5 Useful Things You Can Do with Your Old Car

15.06.2020 GREEN LIVING 0.0 0

old cars

Do you think that an old car that is just sitting and taking up space is worth nothing more than scrap? Well, think again. With a little creativity or thought, you can make that old car useful to you or someone else one last time. The following list will give you a handful of ideas to think about before you call the junkyard.

Get Some Extra Cash

Local and online ad sites are great places to post old cars for sale. Even if it does not run anymore, many people peruse these lists for inexpensive parts cars that they can harvest for parts to repair their own. If you have a few handy bones in your body, you can pull parts yourself and sell them individually.

There are also establishments that will pay to come to take the vehicle off your hands to do that very same thing. After a short questionnaire, they will make you an offer. If you accept, they will take care of retrieving the vehicle so that they can keep it in their inventory where people will come to pick parts they need from old cars on site.

Donate it to a Charity

A noble cause to consider is a charity donation. Learning how to donate a car will help nonprofits obtain funding and may get you a bit of a tax break. Most charities will pay a third party to handle the donation process since it is costly for them to do. Due to that fact, it is recommended to use a very reputable intermediary and do a little research to make sure the charity is getting a fair cut of your donation. A good rule of thumb is to make sure the charity is getting passed at least 60 percent of the net proceeds.

Charities are plentiful so choose one that means something to you. There are charities that support higher education through things like tuition assistance, provide aid to veterans, fund rehab programs, job training and employment opportunities for the disabled, and many others. There are even local charities that give you a way to help organizations within your own community. Charities such as Kidney Kars of Utah use proceeds to help kidney patients within the state. So, find a charity that speaks to you and will make your donation mean that much more.

Rat Rod Repurpose

If you have never heard of a rat rod but love getting creative while working on cars to come up with something unique and head-turning then it is about time you are introduced to the world of rat rods. A rat rod can be constructed out of just about any type, make, or model vehicle.

Rat rods can be built on a budget and can reflect whatever your talent and imagination can come up with. It is a great way to start a new and interesting hobby as well as build on your mechanic skills. Even better, you can take your new rod to car shows and competitions to make some money, build your reputation, win some prizes, or to just show off.

Get Artsy

Maybe you are not very mechanically inclined but your creativity in other areas shows no bounds. Another fun and interesting thing to do with old cars is to transform them into pieces of artwork. Practice your airbrushing skills or gut it and turn it into an eye-catching garden piece. It may even attract the eye of a passerby who might make you an offer on the piece or commission you to do another so they can have one of their own.

Want to do something a little more every-day useful? There are all sorts of examples where someone has taken apart pieces of a car and transformed them into really cool pieces of furniture. From bed frames to couches and retro end tables, these pieces make useful and attention-grabbing additions to any home. Not to mention there are always buyers out there ready to scoop them up if you choose to sell them.

Trade It In

If nothing else, haul your old car to the dealer with you for a trade-in. Most dealerships will offer you something for your old vehicle to go towards purchasing one from their lot. Some places will run specials offering minimum trade-ins for cars that do not even run. Even if it is not much, and if you are looking to purchase anyway, something is better than nothing.

Do not discount the worth of your old vehicle and put it to some good use. It will free up space in your garage and maybe even get you some cash, give you a good feeling, or turn into a lucrative hobby. So before you toss it, give these suggestions a go and see if you can breathe some new life into that old vehicle that is just collecting dust.