# Has anyone donated a car to charity?



## eulogy (Oct 29, 2011)

I guess the question is what sort of value do they give you for your car (tax receipt).

I want to sell my car, but I'm having a really hard time with it. I hate the process so much. With all the low balling, sitting around waiting for people to look at the car, the meaningless chit chat, the time to invest in the process. This idea has popped into my head.

Though my car works, runs fine and definitely under priced for the amount of KMs. But the car is from out east and has rust on it, which obviously is a trouble sign for any buyer. And I get that. It just makes the process of selling more tedious and depressing.

Being the first car I'm trying to get rid of, what do you think I should do?


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## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

Consider donating it to the Canadian Kidney Foundation - http://www.kidney.ca/kidneycar
The web site gives you the details...
They'll give you a tax receipt - the website says that to determine the value of the tax receipt, "Donation value tax receipts are reflective of automotive recycling market conditions which vary. However if you feel your vehicle is worth more please contact your local Kidney Car Hotline and they will be able to give you a location to take your vehicle to to have it appraised for a tax receipt value."


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

eulogy said:


> I
> Though my car works, runs fine and definitely under priced for the amount of KMs. But the car is from out east and has rust on it, which obviously is a trouble sign for any buyer. And I get that. It just makes the process of selling more tedious and depressing.
> 
> Being the first car I'm trying to get rid of, what do you think I should do?


Call a charity and give them a description of the car. They will be able to haul it away for free and give you a minor (probably $100 or less) tax receipt.
As far as scrap prices at the auto recyclers..and you would have to drive it there, take the plates off and sign over the owner ship to them...
*



What is the current price for automotive scrap car bodies?
Scrap Metal prices for car bodies is around $250 per ton. In addition, the catalytic converters and rims are also worth money.

Click to expand...

*if you have a small compact..probably that;s about all you can expect..a Cadillac may fetch up to $500. Just to prove this point, if you trade in a 10 year old car on a new one at the dealers,
they will allow you $500 "crusher price" for it.


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## jcgd (Oct 30, 2011)

I got a tax recipt for something like $48 on my Toyota turcel. It was scrap, didn't run.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

jcgd said:


> I got a tax recipt for something like $48 on my Toyota turcel. It was scrap, didn't run.


Was that at the auto recyclers (crusher) or with a charity that hauled it away for free?
If you are dealing with a charity, don't expect much, as they have to call a tow truck and usually a flat bed to winch it onto the flat bed.

I don't think they would trust to haul it on a hook, as the tires and other things on the old car may not be roadworthy, so that tow call costs some money to the
charity as well. The charity wants to make something from the scrap metal as well..so by the time you are done..the tax receipt will be minimal if any.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

IIRC, I got a $117 tax receipt from the kidney foundation for my old '81 VW Rabbit a few years back. Didn't care about the price really, it's a good cause and they towed it away for free. 

If you're mainly interested in getting the maximum amount, without selling it that is, driving it to the autowrecker will net you the most. Call a few places as their prices will vary.


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## Sammi (Nov 12, 2013)

Im looking at doing the same with a running 1993 Toyota Corolla. Pretty decent shape, no major rust with pretty low mileage 180,000km


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## eulogy (Oct 29, 2011)

Sounds like I'm not going to get much of a tax receipt. My car works fine and I use it. I think I'm just going to list it very low, maybe that'll cut down on the need to chit chat and deal with inconsistent people. Just hand my some money and go away!


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## jcgd (Oct 30, 2011)

carverman said:


> Was that at the auto recyclers (crusher) or with a charity that hauled it away for free?
> If you are dealing with a charity, don't expect much, as they have to call a tow truck and usually a flat bed to winch it onto the flat bed.
> 
> I don't think they would trust to haul it on a hook, as the tires and other things on the old car may not be roadworthy, so that tow call costs some money to the
> charity as well. The charity wants to make something from the scrap metal as well..so by the time you are done..the tax receipt will be minimal if any.


It was the Kidney Foundation. In retrospect, I think I probably ripped them off. The alternative for me was to pay to have it towed away.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

eulogy said:


> Sounds like I'm not going to get much of a tax receipt. My car works fine and I use it. I think I'm just going to list it very low, maybe that'll cut down on the need to chit chat and deal with inconsistent people. Just hand my some money and go away!


If the car is running and doesn't need any repairs, you can sell it "AS IS-WHERE IS". Rust on fenders is not usually a show stopper for safety check..but any rust in floor or on exhaust system IS.

If you and the potential buyer agree on a price, *remove your plates on your driveway* before they pick up your car, and sign over the transfer part of the ownership..otherwise you ARE RESPONSIBLE for any accidents or other issues with the vehicle until the ownership is changed over by the new buyer. Cancel the insurance as soon as the YOUR PLATES are removed.
DO NOT assume that the buyer will change over the vehicle ownership in a timely manner. 

If they have no way to get the vehicle home, then you can drive it over for them and take your plates off in their driveway and get a ride home with a friend.


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## eulogy (Oct 29, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. I definitely won't have them driving off with my plates. 

I just hate how long it is taking me to get rid of this car. Like, the car works and everything, but I'm selling it because I barely use it. But,,, people... and their games... It seems like a deal is the only way to get rid of anything on Kijiji or anywhere.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

eulogy said:


> Thanks for the advice. I definitely won't have them driving off with my plates.
> 
> I just hate how long it is taking me to get rid of this car. Like, the car works and everything, but I'm selling it because I barely use it. But,,, people... and their games... It seems like a deal is the only way to get rid of anything on Kijiji or anywhere.


If it's advertised on Kiijji, expect 9 out of 10 "bites" on your ad to be time wasters. If you really want to get rid of it fast..offer it for free and have them deal with getting the car off your property.


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## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

When I sold my beater, I parked it on a busy street (where sections of parking were free - preferably near an intersection) and put two large "For sale" signs in the front and back windshields. When people drive to work, they see it, and you'll get calls of interest. This way, interested buyers can see it and evaluate - the only tme they'll call it to bargain a price, or test drive.


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## eulogy (Oct 29, 2011)

Well I want to reiterate the car isn't a beater. I *should* be able to get $2500-$3000 for it, based on the KMs and shape it's in. It's a good little car, fully working, no mechanical issues (a few cosmetic things need to be fixed... or lived with). It's the process of getting rid of it that I'm finding quite irritating and time consuming. I've put it up two separate times to sell, and just gave up and decided to just use it because I can get far more value out of driving it than selling it.

The problem I have is that I end up spending more on insuring the car for a year than I'll spend on gasoline to use it. I live close to work, so most of the time I just ride my bicycle or walk.

I'm just thinking, I should just get rid of it. Just suck it up. List it on the cheap side for $1500 or something and have someone take it with minimal BS. I would like to get a fair deal for it, but I'm less and less confident of such a thing happening.


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## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

eulogy - I was in a similar situation. I had 1998 toyota corolla that we cared for and doted on - we had all of the maintenance records, spare tires, the works. It was in very good mechancial condition - the motor was good, but the suspension was so-so. (We needed an upgrade to accomodate bigger kids etc). Initially I put the car on Craigslist and Kijiji, and went through the same and bigger travel plans. It had around 180Km on it as well - but no AC, and stripped down (few accessesories) inside. I was asking $2800 intially for it because the motor was in good condition, no rust, tires inclded etc. I did all of the meeting, greeting, test driving etc that you alluded to in your post as time-consuming.

I ended up selling the car for 2100 cash to an older man who wanted a car that had 4-6 yr left in it. I wouldn't list it for 1500 - but I would suggest $2500, or so, and include a trailer like "all reasonable offers considered". Just my opinion. Good luck - it'll sell.


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## eulogy (Oct 29, 2011)

Thanks for the comment. I think the last time I listed the car, it was at $2800. Minimal bites, mostly slack jaws that wanna take a look, but that's all I got from them. Maybe $2000 is a good number to start with. It's just one of those things I'd like to get over with. The longer it drags on, the more irritating it becomes.


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## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

some buyers will go on site like this one http://www.vmrcanada.com/canada_makes.htm to determine the expected amount for resale. You may want to have a look to see if your price is close to the one on this site...


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## eulogy (Oct 29, 2011)

$4250 wholesale, $5875 retail... and obviously subtract the fixes that need to be done.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

Don't expect to get much for your car from a charity. The examples quoted are likely where the charity has immediately received money for the car from a scrap dealer, at no overhead cost to them.

You claim to not like the hastle of trying to sell it for its FMV. But you want a charity to give you a receipt for the FMV, and then absorb the subsequent cost (and hastle) of trying to sell it themselves, using the time of their paid staff. Why would they do it? And charities have to be very careful about giving out receipts for goods as opposed to cash. It's an open invitation to CRA to audit their books, because too many games can be played with appraisals.


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## eulogy (Oct 29, 2011)

I don't expect a charity to give me fair market value. I do expect to get something close to the net value that they get out of it, which would be fair. So if they spend $500 in labor costs to sell a car, taxes, etc for $1000, I expect to get $500 tax receipt. It was merely a question about what you would get and not an expectation. Not sure where that impression came from.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

Fine, so you don't expect them to give you a receipt for FMV. But I repeat that charities are not in the business of conducting consignment sales for your convenience. Try a pawn shop or the used car dealers in your area.

PS - You've already established what the FMV is - next to nothing. You have a pre-conceived notion that it should be "worth" more, but property is only "worth" what people are willing to pay for it.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

OhGreatGuru said:


> Fine, so you don't expect them to give you a receipt for FMV. But I repeat that charities are not in the business of conducting consignment sales for your convenience. Try a pawn shop or the used car dealers in your area.
> 
> PS - You've already established what the FMV is - next to nothing. You have a pre-conceived notion that it should be "worth" more, but property is only "worth" what people are willing to pay for it.


Yup! If you can drive it to an auto crusher junkyard..(not a car recycle yard that may be able to use some parts) it's.$100 to $250 a ton..take it or leave it. They will weigh it on their scale and subtract tires maybe. 
(see cars we buy). So unless you happen own "Goldfinger's Bently) don't expect to get what you think it's worth.
http://www.cashforcarscanada.com/?gclid=CMiKi6eqk74CFcU-Mgodwl0AGg


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## eulogy (Oct 29, 2011)

OhGreatGuru said:


> Fine, so you don't expect them to give you a receipt for FMV. But I repeat that charities are not in the business of conducting consignment sales for your convenience. Try a pawn shop or the used car dealers in your area.
> 
> PS - You've already established what the FMV is - next to nothing. You have a pre-conceived notion that it should be "worth" more, but property is only "worth" what people are willing to pay for it.


You're really trying to assume things I never said, implied or even thought. I can't think of a reason why, but okay. Thanks for your constructive thoughts.


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