Yesterday, the steering column on my car broke and I had the car towed to the repair shop.
Although the problem could be fixed for roughly $500. The problem was caused by severe rot that allowed metal parts to shift and sever the steering column. While the immediate problem could be fixed, the more serious problem makes car dangerous to drive and would cost a lot to fix.
Essentially, the car runs and can not be steered in its current state. It is a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder with approx 142,000 miles.
I am located in Bergen county New Jersey.
In the local paper, there are adds from charities that will take the car whether it runs or not. There are also ads from others that will pay cash for cars whether they run or not.
I was planning to take a standard deduction for 2009 but will definitely be itemizing in 2010. Unless the deduction can be used in 2010 or exceeds $2,000 cash would be more useful.
I will definitely have to get someone to take the car by Monday or Tuesday at the latest.
Any suggestions on how to get the most for my car?
Selling it will net you the most money. If you donate to a charity you can only deduct as a donation the amount of money they sell it for (Unless they keep it for their own use)
ellory said: Selling it will net you the most money. If you donate to a charity you can only deduct as a donation the amount of money they sell it for (Unless they keep it for their own use)
Thanks for the prompt reply.
That leads to the obvious quesiton, who can I sell it to in the NYC area that will be able to show up and take the car from the car repair shop withing the next couple days?
SecondCor521
Senior Member
posted: Nov. 22, 2009 @ 2:16p
I disagree.
Keeping the car and paying to have it repaired (steering column plus whatever metal rot problem you have) would net you the most money by avoiding having to buy a new car with its associated new car costs and depreciation.
You would also save money by asking the mechanic how to avoid the problem in the future. I've never heard of a problem that would destroy a Nissan of that vintage that couldn't be prevented easily with some preventative maintenance.
It's an unpopular opinion, I know, and I'm already expecting the "Yeah, but"'s, but I'm pretty certain it's true.
Keeping the car and paying to have it repaired (steering column plus whatever metal rot problem you have) would net you the most money by avoiding having to buy a new car with its associated new car costs and depreciation.
You would also save money by asking the mechanic how to avoid the problem in the future. I've never heard of a problem that would destroy a Nissan of that vintage that couldn't be prevented easily with some preventative maintenance.
It's an unpopular opinion, I know, and I'm already expecting the "Yeah, but"'s, but I'm pretty certain it's true.
Regards,
2Cor521
Right or wrong, I am not going to put a couple thousand into a 1997 Pathfinder with 142,000 miles when I can comfortablly afford the car I want to buy. I have had the car for nine years, I got my money's worth out of it. Any advice on how best to unload the car would be appreciated.
Donation is a viable option, but with the repairs necessary due to rot... I might consider selling it to a junk yard instead. Might be better to get it off the road entirely. Once rot sets in, that's the end!
DH had an '81-ish Honda he drove around until the frame rusted apart and separated from the body. At that point, he sold it to the junk yard, since it was literally no longer safe to drive.
Too bad 'Cash for Clunkers' is over...sounds like the perfect candidate...
With your timeframe AND the need for someone to come haul it away...really your only option is to sell it to a junkyard (or "we buy scrap cars" outfit)...odds are a charity would decline it after seeing it and finding out they could really only sell it for scrap anyway...
(Financially it's better too...you get $300 from the scrap yard vs. you get a tax deduction of __% on the $300 a charity gets from a scrap yard...should be a total no brainer.)
Not sure how involved you were wanting to get but, depending on the overall condition (inside and out) you could net the most profit by selling parts and then giving/selling it to a junkyard. I'm not sure if the JY in your area offer free removal, but if so then this is the most profitable way.
Catalytic converter, fenders, glass, engine and tranny, seats, airbags, front & rear bumper and lights (turn signal/tail) are generally the most sought after items in most vehicles. At the very least, throw it up on craigslist.
aeiouy said: jameshasty said: Nevermind, I just got $700 cash for the car.
Good job. What is the new owner planning to do with it?With 142k on a nissan, I'd guess the new owner will be stripping the motor and transmission for another rig. Now go out and find yourself a retired crown vic police interceptor for around $2k.
jameshasty said: Nevermind, I just got $700 cash for the car.That's excellent! How did you accomplish that? I'm sure it's far more than you would have netted from donating it.
Xnarg said: jameshasty said: Nevermind, I just got $700 cash for the car.That's excellent! How did you accomplish that? I'm sure it's far more than you would have netted from donating it.
In the classified ads in the paper under autos wanted, there were charities and also others buying cars for parts / scrap. The first one I called wanted to check out the car today. We haggled and I walked away with $700.
Cheapoking said: Use the money from the AOR and purchase what you want, it's a free loan....
Better yet, the Toyota dealers are offering 0% APR on new and used cars until 11/30/09. I may end up wirh $125,000 of AOR money if you include the RAV4 I plan to buy.
delzy said: aeiouy said: jameshasty said: Nevermind, I just got $700 cash for the car.
Good job. What is the new owner planning to do with it?With 142k on a nissan, I'd guess the new owner will be stripping the motor and transmission for another rig. Now go out and find yourself a retired crown vic police interceptor for around $2k.
I am aimng a bit higher since I hope to keep the next car for about a decade. I am targeting a low milage 2008 RAV4 4cyl 4X4.
I'll just throw in my 2 cents for anyone else who runs into a similar problem...
Most car dealers deal directly with a local 'auto recycler'. While there are still junk yards around, these guys are a lot more organized. The inventory usable parts when a car comes in, computerize the inventory, etc. When you need a part, they can locate the car and part immediately, and have someone pull it.
These guys usually pay significantly more for cars than your standard scrap yard. Since a local car dealer wants you as a customer, my experience is they're particularly helpful in hooking you up with these guys.
I had a '91 Olds Cutlass experience catastrophic engine failure at 130,000 miles. Managed to limp it to the dealer but basically needed a new engine. Book was like $2700 (when still running). Auto recycler gave me $2300 cash and towed it for free.
delzy said: aeiouy said: jameshasty said: Nevermind, I just got $700 cash for the car.
Good job. What is the new owner planning to do with it?With 142k on a nissan, I'd guess the new owner will be stripping the motor and transmission for another rig. Now go out and find yourself a retired crown vic police interceptor for around $2k.Yes, with those retired cars you do not have to worry about tires for a long time.
Nonaii
Senior Member
posted: Nov. 23, 2009 @ 7:21a
fuzzymello said: Donation is a viable option, but with the repairs necessary due to rot... I might consider selling it to a junk yard instead. Might be better to get it off the road entirely. Once rot sets in, that's the end!
Amen. It would be horrible to sell that kind of problem to a 'sucker' when if it's really that bad it should be taken off the road completely, not just off of OP's hands.
katx said: delzy said: aeiouy said: jameshasty said: Nevermind, I just got $700 cash for the car.
Good job. What is the new owner planning to do with it?With 142k on a nissan, I'd guess the new owner will be stripping the motor and transmission for another rig. Now go out and find yourself a retired crown vic police interceptor for around $2k.Yes, with those retired cars you do not have to worry about tires for a long time.Let me guess: you buy a brand new car so you don't have to worry about going to Wal-Mart or costco to buy a set of tires. All cars require maintenance and replacement of wear parts. If you don't want to replace wear parts, you have to keep buying new cars. If you don't want to buy new cars every 3-4 years, you are going to have to replace things like brakes, tires, batteries, alternators, etc. I don't understand your argument. The beauty of buying fleet cars is that generally, everything that has worn out has already been replaced. Also, most retired fleet cars had scheduled maintenance which is more than most of you can say about your own old hondas and toyotas.
SlimTim said: Lighten up, delzy, it was a silly joke. Re-TIREd. Get it?He got that part alright. But he ONLY got that part.
And it WAS a kinda silly joke.
lotusgardener
Broke Member
posted: Nov. 23, 2009 @ 12:47p
You could always keep the SUV you have and buy one that is in good condition that runs and drives. That way if something breaks you have ready and waiting
rksaigal
Member
posted: Nov. 23, 2009 @ 1:34p
I just sold my car to a auto recycler yesterday. Mazda 95 with 205000 miles. Received $151.00. It required about 1.5 to 2k in repairs to pass smog. Anyway I had bought myself a used van from eBay. So just wanted to get rid of it.
Thanks for sharing this info. My car is a 94 and I'm ready to get rid of it the next time a major repair is needed. Now I have a better idea where to go.
Disclaimer: By providing links to other sites, FatWallet.com does not guarantee, approve or endorse the information or products available at these sites, nor does a link indicate any association with or endorsement by the linked site to FatWallet.com.
Members of our community may attach files to a post in accordance with the User Agreement. FatWallet is not responsible for the content, accuracy, completeness or validity of any information contained in any attached file. Files have *not* been scanned for viruses. Be especially wary of Excel files which may contain malicious content.
