My car is in my office parking garage, it has not started since last Wednesday. It has a pretty bad gas leak, which I had fixed last year, but it eventually started smelling like gas again late last year, and I didn't want to pour another $600-800 into a car already on its last legs, with significant engine problems and lots of wear and tear body-wise. It needs an oil change, about 5K miles since the last one, but the couple places I've taken it to refused to work on it because of the smell of gas. My dad, who has worked on it extensively over the years, thinks I could maybe get $500 max for the car, with all its problems, and considering it's currently stuck in a parking garage, he advised donating it and just telling them to come haul it off. I really wouldn't mind getting a few hundred dollars for it, to help with a down payment on my next car, but it would likely cost a few hundred dollars just to tow it somewhere, or have a mechanic come look at it in the parking garage. Basically, my car doesn't work and I don't want to spend any more money fixing it. 2002 sable btw. I'm in no huge hurry, I like walking and public transport just fine, so I'm taking my time to get a good deal on a newer car. I am wondering though what the best course of action would be for my current car, if it is even worth trying to sell for parts. It's not actively leaking on the ground but the smell of gas is very strong, it's been running rough for a couple years now and there are several dents and scratches, the front of the car is crunched in a bit and the inner lining on the doors is falling apart. It's fug as ****, but it still ran until last week. Any car gurus have any advice? Should I just call to have someone haul it off or is it worth trying to see what I can get? Is it worth it to pay for a diagnosis to try and get it to run?
When my old Taurus finally bit the dust back in 2011 I used some kind of online site that gave me a quote of around $300 for it, then a truck came out the next day, handed me the cash and hauled it away.
was it peddle by any chance? I just tried and it gave me a $210 quote. if it's running, they'd give me $220. LOL, yeah I think my best bet, to sell, will be one of these companies.
thanks for the help, y'all. I've decided to take a couple hundred and use one of the companies that will come get it.
Best bet. Mine would run, but had a couple major issues. I wanted a couple hundred more than what the scrap wanted. I wasted too much time with people coming to check it out and deciding it was too much work, even though I clearly stated all the problems. I took my 250 and was done with it.
Those cars are pieces of ****. I'd get rid of it by any means possible. It may be worthwhile, depending on the type of person you are (how you get your jollies), to tow it someplace to use it for target practice and to generally blow up.
You can only deduct for what it sells for. E.g. $250. And based on your tax rate 10% you only benefit $25.
I used this local charity and they got quite alot more than I though the car was worth when they sold it. http://www.heartforgiving.org/ Operation Fallen Hero provides help and support for the families left behind when brave military heroes sacrifice their lives, and for those personnel who are seriously injured serving our country. While most charities still utilize wholesale auto auctions almost exclusively, Giving Heart of America's Managed Donation Program utilizes a network of retail dealers who have agreed to sell our donated vehicles directly to the public at retail prices. That sale price then becomes the limit of your tax deduction (see Current Tax Law) and it can be more than what you would have previously claimed as a fair market value. The proceeds to charitable work are proportionately increased as well.
Question for those that sold your car to a junkyard. Do they require the car title when they bought it? I have a car sitting in my driveway that hasn't run in a couple of years. I was going to get it fixed but now I'm thinking about selling it to one of those U Pull It junkyards. I don't have the title for it so I'm not sure if that would be a problem.
