Charity for Car Donation

April 18, 2004 12:48 PM

I'm looking for a charity to donate my old car to - it's a '90 Nissan Sentra, pretty beat up, but still running. I've found plenty of websites for places that will take your car, but I'm not sure which ones are legitimate charities and which ones are money-making scams. Does anyone have any experience with this? Which ones are most reputable?
posted by skwm to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

Not sure where you are located, but we have a car donation program associated with the Lutheran Social Services here in New England called The Good News Garage. It's well-run (pun-intended) and straighforward according to friends who have donated to them. Check with your local Lutheran church for a local program, or ask your repair shop if they can make a recommendation?
posted by vers at 12:59 PM on April 18, 2004

I'm in Minneapolis and there are several charities and schools that take used cars. Check out Catholic Charities, the Cancer Society, Salvation Army, Goodwill and any mechanic tech schools.

However, your car may not qualify. Most of these organizations will not accept cars that are more than 10 years old and not in good condition. The reason is that the cars usually receive basic maintanence (oil change, etc.) then are sold (at very low prices) to low income families. These families need reliable and safe cars that will run for awhile, hence the age/condition restrictions.
posted by Juicylicious at 1:08 PM on April 18, 2004

The Salvation Army sells theirs at auto auctions.
posted by pieoverdone at 1:09 PM on April 18, 2004

Goodwill takes them
posted by Mick at 1:30 PM on April 18, 2004

NPR just started taking car donations.
posted by gokart4xmas at 1:39 PM on April 18, 2004

The American Red Cross takes them, too.

The car I donated to them "exceeded mechanical specifications" so they ended up selling it for scrap (which makes me cringe because I loved that car) and using the money for...something. I hope to help fix up another car for a low-income family.
posted by eilatan at 7:04 PM on April 18, 2004