Can’t Get Rid of Your Old Junker?

Here are five ways to clear your driveway of that clunker without taxing the environment or your wallet.

By James Tate of MSN Autos

Click to enlarge picture

Just because you have no more use for your old ride doesn’t mean someone can’t make good use of it.

No two ways about it, Americans are holding on to their cars longer. According to a recent study by automotive industry analyst R. L. Polk & Co., the average life span for a motor vehicle in the United States is now 112.8 months. That means cars are staying on the road more than 12 months longer than a decade ago.

While the reasons Americans are keeping their tired old cars and trucks longer than ever before are varied — ranging from fluctuating gas prices to uncertainty about the future of U.S. auto manufacturers — there is one common thread. “Customers are delaying purchases of new vehicles because their discretionary income has fallen,” says Dave Goebel, a consultant with Polk.

Although we know times are tough and money is tight, there is one problem with keeping your car longer: What do you do with the old clunker when you can’t bear to spend any more money on it? Dealers aren’t exactly jumping at the chance to accept trade-ins that have enough miles on the odometer to have driven to the moon and back. Neither are private buyers. But that doesn’t mean you simply have to dump it in a dirty old junkyard and further stress Mother Earth.

Here are five ways to send your old car on its way that will keep your environmental conscience and driveway clear.

1. Make a charity-specific donation
Most charities accept automobile donations no matter what its condition — just call and ask. Usually, towing is free or inexpensive, and you get a tax-deductible voucher for the book value of your car. After the charity of your choice scoops up what’s left of your prized vehicle, it will usually either try to repair the car well enough to sell, or it will sell the hunk of metal for scrap.

For example, Kidney Cars will happily accept cars, trucks, vans and boats as charitable donations. According to its Web site, the National Kidney Foundation uses any money realized from your vehicle for everything from public education to medical research. And here’s the best part: If it happens to earn more on the sale than the value of your voucher, you’ll get another receipt for the full amount of the deduction. Remember, the newer your car and the better its condition, the larger the write-off.

Some charities may refuse to accept a vehicle that doesn’t run, while others will accept cars and trucks no matter what their condition. Either way, charity-specific donations are a win-win for everyone involved.

2. Make a general donation
If your favorite charity isn’t interested in taking a broken-down auto off your hands, you can still turn the heap into a donation. There are hundreds of organizations all over the country that will pick up your car free of charge, sell or scrap it, and then give the proceeds of the sale to any charity you choose. The best part is you still get the tax deduction, just like in a charity-specific donation, and you are contributing to a cause you care about. There are as many Web sites dedicated to helping you donate your old car as there are reasons you want to get rid of it.

 http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1059746&page=0

http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009905070319

ST. GEORGE - This week, when so many Americans are spinning their wheels trying to think of the perfect Mother’s Day gift, the National Kidney Foundation wants to remind of a unique gift - you know the broken car she’s been begging you to get out of her driveway? Donate it to Kidney Kars.

Towing is free, and it’s tax deductible.

Your Kidney Kars donation will honor Mom by giving her back the garage! Funds raised through Kidney Kars benefit Utah programs of medical research, patient services, organ donation and public education. You may also find yourself in the express lane for a tax deduction.

Every day, 110 Americans choose the National Kid-ney Foundation’s Kidney Kars Program. Vehicles are sold either at auction or for parts, with 83 percent of the proceeds supporting the programs of the National Kidney Foundation of Utah.

For more information, or to donate your car, van, truck or boat, call (800) TOW-KARS (869-5277) or donate online at www.towkars.org.

Dear Kidney Foundation,  On behalf of my mother, I would like to thank you and the donors who help pay for the programs you provide to kidney patients.  I don’t know if anyone who doesn’t have kidney failure truly understands how much stress even the smallest help can alleviate. The Kidney Foundation’s help to my mother and I lifts a grave burden from our shoulders.  We are so very thankful there are such caring people in your Foundation.  People like this are very hard to find now days.  My words can’t really express how I feel and a simple thank you is all I can offer.  But if I ever become rich, believe me, the Kidney Foundation will be the first on my list to ‘give-back’.  Thanks again for your help.

–Hazel and Terry G, Salt Lake City, UT

We’d like to express our appreciation for the help with travel costs we received from the National Kidney Foundation of Utah.  Living 240 miles from the Kidney Care Center is difficult, but with your help I can receive the car I need to keep my transplanted kidney healthy.  Thank you.  P. Simon.

I recently received a grant to help pay my heating cost.  Words are not big enough to express my gratitude!  I have survived 38 years of CKD, dialysis and tranpslants.  I almost did not survive losing my job as a dialysis center social worker.  I was devistated.   The grant you provided got me through a couple of months until I can get another job.  The grant was a life-saver!  Because you paid my heat, I could pay for my medications.  Words are inadequite to say thank you Kidney Foundation.  T. Murdock.

Dear Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho, 

This letter is to say thank you for the love and support that you have given to our family.  We don’t have anything to give or show you how much we appreciate your help during this very trying time.  We ask Heavenly Father to bless the work that you do for those who really need your help.  Again, we thank you. 

T. Netane & family.

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705294344,00.html

Published: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 5:31 p.m. MDT

Deseret News –  By James Davis

OREM — Giving part of himself has gone a long way for a Utah County restaurant owner.

Last fall, Marcus Gilbert donated one of his kidneys to 17-year-old Juan Delgado, who worked Gilbert’s Orem Charley’s Grilled Subs franchise. Since then, the corporate offices of the sandwich chain have adopted the National Kidney Foundation as the corporation’s charity of choice.

On Tuesday, Gilbert presented American Kidney Foundation of Utah and Idaho CEO Deen Vetterli with a check for $10,000 in behalf of the Charley’s Grilled Subs corporation. The donation is a result of a company-wide fundraising event in February, during which Charley’s set aside a portion of the sales of every one of the restaurant’s top-selling Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches up to $10,000.

“Initially, our goal was just to help Juan and his family out,” said Gilbert, who owns Charley’s franchises in Orem and Layton. “He had medical bills, and we wanted to raise some money to help them meet those expenses.”

That goal certainly snowballed. While both were recovering in the hospital in October, Charley’s Grilled Subs founder and CEO Charley Shin showed up with a check for $10,000 to help cover Delgado’s medical expenses, which are expected to exceed $100,000.

Since then, Charley’s franchises around the country have put out collection canisters to help Delgado, as well as to raise money for the National Kidney Foundation.

“It speaks for itself what a great humanitarian thing this is to do,” Vetterli said. “One of the main goals of the National Kidney Foundation is, of course, to promote organ donation.”

Vetterli said the $10,000 donation will be put directly toward supporting the foundation’s programs.

The National Kidney Foundation offers patient services for those who suffer with diseases of the kidney — from emergency financial assistance to medication and transportation. The foundation in Utah and Idaho also gives away as many as 20 educational scholarships annually to deserving patients who want to become self-sufficient, she said.

The National Kidney Foundation will also use the donation for medical research programs through the University of Utah to study the cause, treatment and prevention of kidney disease. Finally, the money will help to educate the public on kidney disease and on donation awareness.

One of the foundation’s efforts is the Good Samaritan program, through which people donate kidneys out of a desire to serve.

“There are many, many stories throughout Utah and Idaho where there are more and more people donating kidneys on a Good Samaritan basis,” Vetterli said, “which is really quite remarkable.”

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/304540/17/

From left, National Kidney Foundation of Utah and Idaho CEO Deen Vetterli, Charley’s Grilled Subs franchise owner Marcus Gilbert, Charley’s employee Juan Delgado, and Charley’s Marketing Director Betsy Wright stand for the media in front of Charley’s Grilled Subs at the University Mall in Orem Tuesday, March 31, 2009. Charley’s corporate offices donated $10,000 to the National Kidney Foundation Tuesday. Gilbert donated a kidney to his employee Delgado in September 2008.

Kidney donation to Orem boy spurs others to help

March 17, 2009

Ms. Vetterli,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appreciates the significant role you and your organization play in meeting the basic and special needs of those within Salt Lake City and surrounding areas.  As dedicated leaders you are providing hope and comfort through your services, making a significant difference in the lives of those in need throughout the community.On behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please accept our gratitude for your tireless efforts and the endless care you provide each day.  Many lives are greatly blessed because of your kindness and generosity.  Thank you for all you do.Sincerely yours, The Presidency of the Seventy 

My name is Terry.  I am the son of Hazel who goes to the Kidney Center in Pocatello.  My mother and I would like to thank you, and and all the corporate and private donors, that make helping people like us through tough times possible.  The Kidney Foundation’s help has made it easier and less stressful to handle our situation. I’d also like to thank our social worker at the Kidney Center for his help. Without you guys, I don’t know where my mother would be.  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  Sincerely,  Terry & Hazel.