Listen to this bullshit. I own a 2000 Toyota Celica that drives but has a check engine light on so I hookup with a local charity for donation. So they contract with some vehicle auction folks who tell me they’ll call me an hour before they’ll be here to pickup the car. No call no show

I’ve only donated a car once, but it was to the order of the Purple Heart. They showed up on time, with a tow truck, and took the car

quote:

Originally posted by Kevbo:
I’ve only donated a car once, but it was to the order of the Purple Heart. They showed up on time, with a tow truck, and took the car

This is what I expected. It’s a FREE car. The fuck you want to screw that up?

 
I wanted to donate a '56 Chevy 210 wagon to the local school system's shop. Drove it for 12 years as daily driver, but acquired other cars more suited for commuting and had no more room for it, plus I figured I could get a good appraisal and tax deduction. I had it professionally appraised for $3,700, which was not any value for a collector car, but this was not a real collector model, either. It was in pretty good shape. So I called, and the secretary at the shop donations office said they did not accept cars more than 10 (15?) years old, so I said thanks, bye. 5 minutes later, the head of the shop called me back and said he would be right over with the paperwork. And I did get a nice tax refund that year. The appraisal was to document the deduction for the IRS.
 

First time we donated, the tow truck did about $1,000 damage to the lawn by driving over it rather than waiting for me to move the car a few feet.

Second time, we got a call from the Chicago Police about two weeks after donating, the stripped shell (with VIN, of course) was abandoned on the street.

The second time was actually less trouble, since CPD had many similar situations and just had it hauled to a real junk yard.

We never got compensated for the lawn damage from the first donation.

Third time? Over my dead body!!!

The place I used to work would take donated vehicles and destroy them on the explosives ranges for training classes.

I was told by some of the donors how satisfying it was to see their former POS ride get shattered by a 500lb charge or a rocket sled impact.

I will never understand an auto deduction for tax purposes only. If you sold it for $2000 you put $2000 in your pocket. If you donate it you put $2000 x marginal tax rate (say 30%) or $600 in your pocket!

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I will never understand an auto deduction for tax purposes only. If you sold it for $2000 you put $2000 in your pocket. If you donate it you put $2000 x marginal tax rate (say 30%) or $600 in your pocket!

First, having sold vehicles in this particular price range in the past, I can attest that it’s not worth my time entertaining the tire kickers and folks that just can’t come up with the scratch just yet but if you give them until (fill in the blank) yada yada.

Secondly, some folks just try to do good, and this particular charity is a cause I support.

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I will never understand an auto deduction for tax purposes only. If you sold it for $2000 you put $2000 in your pocket. If you donate it you put $2000 x marginal tax rate (say 30%) or $600 in your pocket!

It is a charitable deduction if the receiving party is certified as such by the IRS. You can deduct the fair market value, and there is a limit for a vehicle, (and I forget what it is), under which you don't have to document it. Over that limit, you must have an appraisal to document it. You can try submitting a "receipt" from the receiving party, but an appraisal is more solid and less likely to get generate interest by the IRS.
 

quote:

Secondly, some folks just try to do good, and this particular charity is a cause I support.

That I understand, my post said "for tax purposes only".

Also, the new tax law may not put you over the standard deduction & you receive $0 tax benefit.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I will never understand an auto deduction for tax purposes only. If you sold it for $2000 you put $2000 in your pocket. If you donate it you put $2000 x marginal tax rate (say 30%) or $600 in your pocket!

It is a charitable deduction if the receiving party is certified as such by the IRS. You can deduct the fair market value, and there is a limit for a vehicle, (and I forget what it is), under which you don't have to document it. Over that limit, you must have an appraisal to document it. You can try submitting a "receipt" from the receiving party, but an appraisal is more solid and less likely to get generate interest by the IRS.
 

That was not the case when I donated a car a few years ago. The charity we donated it to sold it, and the amount they received for the sale was what we were allowed to deduct, which was less than the "blue book" value. This was clearly laid out in the paperwork we received with the donation. After that experience I wouldn't do it again.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/ta...ting-a-car/L4NnMuKQM

Anybody but 1-877-Cars For Kids. That radio ad should be banned by the Geneva Convention!

quote:

Originally posted by bigwagon:

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I will never understand an auto deduction for tax purposes only. If you sold it for $2000 you put $2000 in your pocket. If you donate it you put $2000 x marginal tax rate (say 30%) or $600 in your pocket!

It is a charitable deduction if the receiving party is certified as such by the IRS. You can deduct the fair market value, and there is a limit for a vehicle, (and I forget what it is), under which you don't have to document it. Over that limit, you must have an appraisal to document it. You can try submitting a "receipt" from the receiving party, but an appraisal is more solid and less likely to get generate interest by the IRS.
 

That was not the case when I donated a car a few years ago. The charity we donated it to sold it, and the amount they received for the sale was what we were allowed to deduct, which was less than the "blue book" value. This was clearly laid out in the paperwork we received with the donation. After that experience I wouldn't do it again.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/ta...ting-a-car/L4NnMuKQM

That was my experience as well where the vehicle was sold at auction and that was the amount we were allowed to deduct.

quote:

Originally posted by BrianC:
Anybody but 1-877-Cars For Kids. That radio ad should be banned by the Geneva Convention!

Ohhh, thank you SO MUCH for reminding us of that form of torture! Just for that, I give you:

quote:

Originally posted by 12GA:

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I will never understand an auto deduction for tax purposes only. If you sold it for $2000 you put $2000 in your pocket. If you donate it you put $2000 x marginal tax rate (say 30%) or $600 in your pocket!

First, having sold vehicles in this particular price range in the past, I can attest that it’s not worth my time entertaining the tire kickers and folks that just can’t come up with the scratch just yet but if you give them until (fill in the blank) yada yada.

Secondly, some folks just try to do good, and this particular charity is a cause I support.

You have completely missed the point.

Sell the car for 30-50% of whatever you think it might actually be worth.
Write a check to charity.
Take deduction (if itemizing, but really just gravy at this point)

No tire kickers since you aren't trying to maximize value. And you can still do all the good you want. Maybe more.

quote:

Originally posted by BrianC:
Anybody but 1-877-Cars For Kids. That radio ad should be banned by the Geneva Convention!

I believe that's "cars with a 'z'."

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:

quote:

Originally posted by 12GA:

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I will never understand an auto deduction for tax purposes only. If you sold it for $2000 you put $2000 in your pocket. If you donate it you put $2000 x marginal tax rate (say 30%) or $600 in your pocket!

First, having sold vehicles in this particular price range in the past, I can attest that it’s not worth my time entertaining the tire kickers and folks that just can’t come up with the scratch just yet but if you give them until (fill in the blank) yada yada.

Secondly, some folks just try to do good, and this particular charity is a cause I support.

You have completely missed the point.

Sell the car for 30-50% of whatever you think it might actually be worth.
Write a check to charity.
Take deduction (if itemizing, but really just gravy at this point)

No tire kickers since you aren't trying to maximize value. And you can still do all the good you want. Maybe more.

Wrong. My time is worth much more to me than whatever I’d get paid for the vehicle . I was expecting a quick transfer of ownership which did not happen. Thus my beef.

Get it now? It’s all about the time I spent to give a car away. Could give two fucks about a couple grand.

quote:

Originally posted by bryan11:

quote:

Originally posted by bigwagon:

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I will never understand an auto deduction for tax purposes only. If you sold it for $2000 you put $2000 in your pocket. If you donate it you put $2000 x marginal tax rate (say 30%) or $600 in your pocket!

It is a charitable deduction if the receiving party is certified as such by the IRS. You can deduct the fair market value, and there is a limit for a vehicle, (and I forget what it is), under which you don't have to document it. Over that limit, you must have an appraisal to document it. You can try submitting a "receipt" from the receiving party, but an appraisal is more solid and less likely to get generate interest by the IRS.
 

That was not the case when I donated a car a few years ago. The charity we donated it to sold it, and the amount they received for the sale was what we were allowed to deduct, which was less than the "blue book" value. This was clearly laid out in the paperwork we received with the donation. After that experience I wouldn't do it again.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/ta...ting-a-car/L4NnMuKQM

That was my experience as well where the vehicle was sold at auction and that was the amount we were allowed to deduct.

I don't doubt that's what happened in your cases, especially since it was spelled out in the paperwork you signed with the donation. I wasn't aware how that worked with a donation to an organization that immediately auctions them off. In my case, it was a straight donation to a public school system, for their auto shop to play with. They may have eventually sold it, but there was no mention of that in my paperwork. It was a straight charitable donation and deduction, and I was responsible for establishing the value for the IRS. They did not give me any receipt indicating price that I recall. They might have given me one that corresponded to the appraisal value I had already established, I don't remember, but the professional appraisal was the documentation I submitted to the IRS. This was 24 years ago.
 

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I will never understand an auto deduction for tax purposes only. If you sold it for $2000 you put $2000 in your pocket. If you donate it you put $2000 x marginal tax rate (say 30%) or $600 in your pocket!

I'm with you 100%. I don't get it either. I will NEVER donate a car. If its junk, the junk yard will come tow it away for free and give me $300 in cash for its scrap value. If it runs, and it not junk, then any running car is worth $1000 to $2000.

I can sell a car very easily on Craiglist in 10 minutes. Put in the ad "no tire kickers, no payment plans, bring cash, and don't waste my time. If you waste my time or otherwise annoy me, the price of the car doubles." and you'll usually have no trouble.

My one donation of a car was reasonably easy to accomplish, but the value they declared on the form I got for tax purposes was extremely low. Like 4 times less than what I thought I could have sold it for...