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how do I get $ for a semi-dead car?

djannadjanna 1,543 Posts
edited October 2008 in Strut Central
My trusty 95 Ford Explorer started making a weird noise. Diagnosis: needs new transmission. I don't mind getting rid of it, but who would want it and how can I get some money? Advice needed.

  Comments

  • cascas 1,484 Posts
    img src="http://www.thelightisgreen.com/Car flying off cliff.jpg"1b, 21b, 21^^off the top of cabrillo point^^
  • CBearCBear 902 Posts
    The state of California will pay $500 (maybe $1000) for cars that won't pass smog. It's easy to make them not pass smog. I'm not sure about the process.
  • CBearCBear 902 Posts
    Never mind. After some research, it looks like that program ended due to the state being broke as hell.
  • CBearCBear 902 Posts
    a href="http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/11/california-smog.html" target="_blank"1http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/11/california-smog.html/a1b,121b, 21*Different Article*b,121b, 21"20. Vehicle Retirement Program:b, 21b, 21The CA government will pay up to $1000 for you to voluntarily retire high-polluting vehicles. This is a $300 increase over previous years. This program comes and goes but is presently in effect at the time of writing."
  • dollar_bindollar_bin I heartily endorse this product and/or event 2,324 Posts
    I sold my '83 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with a blown head gasket to Ecology for a hundred bucks and a free tow back in 1996. I don't know what kind of deals wreckers are giving out now, but you should at least get a bid.
  • thiskidnamed32thiskidnamed32 99 Posts
    If you have the time and knowledge, you can part it out for the best money. You might be able to find a car specific forum to sell it, or just craigslist it.
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    not really ethically righteous, but go to a parking lot in a old person shopping mall and troll around waiting to get hit by people pulling out of spots.
  • mannybolonemannybolone 15,032 Posts
    I thought the title said, "how do I get $ for a semi-dead cat?"
  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    'Accidentally' leave the handbrake (or whatever you Americans call it) off and let it roll down a small hill, whilst you chase after it waving and screaming.b,121b, 21Send the video, that you just happened to be making, to Americas Funniest Home Videos. b, 21b, 21Kerr$$Ching!
  • GaryGary 3,982 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121'Accidentally' leave the handbrake (or whatever you Americans call it) off and let it roll down a small hill, whilst you chase after it waving and screaming.b,121b, 21Send the video, that you just happened to be making, to Americas Funniest Home Videos. b, 21b, 21Kerr$$Ching! b,121b, 21h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b, 21b, 21 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/balla-22.gif" alt="" /1 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dominoes22.gif" alt="" /1
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    If it's a car that's worth fixing at all put it on craigslist for a couple hundred bucks. Otherwise, you'll probably have to be content with just finding a place that will tow it away for free.
  • DJRELAXDJRELAX 452 Posts
    a href="http://www.donate-car-for-charity.com/?gclid=CJW4p8a0xZYCFQNHFQodYwLfyA" target="_blank"1http://www.donate-car-for-charity.com/?gclid=CJW4p8a0xZYCFQNHFQodYwLfyA/a1
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Not exactly cash.....but if you donate it to a local charity like we have here in Dallas where they fix them up for the underprivliged, you're allowed to write off the blue book value on your taxes.b, 21Cash
  • Options
    Unknown
    Leave it in the hood with the keys in it and take the plates off and VIN number out of it, but this is assuming you have theft coverage.
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    I sold a 15 year old Pontiac to a scrapyard earlier this summer - got $300 for it quick and easyb,121b, 21it ran like shit & the blue book value was only like 450b, 21b, 21scrap values have taken a nosedive since then though
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,471 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121Not exactly cash.....but if you donate it to a local charity like we have here in Dallas where they fix them up for the underprivliged, you're allowed to write off the blue book value on your taxes.b, 21Cash b, 21b, 21h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b, 21YES. If you're not gonna trade in your car, this is definitely the way to go.
  • djannadjanna 1,543 Posts
    thanks dudes. Donation is definitely something I'm looking at. b,121b, 21The weird thing is the car just started driving fine again the other day, but I know its not safe to drive around really.b, 21b, 21And I actually passed my smog test last month, so I don't think the state will pay me to retire the car or anything.
  • yuichiyuichi Urban sprawl 11,329 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121not really ethically righteous, but go to a parking lot in a old person shopping mall and troll around waiting to get hit by people pulling out of spots. b, 21b, 21h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b, 21 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /1 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wtf.gif" alt="" /1
  • volumenvolumen 2,532 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121Not exactly cash.....but if you donate it to a local charity like we have here in Dallas where they fix them up for the underprivliged, you're allowed to write off the blue book value on your taxes.b, 21Cash b,121b, 21h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b, 21YES. If you're not gonna trade in your car, this is definitely the way to go. b,121b, 21h,121font class="post"1b,121b, 21Yea, My wife and I did this with an old Rodeo that wasn't worth fixing. I forget how much we got for it. They came and picked it up and everything. I can't remember if they gave us an amount to write off or let us make up our own (?).
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121not really ethically righteous, but go to a parking lot in a old person shopping mall and troll around waiting to get hit by people pulling out of spots. b,121b, 21h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b, 21 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /1 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wtf.gif" alt="" /1 b,121b, 21h,121font class="post"1b,121b, 21insurance payday, myman!!!b,121almost happpned to me last year in my beat up ol '91 minivan. some ol gray hair pulled out of sizzler without seeing me drive through the parking lot. my cat like reflexes reacted and i hit the brakes and the horn as soon as my spider sense tingled. if id let her hit my ride, i coulda had $2500 in my pocket to buy a pickup truck and run my previa into the river. img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/freeway.gif" alt="" /1
  • GaryGary 3,982 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121 sizzler b,121b, 21h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b, 21 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wtf.gif" alt="" /1
  • threetwosixthreetwosix 270 Posts
    Donate it for the tax writeoff. b,121b, 21If you're trying to wring a few weeks' use out of it, try some of this 'Lucas Transmission Fix', available at your finer automotive retailers. By no means an actual 'fix', but might help in the short run. b,121b, 21img src="http://www.lucasoil.com/images/products/A84834DAD4ADA9FE8C9726222A2C2008.gif"1
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    DING DONG, THE JEEP IS DEAD!b, 21b, 21I've needed to replace my transmission in my 98 Jeep Cherokee for over a year. Last Wednesday that transmission finally went out completely. Thank you to the young, brawny Texas woman who helped me push my Jeep off of Enfield Road.b, 21b, 21But yeah, after having the Jeep towed to my mechanic who confirmed its death...I was still able to gte $500 for it towards the 04 Toyota Tacoma Extracab PreRunner I just bought on Saturday. b,121b, 21 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jeigh.gif" alt="" /1
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