hornyleprechaun

I should be buying a new car this Friday, since my 97' CL is in bad shape. I'd be thrilled to get $500 from the dealer. I was thinking of donating it to a charity and just writing it off on my taxes. Has anyone done this before? Are there requirements for the car?

03SSMTL-S

first use it in a crash derby then give it away

CocheseUGA

Try here:

http://www.tommynobiscenter.org/dvehicle.aspx

Moog-Type-S

I donated a car to the Salvation Army about 10 years ago.

It was in driving condition.

It varies by charity, some want only drivable cars while others don't care.

The rules for how much you can deduct have changed over the years.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

I did in 2004. Donated my '89 Corolla that was in perfect running order.

Just estimate how much its worth, take pictures for your tax records (inside and out, including the engine (after you clean it of course)), and then donate away!

hornyleprechaun

Yeah I just did some researching. My car is in working order, just needs a lot of maintenance repairs, which I don't want to do.

Looks like I'll just take the $500 if the dealer offers me anything. Otherwise cash for clunkers is getting a call!

agean

Be careful. We donated my grandmothers car in the 90's. I think it was salvation army, could be wrong. It turned up abandoned in Philly a few years later and they traced the VIN back to us, tried to get towing / storage fees & fines from us. We produced all the donation records, and still it took us several years of bs before the whole thing was resolved.

Make sure you keep very detailed records of the donation and all vehicle markings.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

I would see out the Cash for Clunkers idea first, because it puts more money into your pocket.

TzarChasm

There was an issue donating my grandmothers car too. The people who took it (don't remember who) never re-registered it, just gave it to someone, who it seems just put stolen plates on it, and used it for dealing drugs. Eventually got traced back to my grandmother. It was not a big problem, but the police did try to encourage her to report it as stolen, apparently so they could add another charge on the guy.

CocheseUGA

The other problem you might run into is that you'll get a tax bill come registration time if they don't title it. Took me three tries to get the county to figure out I sold a car once since the guy never titled it.

madcaps

iTrader: (1)

About 8 years ago, I donated an integra that I had to Father Joes. It had mechanical problems and no registration, they picked it up and shortly after I got the paperwork for my taxes. If I remember correctly it ended up being a $1500 write off, and believe me the car wasn't worth that much. Just make sure you release liability with the DMV and nothing should come back and bite you in the ass.

Rapture

I donated my old 94 Ford Taurus to charity. The car still got from point A to point B with no problem at all. Only problems were a broken blower for the AC and the engine made an annoying noise (I guess it was something knocking against the fan?)

I donated it to a place that is kind of a rescue mission type of place. They teach people how to fix up cars and such, so they took it with no problem whatsoever.

Funniest part is that about 4 months later someone down the street from me bought it....

rza49311

iTrader: (1)

I vaguely remember a guy putting a post on craigslist telling people he was giving his car away and the family that needed it most would get it. You can do that then post all replies in a thread here and the zine shall decide who gets it

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

We donated my wife's old car in 2005. Forget who we donated it to, but it was a pretty smooth transaction. Think they gave us $750 credit for it...

jupitersolo

+1, To Boy Scouts, I looked at blue book and checked local sales to get value. But that was over 10 yrs ago. IRS has tighten up on what you can actually claim. I've heard it's the amount of what the charity gets once they sell it.


Some will not mess with a car that not messing with. They don't want a lot of work.

lazytik

I donated my 94 Grand Prix to a local organization...they didn't care if it ran or not. I didn't even bother writing it off.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

My dad donated his 1983 GMC S15 truck in 2003 when he bought a new truck. He says he donated it to Make-a-Wish Foundation but he isn't sure.

hornyleprechaun

Yeah will just see what the dealer offers.. I think I could get $500 off craigslist to some pizza delivery guy.. It's a functional car, but just has a lot of cosmetics and some mechanical issues.

Aman

Private party > Dealer

WdnUlik2no

Yup, I donated my 98 Escort to Tommy Nobis last December. It was sitting in my driveway for about a year while I contemplated getting it fixed or just selling it to a junkyard for $50. It still ran, but had a couple of problems making it unsafe for the road. (bad heater core, and possibly needed a new ECU).

Someone in the neighborhood finally reported the car sitting in the driveway and the cops came by and gave me a warning. I decided to donate it as I wasn't taking $50 bucks for it and I figured it would do much more good in charity. The car eventually sold at auction and I got a receipt of the sale, but it didn't tell me how much it sold for. The sheet said I could write off $500, so that's what I'm going to do.

The process is pretty simple, I called them up and they took some information like the VIN, Make/Model and Mileage. They didn't seem to care really about the condition and only asked if the tires were inflated and still had the battery. A tow truck came by a few days later to pick it up. I had to fill out some additional paper work, and that was it. They took the car and I got a confirmation of the sale at auction a couple of weeks later.

bigcraneman

Make sure your paperwork is in order. I donated one with a clean title with ease, but when I tried to donate a car that somebody gave to me, with a sketchy title, the charity wouldn't touch it.

SouthernBoy

Since you would no longer hold title, just tell them to pound sand. You cannot be held accountable for something which is not your property.

SouthernBoy

Yes, I have a few times. Use Kelly Blue Book or Edmunds.com and the fair market price of the car for your taxes, don't estimate its value. Make sure you keep your receipts and make copies. It's a simple transaction.

SouthernBoy

Depending upon the state you're in, this is a simple thing to avoid... at least it is in Virginia. When you transfer a car, you send your registration back to the county or state indicating this and they remove the requisite information from their records for you.

hornyleprechaun

Nothing is simple when dealing with the GA government..

SouthernBoy

You know, I think you're right about this with just about any governmental agency. Those clowns work for us at our pleasure and bidding and they never seem to understand that.

Legend2TL

I believe that's also true for MD.

I've donated a 86 Integra and 89 Legend back in 2002 and 2004 before they changed the tax law in 2005 that made you donate the actual value the charity gets for the donated car. Had no problems with either donation, took pictures (both cars were in very good running condition).


Although I've heard some folks getting around that law with some charities having a loophole?