nick8086 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 (edited) Donating a car to charity.. or museum.. I was at the DMV.. They still have the title in my dads name?? Can I get the car back.. I have no place to put it.. I just wanted to know what happens to a car you donate.. I never had to do this.. Any input.. Edited June 21, 2017 by nick8086 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 I assume you are joking a bit? No, you can't have the car back. The museum may not be sales tax exempt (or just lazy) so when they sell it at auction to raise funds it will transfer with your dad's name on it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 (edited) Different states have different laws for titles. I know, for example, that Georgia won't issue a title for a vehicle over 25 years old. You just get a bill of sale. You could get the car back if you report it stolen... but that would end up getting you in quite a bit of trouble since it wasn't stolen, it was donated by your dad. It would be filling a false report and likely a slew of other issues, highest on the list, simply morally wrong and disgusting, and a dishonor to you dad. Now the good news. Museums often do rotate their collections. This often involves selling old exhibits to get operation and purchasing funds for new ones. While each organization likely has it's only requirements for liquidation, it wouldn't hurt to contact them and express your interest to buy the car back. The museum in Hershey requires public auction to liquidate, and I would imagine that's a fairly common requirement, but if you build a relationship with them they can likely at least let you know when it's going, or possibly increase their interest in selling it sooner than later for you if it's not a current exhibit. Maybe they can even sell it direct? If you want the car, that would be the best process to take, build a relationship with them and find out their process for liquidation and then stay in the loop. Edited June 21, 2017 by Frantz (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Changing the title to the new owners name is often overlooked, especially if it is not to ever be used or registered for road use. It's a shame because if that charity ever needs to sell, they may have problems proving their ownership. Almost every time I've sold a car to an out of state buyer, the new state fails to notify that it's re-registered in another state. This makes my state think I still own the vehicle. (That does not mean I can get the vehicle back) Many states have a reciprocal agreements to notify the prior state of new registration of ownership to take care of this, and fail to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 (edited) Donated or loaned. Two different things. Some folks loan to a museum simply because they don't know what to do with it and is free storage. Wasn't there some awful story about one of Craig Breedloves Spirit cars recently? Edited June 21, 2017 by JACK M (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 (edited) Loans can be retrieved, donations cannot. In my State it is the obligation of the seller to notify the DMV that a car has changed hands. Edited June 21, 2017 by JFranklin (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 I would think it would be in the seller's/donor's best interest to always notify the DMV of a vehicle changing hands. Just think of the possible legal ramafications if said vehicle was involved in anything with a potential lawsuit. Every time I sold/gave/traded a vehicle I sent a registered letter to DMV or went in and got a signed receipt from their office, even if I was dealing with a licensed dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 10 hours ago, alsancle said: No, you can't have the car back. 5 hours ago, JFranklin said: donations cannot Not replying to cause hate, nor joy! Never donate any item or $ based "paper"...ever...unless you are donating from the heart only, and not a mix including tax shelter...the two never mix well, meaning stay mixed..like vinegar and oil. and... If your museum has not done their standard contract correctly, and you assume that when it say "never will be sold/transferred" but never gets into deep laws. ... Your car certainly can...., and actually in these $ times, has a better chance of GETTING transferred. You > dissect "transfer" as to law speak! LOL, Ah,..grasshoppers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 (edited) If you donate a low value automobile to charity they will have a towing company pick it up, and it will get auctioned off. It would be like a wholesale auction open to the public, just like when autos that are towed by the police end up getting auctioned. If your donated car is bought at auction by a used car dealer it could end up on a used car lot for sale at a markup to the auction price. If the car you donate is very low value it will go to a wrecking yard. Many of donated cars do not run. Goodwill used to take donated cars and put them in the parking lot of their warehouse with prices on them. But that was too much work, now they just let a towing company get it and auction it off. Obviously the towing company collects a fee and the charity takes what's left. When I first read Nick's post I was not sure what he meant. It doesn't seem he seriously wants to get the car back as he says he has no place to store it anyway. http://www.pbssocal.org/support/vehicle-donation/ Want to get your unused vehicle off your hands and support public media while you’re at it? When you donate your vehicle to PBS SoCal, you’re supporting the quality public television programming you love with a contribution that is tax-deductible. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes are accepted including cars, trucks, boats, RV/motor homes and motorcycles. Your vehicle will be towed at no cost to you. If you have any questions about the donation process, call our vehicle donation line at... Edited June 21, 2017 by mike6024 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61polara Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 (edited) I donated a car to Goodwill several years ago. They are a licensed dealer, so the title was not transferred to their name. They sold the car at auction. Several months later, I received a certified letter from a towing company stating that the car was abandoned at a 7-11 store and I owed $900 for towing and storage. Called and told them the car was donated to Goodwill and it was their problem. The tow company called back saying Goodwill had NO responsibility because they sold the car at auction. I was on the hook, because NCDMV showed the title still in my name even though it passed through two (or possibly more) dealer sales. The tow company finally let me off the hook by getting a duplicate title and assigning it to them. Then the donation letter came in from Goodwill at $250, I could have just scrapped the wheels alone and gotten more than the tax deduction value. If you donate to one of the large organizations like Goodwill, insist on transferring the title to them, notify DMV of the sale and get a stated value of the donation at the time. They will try to tell you they don't work that way..........walk away. With all of the support I received from Goodwill in this issue, I will NEVER donate to Goodwill at all again and will scrap a car before I donate to one of the large organizations again. Edited June 22, 2017 by 61polara (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick8086 Posted June 22, 2017 Author Share Posted June 22, 2017 (edited) I was at the DMV cleaning up car titles for 4 hours,,. The car was donate in the 80's.. They just told me here is one more in your family name.. I just picked up the old titles from the bank today. I have not have time to look yet.. It is a Imperial 55-56.. My only question I have . Do I need to fix this one also?? Edited June 22, 2017 by nick8086 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victorialynn2 Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 36 minutes ago, nick8086 said: I was at the DMV cleaning up car titles for 4 hours,,. The car was donate in the 80's.. They just told me here is one more in you family name.. I just picked up the old titles from the bank today. I have not have time to look yet.. It is a Imperial 55-56.. My only question I have . Do I need to fix this one also?? Nick, ask your DMV. Most states, including Tx and Or have a form that you can report the sale to cover yourself. What state are you in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobg1951chevy Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 20 minutes ago, victorialynn2 said: Nick, ask your DMV. Most states, including Tx and Or have a form that you can report the sale to cover yourself. What state are you in? V.L., If you asked that question of me, I would answer "state of confusion". :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick8086 Posted June 22, 2017 Author Share Posted June 22, 2017 36 minutes ago, victorialynn2 said: Nick, ask your DMV. Most states, including Tx and Or have a form that you can report the sale to cover yourself. What state are you in? She is doing the same thing I am doing.. It just took me five year to get to this point.. Jake.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick8086 Posted June 22, 2017 Author Share Posted June 22, 2017 21 hours ago, alsancle said: I assume you are joking a bit? No, you can't have the car back. The museum may not be sales tax exempt (or just lazy) so when they sell it at auction to raise funds it will transfer with your dad's name on it. Here is a question. Could I buy the car back? If your family took the tax write off.. But not me.. or is that a grey area?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 9 hours ago, 61polara said: I donated a car to Goodwill several years ago. They are a licensed dealer, so the title was not transferred to their name. They sold the car at auction. Several months later, I received a certified letter from a towing company stating that the car was abandoned at a 7-11 store and I owed $900 for towing and storage. Called and told them the car was donated to Goodwill and it was their problem. The tow company called back saying Goodwill had NO responsibility because they sold the car at auction. I was on the hook, because NCDMV showed the title still in my name even though it passed through two (or possibly more) dealer sales. The tow company finally let me off the hook by getting a duplicate title and assigning it to them. Then the donation letter came in from Goodwill at $250, I could have just scrapped the wheels alone and gotten more than the tax deduction value. If you donate to one of the large organizations like Goodwill, insist on transferring the title to them, notify DMV of the sale and get a stated value of the donation at the time. They will try to tell you they don't work that way..........walk away. With all of the support I received from Goodwill in this issue, I will NEVER donate to Goodwill at all again and will scrap a car before I donate to one of the large organizations again. For those who do not know Goodwill is not a charity. It is a for profit business that donates nothing to charity. The owner of Goodwill has become very wealthy. Doubt me? Google it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Quote Here is a question. Could I buy the car back? If your family took the tax write off.. But not me.. or is that a grey area?? That's what i said to try and do from the start up! You'll want to make sure there is a very clean trail. I would not use the old title in your dads name, because if a later bill of sale ever turned up you'd have a mess on your hands. If you want your dads old car you should seek the museum, see if they even still have it. If it's not currently on display they may be willing to sell it, or get the ball rolling to auction it and let you know where it's being auctioned. Many museums have a policy that the have to auction anything off in order to show the museums best interest to a board of directors and general good stewardship. Doesn't mean they wouldn't help you out where they could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 I also believe non profit museums must keep a car or any other substantial donation a minimum of 2 years before they can auction it. I see no reason you could not buy the car but it would be up to the museum to provide you with a good title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 The Goodwill thing. They are definitely in it for the profit. I had a friend that worked there in management. They take advantage of the special workers, as well as management. Its a pretty good scam, cheap labor and free inventory. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 There are several other businesses that operate the same. The majority of those "Donate" boxes you see in store parking lots are for profit businesses. Goodwill is so large it now operates almost like a franchise. When pressed they say they provide a needed service by employing people who might be unemployable elsewhere. To date their records show that their actual monetary donations to charity are zero. Lots of Goodwill "donations"show up on E-Bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 At least they keep a lot of stuff out of the landfills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 This book has been out for a few years. It is a Must Read. I think I will pull it down from the shelf tonight and read it again: https://www.amazon.com/Charity-All-Charities-Failing-Better-ebook/dp/B00957T6NQ Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Sorry about drifting from the OP's question, but I need to chime in...There are a couple of car donation "charities" operating near me in New Jersey and it amazes me that they don't seem to be scrutinized in any way. One of them operates their own used car lot stocked with freebie inventory. They get lots of donations because they give an artificially high value for the car so people get a larger tax write-off. Another well-known car charity near here makes all or nearly all of their donations to a particular religious school. The owner of the charity also happens to own the school! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Walling Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 A friend of mine is going to donate his 57 Corvette to his church when he dies. We have told him that the church would be better off if he sold it now for what it is worth, and then give the money to the church. What will happen if he donates the car and all the new parts that go with it to the church is that someone's friend will offer a few thousand for it and with a wink and nod cheat the church out of many tens of thousand dollars. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 (edited) Roger, have your friend get an appraisal to go with the gifted items and the church will get closer to true value. Edited June 23, 2017 by JFranklin (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 Yes, I would think donating to a church is sure to be short thousands of dollars. They'll likely have to auction it, and then have auction fees, and HOPE it brings market value, but not have the time to really care if it doesn't. It's not like it's going to go to the big show and bring in ten times normal for a good cause. I would set up a trust to specifically take care of that cars sale and get the most for the church for a small commission %. Burdening a non profit to sell your vehicle is not going to be easy for them, and fail to maximize the value of the gift being given. Of course if you don't think about it too much you and pass on feeling good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 I saw one of those donate to charity donated cars being picked up. The wrecker driver cut the cat off as he loaded it. I asked about that and he said something like it was his tow fee or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 When my cousin donated his non running pickup truck to this place - http://www.pollyklaas.org/donations/vehicle-donation-program.html He later ended up getting billed by the place that picked it up for towing and storage fees. I guess they handled it like a Police tow and lien sale. He wasn't happy, but I think they just sold it for scrap and what my cousin "owed" disappeared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 I dont blame the bashing of Goodwill................ but 500k a year for a CEO of any large corporation is a mere pittance................................! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Many "Non-profits" are very profitable for the folks managing them. I never cared if someone makes money off stuff I otherwise would throw away. It cuts down on waste and does provide a place for folks to get things cheaper. But then again, I'm a salesman, and naturally like seeing people make money, and long ago learned that it's perfectly good to have someone make money off of myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 3 hours ago, Frantz said: Many "Non-profits" are very profitable for the folks managing them. This is very true. I don't necessarily mind as long as it is very clear to anyone donating that a good percentage of their donation actually funds the apparatus and not the actual charitable deed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 You're too far off but this place is 100% legit, founded in 1965 by John and Jan Gillespie with the help of NFL Hall of Fame Legend Bart Starr. My old friend Chet Krause and Starr were good friends and Chet wouldn't have been so generous with them if they weren't on the up and up. http://www.rawhide.org/donate/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 The Rawhide "boys" come to my church as part of their rehab. A number of the attendees of our church are staff members there. It is a very well run organization and a great non profit. I just happened to remember a grade school/high school classmate went to Rawhide and credited them for saving his life. I can attest to that as he was going nowhere fast and in all kinds of drug/alcohol trouble. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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