arranging to junk a vehicle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fM5K5jK840

For those that may have missed them, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Bqs9QPLjw but take note the specific episode is from his son Peter Funt.

Allen Funt had the best, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGkMhGqbJhY

When I lived in Virginia, from time to time I had a car to get rid of with >300,000 miles of wear and tear. I gave some (can’t be more than 2!) to the near-by high school auto mechanics department. On my last one, an ‘82 Jetta with a gazillion miles I was told that the tax laws had changed and they could no longer provide paperwork for a deduction. But,,, but they had a student who would pay me $500 for the car. I accepted. I never met the kid. The teacher gave me the kid’s cash and provided the paperwork for me to sign.

About 2 years later the state of Maryland sent me a bill for (I think I recall correctly) $600 for an impoundment fee for the Jetta. I went to the teacher at the high school who investigated. He determined that 1) the kid I sold it to had never registered the Jetta, that 2) he took the license plates from his grandmother’s unused Cadillac, and that 3) he abandoned the car in Maryland where the police impounded it and notified me many many many months later. I was the last person who had registered that car. The teacher wrote to Maryland explaining what happened, identified the kid who abandoned the car there, and negotiated for the kid to pay the state.

The kid had a bill of sale from me to prove he owned the Jetta. I had nothing to prove that I no longer owned it. That was an unusual situation. Beware.

^^Lol. The guy that bought my G37 asked me some time after the purchase for a copy of the title and/or bill of sale. We still keep in touch as we're both still on the same forum that facilitated the sale in the first place so I complied.

But yes, as seller you should always keep copies. In IL, they even want you to mail something off to the dmv to indicate change of ownership.

https://www.ilsos.gov/publications/pdf_publications/vsd703.p...

Seller fills in seller/buyer info and vehicle description then mails it off to the state (in hopes of receipt and proper processing).

Happens more often then not. I always make sure I go to the DMV with the individual to do a bill of sale. If not, it's your word versus theirs as far as when and how that vehicle landed up there.

Where l live as far as I know in a private sale you remove the plates and the buyer has to get new plates so he can drive it. The plates on the car are the owners name and stay with the owner.

... however, in some states (California, Kentucky and Texas come to mind), the plates that are originally issued with the vehicle remain with the vehicle when it is sold or traded in.

young, I was inspired by the movie stripes. Had 195/65-15 tires on a Volvo which are you kidding, 65's were serious low pro's in the 80s....so I was abandoning the car in my apartment's lot while moving out.

the landlady saw me, and said you better not be abandoning that car, to which I replied, I'm not, I'm just changing the tires.

Looking back, this made no sense. 3/4 hubs were showing, and I had moved blocks under the car.

Well she was a slumlord and I lived in a SRO--remember those?

Sometimes Bill Murray films are inspirational. I think they were at the airport and said, we're not parking it, we're abandoning it.

And that's the fact, Jack! lol

mentioned it, having had a Maxima SE (the car I'm junking) 5 speed as my first new car, I was enamoured by the 2007 G35 sedan. I was planning to get the 6 speed manual and expected that it would be as problem free as my Maxima.

But I was sent on a business trip to Fort Lauderdale, 9/06, and I saw a E93 335i on the A1A, and was like wow! Came home, test drove it, dealer said list, nobody in the country has one to sell. They called 3 days later, agreed to $1800 off list (a lot on a car that's not in stock--think about a Civic Type R or GR Corolla or Z06 Vette today as I type). Ordered it, 10 weeks later took delivery with 3 miles on the odometer...best purchase I ever made lol

I've sold a few vehicles privately and in each case, I insisted that the buyer come with me to the vehicle registration office (Service Ontario). That way, I know for a fact that the vehicle registration has been transferred and that the new owner has insurance and the old plates removed.

Also insist on either cash or certified check.

I've never had a problem afterwards.

My buyer came from 3 states away and it was a weekend. In IL plates stay with the owner. He effectively left here with no plates and managed to get home without being pulled over.

Speaking of cars, someone shared the video below. Shows more detail about how the kias/hyundais are getting stolen. Kia/hyundai really went all out cheap on design of the steering column. The video shows in some detail the break down of the steering column compared to another car and where the mfg cut corners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTeVgfPM0Xw

My stinger has the push button start w/immobilizer but that still doesn't prevent some delinquent from breaking a window before they realize they're not going to start it.

Back about 40ish years ago I bought a street motorcycle from a guy I worked with. Nice bike, fair price, great deal. But when I went to register it with DMV, when they ran the VIN they informed me that it hadn't been registered in 3 years, and I was now on the hook to pay 3 years of property tax and fees if I wanted to leave with a new license plate. Ouch. At least I didn't buy it from a stranger. The guy I bought it from worked in my department, and I saw him pretty much every day. When I informed him what happened he made good on the back taxes. Turns out he owned several bikes and only one current license plate, and he just put the plate on whichever bike he was driving that day.

There is a place in metro Atlanta that advertises on radio to donate your used car https://tommynobiscenter.org/ways-to-help/vehicle-donation/

Depending on the condition of the donated vehicle they will resell it, repair and sell it, or recycle it for parts or scrap.

They use the funds for vocational training for special needs students and people with disabilities.

Tommy Novis, a former Atlanta Falcons football player,is now deceased but his Tommy Nobis Center is still operational.

Canada has a program called Donate A Car Canada. They will tow away your old car for free and you'll get a charitable donation receipt, for tax purposes.
There are a wide range of charities that you can choose to donate to, depending on what province you live in. Great way to get rid of that old car, that your wife keeps complaining about.

Here don't itemize deductions since the president before the current one.

Prior, my itemized barely was higher than the standard deduction.

It is funny, however, esp. when people are self employed. Oh wow, you have a Snap On floor jack? "It was a write off." Very Seinfeld-esque.

On the charity subject, I personally feel more comfortable choosing them, not the other way around. So if one were to get $600 cash for a car because they want the OE catalytic converter, imagine what would have to be deducted to equate to $600. Likely a number not representative of the value of the vehicle, why get involved with that. I've had charities give me a blank slip--of which I will not fill out on my own, that's fraud...

I donated my car. I didn't want to be bothered trying to sell it. It was easy, they picked it up and gave me a receipt for tax purposes

I told this story.

My very first job, I didn't do 401k nor do stock purchase for 3 years--dumb, but perfect timing. I ended up entering the market when it would simply only go up.

That job called everyone into a room to say that the co. supports the United Way. And it's suggested that we give 5% of our income through payroll deduction.

They handed us a neon colored donation form, on construction paper. Employees filled it out, and left the room.

It was very clear if you walked out of the room without handing the paper back--it was neon colored.

Rather than feel ashamed, I was proud to walk out of the room holding the paper. Because I wasn't going to be bullied into making a contribution. When scandal broke out regarding them, I felt I had made the right decision.

So little of contributions actually go to the intended purpose, that's human nature. Just because it's a non-profit doesn't mean the CEO doesn't earn 1.5 mil per year from your contributions. That's a real number btw.

That's why I say I'd rather choose to whom I donate, and not the other way around. I'm getting rid of a junk car--if someone will pay a reasonable amount I'll take it. Again, the fact that the salvage yard didn't even remember to get the keys, means it's not going to be driven by anybody. They want the CAT, and then the scrap, and maybe some parts. How is this different than donating a car for a blank receipt....let me just illustrate, say the car is donated to a pet rescue organization. Does that organization have flatbeds and wreckers?

If I really believe in contributing to the pet rescue, I can give them the $600 cash that the salvage yard was supposed to give me. That will likely give the charity the maximum value of the junk vehicle imho. This "is" a controversial topic btw, I know.

It's sorta like when you have a wedding reception and it's going to cost $25k at the venue. They say, hey, you pay cash, we take off 10%.

Sure, that's great for you, as you save 35-40% where you don't pay income tax. I said, give me 20% and you have a deal. They said no. So I said ok, lemme use AMEX.

In the above, when the venue cheats, the taxing authority loses. That 10% doesn't come out of nowhere. I prefer to be on the up and up. But, if I were to accept the above? The venue is the cheater, not me. Because the way I look at it is you gave me a cash discount, the cheating on the income is on their side.

I trust no one these days, I go straight to DMV with them.