Cars aren't that big a deal to me, so I've held off on purchasing a new one for as long as possible. Frankly, I've got better things to do with my money than to buy something that loses value the moment I drive it off the dealership lot. Unfortunately, the 1988 Toyota Camry I've been driving for 15 years is just about dead. I bought it used, and have certainly gotten my money's worth out of the thing. There's no question it has served me well for a decade and a half, but it's clear that it's on its last legs. It usually takes several turns of the key to get the engine to start, and more and more outings end with one kind of mechanical failure or other. It saddens me to admit it, but I think it's time to start looking at junk car removal options.
I'm not naive enough to think a dealer will assign any kind of trade-in value to my old Camry, and with all the problems the vehicle has now, I wouldn't feel right trying to sell it on eBay or Craigslist. So junk car removal is the only thing left. I've seen commercials on TV for places that pay cash for clunkers, which is definitely something I'm interested in. I'd love to have someone come and tow the vehicle away for free, and pay me fifty or a hundred bucks in the process! But in case that doesn't pan out, I've got to check into other junk car removal options.
A friend mentioned to me that a popular thing to do now is to donate old vehicles to charity instead of junking or selling them. This benefits the charity because they can either sell the cars or use them for daily operations, and it benefits the donors by providing them with a tax write-off. This sounds great, but I doubt that these charities intend to serve as junk car removal agencies. I'm guessing any cars they take have to be in running order, which takes my Camry out of contention.
Another alternative I'm going to check out is the possibility of donating the vehicle to a local high school or vocational college. Back when I was a student, my school had an auto body shop on the premises and offered basic auto repair classes. The teacher was always looking for old cars that the students could practice tinkering on, and he didn't care what kind of condition the vehicles were in. I wouldn't mind doing something like this. In fact, I think I'd feel pretty good knowing I was helping some kids learn practical skills.
Anyway, these are just some junk car removal options that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are other disposal methods available too, so I've got to do a bit more research before making my final decision. I just hope my next automobile performs even half as well as that old '88 Camry did!
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