Sell an Old Car or Donate

Updated on May 18, 2013
S.H. asks from Santa Barbara, CA
7 answers

So we trying to sell our car but I decided I do not feel safe meeting people to sell it (it has been really hard to coordinate and since i have small kids, I do not want to risk meeting a stranger like i would have done in my younger years to make the most money). Anyway our two options are to sell it to a used lot for around $2000 or donating and writing off $4500? We have a lot of receipts to justify at least this price, yet used car lots would never give it to us.

We do not 'need' the money, yet I have a new car and I do not want to continue to waste money maintaining it. I would love to have extra money, but if the tax break is better than I will choose that. Also, if anyone knows at what point the car is better to donate (for example if the lot says 'we'll give you $500' then I think donating would make sense, but is there an actual way to figure this out? Also, how do I determine the true value for tax purposes?

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So What Happened?

So I think after all the comments, I think the best business/financial decision would be for me to get out of my comfort zone and meet someone from craigslist at a bank during business hours. Really don't want to, but the other 2 options would be wasting money. The amount based of $4500 would be around $1400 return and that is if we get that value.

We sold it. the write-off would not make sense. Happy there is one less thing to take care of and fix.

@bug, Thanks for the CarMax idea. I just googled and there is one that is close.
@ osohapi, The bank is a great idea. Back when I sold a car myself (young and dumb) i would let the people test drive it with me in the car. i really think I do not want to deal with selling the car myself. I put it on craigslist and I have had a few emails, but now I am scared to meet up. I do know this will give me the most money in my pocket.
@zeldagirl, I had a place contact me to give the car to their charity for local young adults who need transportation. I was not thinking of donating until I got that email. You are correct. So i need to make sure I do not just give it away, or else i should just give it to a family member in need (just do not want to deal with drama if in a year the car needs maintenance and they can not afford it).
@Flame, the car can be sold for $4500 directly. I know the dealerships will never give me that much and i am guessing what they will give me. KBB has it for $5000. I am not here trying to commit fraud and I do not like being accused of it. If I choose to donate I believe the organization would inform me on the pro's and cons for my situation, I wrote an estimate for this question.

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.H.

answers from Phoenix on

If you donate the car, be sure to check what they are going to do with it. If they are going to use it, then it's worth the Kelly Blue Book value and you can write it off for that value. If they auction it off (which most places do now) you can only write off what they get off of it. That means the car may be worth $2000 but if they auction it off for $500, that's all you'll get.

We just went through this process ourselves and sold it instead. We got a lot more money than had we donated it.

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B..

answers from Dallas on

When my husband sold his own car, he met the person in public, like a bank parking lot during operating hours. THEN he met them at a bank, and the person got a cashiers check and made it out to him. They could also just withdraw the cash. I would NOT accept cash or any other payment, unless you do it from a bank.

Or, you could just sell you car to Car Max, if you have those out there. I know a few people who have and they got fair prices...without all the hassle.

3 moms found this helpful

O.H.

answers from Phoenix on

kbb.com is what tells you the value. You meet people at a public place. I always meet mine at the bank. That way, they can check to make sure the CASH is real before I accept it and if anything needs to be notarized, they do that too. Then I can deposit the cash right away and don't have to leave with it on me. They also have MAJOR security both inside and outside in the parking lot. We have never had a problem doing this buying and selling cars. Good luck.

3 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Unless you desperately need the cash I'd go for the tax write off. We are also in a high bracket and every little bit helps towards a nice refund.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D..

answers from Miami on

I've donated several cars to the Kidney Foundation. They make it so easy to donate. But I've only donated cars I've driven until they just won't go anymore without dumping a lot of money into them, and high mileage. They will tell you what the tax deduction is worth too, so that you won't make a mistake on your taxes.

I think that you have to decide if the tax break helps you more than what you'll be paid by selling it to a dealer or person. That would be a dollars and cents decision. OR decide to donate it or sell to a car place because it's a headache trying to sell it on Craigslist.

I have never sold to a person. Only to a car place. The last car I sold, which was last year, was to CarMax. I did get two other offers from dealersips, but CarMax offered me more, and they were SO easy to deal with! Less than an hour out of my day, and it was done. (The car was in good shape and not a beater, so it wouldn't have been a donation car...)

If you don't need the money so much, I would not deal with the Craiglist issue. It's a lot of hassle, in my view.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

❤.I.

answers from Albuquerque on

You might check around and see if you have any car consignment places. It's kind of like a lot dealership but they handle the sale and everything, you keep your car parked there. I'm sure you pay them some kind of fee but you don't have to meet up with people. You'll get more money by selling it to an individual than to a dealership since they'll just give you trade in value. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Um, why would you write off 4,500 if the car is only worth 2,000? It does not matter how much money you put in that car, it is only worth what you can get for it.

So do your calculations based on non-fraud figures.

If your charitable contributions jump by 4,500 dollars one year you will more than likely hit an exception report and the IRS will take a closer look. At that point you would have to prove someone paid 4,500 dollars for a car like yours in the same condition or whatever the charity would value it at.

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