How To Ditch Your Clunker

If you want to speed the process up, you can call local junk or salvage yards and tell them that you have a car you’re interested in selling. They’ll ask you about vehicle condition then offer you a price for it. If possible, you should call multiple junk yards for estimates to find the yard that will give you the most. In some cases, this process can count as a tax deduction.

There are also services that will pay cash to pick your car up and scrap it and in many cases they will be better at squeezing more out of the car than you would be able to alone.

Donating your car is another option. Charities can take operable and inoperable cars and find a way to turn them into something positive. For example, Habitat for Humanity takes a donated car to a salvage yard where re-usable parts are removed and recycled, while the rest of the car is recycled into steel that will be used in the creation of new homes.

“Habitat for Humanity accepts donations of any vehicle with a lien-free title, including boats, RVs, trucks, pickups and motorcycles, through its national car donation program, Cars for Homes,” Habitat for Humanity spokesperson Angela Giles said. “Proceeds from the sale of vehicle donations benefit local Habitat affiliates, helping them to build, rehabilitate and repair homes with families in need of affordable housing.”

Giles pointed out a few restrictions, they can’t just take everyones junk. “Cars for Homes accepts any vehicle as long as it is whole with no missing parts and has four inflated tires so it can be towed,” she said. “Mobile homes and wooden boats are generally not accepted.”

Vehicle donations are eligible as a tax deduction. While you might not get as much cash, you can get something far more sentimental. “Donors also get the satisfaction of knowing that revenue generated from their donation is used in their local communities to help Habitat build, renovate or repair homes in partnership with low-income families,” Giles said.

Finally, check out the Automotive Recycler’s Association (ARA) to learn about what is involved in trashing your old car in an environmentally responsible manner. Recycling your car, rather than sending it to a junk yard is a guilt-free option that won’t tax our natural resources like landfill space and air quality.

The ARA says that each year it saves an estimated 85 million barrels of oil that would have been used in the manufacturing of new or replacement parts by recycling cars instead of trashing them completely.

Additionally, automotive recyclers follow strict regulations on dealing with waste generated by salvaged automobiles. Cars, even they are not working, are full of hazardous materials that need to be disposed of properly in order to reduce harm to the environment.

The ARA’s website can direct you to approved companies that will dismantle and recycle your vehicle safely and responsibly.

Although the lucrative “Cash for Clunkers” stimulus program is officially dead, these options are still viable ways of helping you get rid of your car while feeling productive.