Donate or Carmax???? (I need to get rid of old reliable)......

[redgtxdi]

So I'm about due for registration again & my conscience is telling me to pee or get off the pot deciding what to do.

I have a '95 Geo Prizm (basically a Toyota Corolla). It is a solid, reliable car but it's old, has 160,000 miles on it and......most importantly.....won't pass smog. It did a year ago only because the smog guy (a guy I've used a lot) really helped me out. It'll probably need an axle soon & steering rack has leaked since I bought it back in '05. (still drives fine, tho)

It's the oldest of my fleet & just 1 too many. (4 cars, 2 drivers).

Unless somebody has a better idea, I'm wanting suggestions between donating it or Carmax.

Thanks in advance!!!

EDIT: If I tried to sell it, it is the seller's responsibility to have it smogged again within a 90 day window of sale....no exceptions.

 

[7window]

why not sell it. never know

 

[jlee]

Axles for those are less than $50 each. A complete reman steering rack is less than $200 after core (seal kit is ~$40). If it won't pass smog it probably needs cats, or maybe something cheap and easy like spark plugs.

You can probably sell it for $1500-3000 depending on condition and market.

 

[redgtxdi]

But I also don't necessarily feel like doing all that mess. (Steering rack especially).

I'd guess at most it'll fetch $1,000 to $1,500 if it were in great shape. It's in good shape & has those probs.

Plus a cat ain't cheap!! The cat could cost more than the whole car! (tune up's been done, so all ignition, intake ,etc. are up to snuff)

 

[jlee]

Where are you? Check Craigslist - you might be surprised.

 

[Jimzz]

Put it on craigslist for $1500 and list everything it needs. I bet you will get a offer $1000 easy.

 

[redgtxdi]

So Cal. And, yes, I know however......if I sell it it MUST pass smog!! If it didn't need to pass smog, I'd put it up in a heartbeat.

And, no, you can't put the burden on the buyer.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

So Cal. And, yes, I know however......if I sell it it MUST pass smog!! If it didn't need to pass smog, I'd put it up in a heartbeat.

And, no, you can't put the burden on the buyer.

If you list out what it needs, that is not putting a burden on the buyer. He makes a choice to deal with the issues that your car has.

 

[styrafoam]

Do you have an emissions test listing what the cause of failure was? Maybe list it in some Arizona/ Nevada classifieds, ie sell it to someone who will title it out of state?.

Honestly though, a cat doesn't look too outrageous though considering how much you stand to make by selling the car-
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/s...ake=Toyota&model=Corolla&year=1995&vi=1275566

 

[BUTCH1]

First off Carmax won't go near a car that old even if it was perfect running condition, secondly find out what's causing the issue with the smog fail, if it's fixable for a reasonable amount get it repaired and sell it on CL, people know that is really a Corolla under the hood and it WILL sell for $1,500 easily once it's fixed..

 

[dud]

First off Carmax won't go near a car that old even if it was perfect running condition..

Ditto this. Even if the car were a 2010 with low miles and in pristine condition Carmax would offer you squat. My one (an only) experience with CM was insulting. I drove a mint car with 32,000 miles onto the lot ... and they offered me $4,500 for it. I sold it myself for considerably more.

 

[NutBucket]

As its pre-96 a cat for the car won't be terribly expensive as you don't need some special CARB approved BS as far as I know. And that's assuming the cat is the problem. A new cat might help it pass but I would doubt its the root cause.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Give to a local public tech school or high school that has automotive classes.

Gives kids experience in tearing down/into a vehicle and rebuilding it. Excellent warm fuzzy.

 

[redgtxdi]

And I should say, too, I bought it when I got mad at gas prices back in 05. I was driving a 12mpg F150 and went to a 25 mpg Prizm. Paid for itself rather quickly at only a $2K price tag back then.

I have no problem donating if the write off is worth anything.

Any idea Eagle Keeper on what the write off value is worth??

 

[NutBucket]

Now a days there's some sort of method used to compute write-off value. I'm sure a friendly CPA (or google search) can provide the answer.

 

[ProchargeMe]

www.kidney.org/support/kidneycars/

Donate it I say. There's a nationwide program where you can donate your old beater or whatever for people that need kidneys and can't afford it. It's called The Kidney Car Program here. Your pockets might not be lined afterwards but you do get a tax write off for it and you can make someone's day or life better!

 

[bruceb]

In this case, you are better off with donating it. At least you get an income tax deduction for it.

 

[Meghan54]

Any idea on what the write off value is worth??

According to the IRS pubs I've perused, the write off is fair market value, set by KBB, Edmunds, etc., and very dependent upon condition, etc.

No longer can you claim whatever you want.

Additionally, if the charity sells the vehicle for, say $500, then your write off is $500, nothing more.


Now, having said that, if the OP lived closer to me and the price was "reasonable" enough, I'd take it off his hands in a minute. But SC is just too darned far away to make it worthwhile.....or is it?

 

[EagleKeeper]

And I should say, too, I bought it when I got mad at gas prices back in 05. I was driving a 12mpg F150 and went to a 25 mpg Prizm. Paid for itself rather quickly at only a $2K price tag back then.

I have no problem donating if the write off is worth anything.

Any idea Eagle Keeper on what the write off value is worth??

According to the IRS pubs I've perused, the write off is fair market value, set by KBB, Edmunds, etc., and very dependent upon condition, etc.

No longer can you claim whatever you want.

Additionally, if the charity sells the vehicle for, say $500, then your write off is $500, nothing more.


Now, having said that, if the OP lived closer to me and the price was "reasonable" enough, I'd take it off his hands in a minute. But SC is just too darned far away to make it worthwhile.....or is it?

1) Unless you use the Schedule A form; you get no tax write off.

2) As to value
You can use KBB/Edmunds to determine the value of the car.
OF course it is in excellent condition ()
Take a snapshot of the page where the value is displayed for reference.

3) If you donate it to an organization and they resell it; you write off is the selling number of the car (as quoted from above)

4) If you donate to the school (as I indicated) you can use option #2.

 

[BUTCH1]

I still think OP should address the smog issue and sell it, anything Toyota or Honda brings in good $$, that's a $1,500 car around here all day long (but there is no vehicle inspection in FL)..

 

[jlee]

Do you know why it won't pass smog (i.e. visual or sniffer)? If you're gonna give it away, my little brother moved to Phoenix a few months ago and will need a car once he gets a job farther than walk/bike distance from where he lives.

 

[redgtxdi]

Visual's fine, it's the sniffer. Because it starts & runs great I'm really surprised that it doesn't pass especially since it's just a little 1.6 liter 4-cylinder that's probably barely bigger than my lawn mower's engine. But anywho.

It's the 1.6 / 3spd auto which is a gutless wonder but has nice, cold A/C, crank windows, etc. It's about as basic a "car" as you can get but that's also why I liked it.

So it sounds like donating to school is better than charity??

On the radio I hear these 2 commercials all the time.....

http://www.kars4kids.org/

http://www.cars4causes.net/car-donation-los-angeles-ca

 

[ultimatebob]

I don't think that Carmax will even accept cars that have more than 100,000 miles... Let alone one that wouldn't pass inspection.

I guess that you could sell it on Craigslist "as is, for parts" to get around the smog rule.

 

[WilliamM2]

Around here any car is worth $300 min. at the junkyard, more if it runs. I'm sure that's more than any tax write off you will get.

 

[tortillasoup]

BTW OP, you are legally allowed to sell a vehicle without a smog certificate. What you have to do is put the vehicle in planned non operation prior to selling the vehicle.

To be nice to the seller, you can offer driving the vehicle to their location, then going to the DMV, filing for PNO then selling the vehicle to the buyer. That's how you get out of smogging a vehicle in california before you sell it.


I would definitely try selling the vehicle on craigslist or giving it to me. Now that I think about it, I think the best course is to definitely should give it to me.