be accepted. Some organizations have a rule of accepting cars only which were manufactured before a particular year and are in an operational condition.  However, Acceptance depends on factors like the model, current condition, engine type, make and year of manufacture of the vehicle.

Check out websites or call up charities in your neighborhood to understand their process of car donations. Many organizations have online forms that need to be completed and then they would get back with a response. The response time can vary from 24 hours to a week depending on the location of the charity you have chosen to donate your vehicle to.

Once the donation has been confirmed by the charity, they would arrange for a pickup of the car within 24 hours to 5 days. They would instruct the local tow company to tow off your car depending on your convenience and time availability. Generally the vehicle is towed away by a professionally licensed, bonded and insured company and there is no tow fee to be paid Incase you would not be present when the tow trailer comes; you can talk to the person concerned for instructions on the procedure, title papers, key and tow receipts. It is advisable to be there when the vehicle is picked up so that misunderstandings and paperwork hassles in the future are avoided. After the car is towed, you will receive a tow receipt for the same for your records.

The car needs to be registered under the donor’s title for the charity to accept the Car Donation. Depending on the legal laws governing the state you reside in some organizations also require the cars smog certificate to accept the donation. In circumstances where you have lost the title deeds a duplicate needs to be obtained for the processing of the Car Donation.

The donor determines the Market value of the car depending on the car’s condition and informs the charity on the same. The car is then auctioned by the charity or sold for scrap.

The donor then receives an acknowledgement from the charity on the value his car has been sold for and also the IRS Form 1098 B & C for tax purposes if applicable.  If the value of the vehicle is over $500, then you would receive the certificate and if it’s sold for below then an acknowledgment is sent for the IRS.

For example if the donor decides on $1500 as the “Fair Market Value” of his car and the car is sold for $1000, then the donor can only deduct $1000 as the car’s price. But if the car is give in charity to a disadvantaged person, struggling family or another charity institution then the donor can deduct the complete “Fair Market Value” of $1500 for his car. 

Selling Woes: No need to worry about the selling hassles involved with the sale of the vehicle. No unwanted ads to be given, no calls to be picked up, no negotiations to be done, no Motor Vehicles paperwork or Smog hassles to be taken care of.

Free Tow: The vehicle is picked up for free by the charity one is donating to, irrespective of the fact that the car is in a working condition or not. Thus the tow fee is waved off and the vehicle also is cleared from ones premises.

Tax Benefit:  The tax law states that Non-Cash Charitable Donations or vehicle donations are tax deductible. Thus the IRS [Internal Revenue Service] allows the taxpayer to claim a tax deduction if the value of the vehicle donated is above $500 when donated or sold. Donating a car can make one qualify for such deductions and save on tax. 
Qualify for an IRS tax deduction.

Social Responsibility: Since one cant afford to donate in cash often to charities, this is an easier and less expensive way to do so. The satisfaction that arrives from giving is immense.

Car Donations should be encouraged and implemented as they serve as an alternative source of income for many charitable organizations.

[ Disclaimer : This is a work of friction. ]

Once upon a time, there was a boy name … we need to name him….. hmmmm….. how about ‘Joe’.

 Joy had a Old Car, which was a gift from his grand-father on his 16th B’day.

The car was a 1970′s .. i think a 1973 ‘Datsun Laurel 200 L coupe ‘ or something similar. [ Click here for a file picture ].

[ Other large collection of Datsun Car Images can be found here ].

Lets get back to the story, so as i mentioned before Joe our guy, had a 197o’s Datsun which he recieved on his 16th birthday form his Grand Father.

Do we need to name his grand father ? i guess not… ok.. lets continue…

So, Joe lived in …. lets say …. ATLANTA.