Do you have an old car lying around? Maybe you’ve stopped relying on your car, and have opted instead for public transit, but just haven’t gotten rid of your car yet. Or maybe you’re looking to get a new car, but you can’t quite afford it yet. Whatever the reason, you have an old car, and you don’t know what to do with it. If this sounds like you, here are a few suggestions that you can try.
Fix It Up
Maybe your old car isn’t in as bad of shape as you think. Rather than spending money on a new car, you could potentially spend a lot less fixing up your current car and making it reliable once again. What’s wrong with your current car? Does it need new tires? New brakes? Or does the outside paint job just need replacing? Take some time to go over your old car and really decide what’s wrong with it. Then figure out how much it would cost to get all of this fixed up. You may find that it’s not as expensive as you thought, and you could have a reliable back on the road again before long.
Use It to Make Money
For some of us, our old car is in fine shape, we just don’t have a reason to drive it. Maybe you like only a block from the bus station, and it’s only a few stops to where you work. Rather than getting rid of your car just yet, why not use it to make some money? It’s now easier than ever to use your car to earn money thanks to companies like Lyft or Uber. All you have to do is sign up, and if your car meets the requirements, you can start giving people rides for money. If that doesn’t appeal to you, you could try something like making food deliveries on the weekend for some extra cash.
Sell It
Of course, another way to make money from your old car is to simply sell it. Unless your car is in very bad shape, you can likely get at least a few hundred dollars for it. If you’re not using this car anyway, and you can’t think of any reason why you would start, then you might as well try to get some money from it. You can then put this money towards a new car, or just put it in your pocket. If you’re not sure about how to sell a car, here is a guide to get your started.
Donate It
When your car isn’t worth enough to sell it, you can consider donating it. There are several charities that will take your old car, and in exchange you get a tax write-off in addition to some other perks, such as a free night at a hotel. Donating your car is a great way to help out a local charity, get rid of your car, and get something in return.
Junk It
If donating it isn’t an option, at this point you can consider simply giving the car to a junkyard. Junkyards will often pay some cash for old or broken down cars. To find one, all you have to do is find a junkyard in your local area and start giving them a call. For example, if you live in Florida, you might search online for “Jacksonville junk yards”, and then contacting any results that come up. They will be able to tell you if they’ll take your car, and how much they can give you for it, without you having to make the drive over.
Take it Apart for Parts
Finally, when all else fails, consider taking it apart for parts. Maybe there are some parts of your old car that are still new, and for which you can get a little bit of money. For example, if you just replaced all of the tires, and they have not worn down too much yet. Take a look at your car, or have a professional examine it, and see what parts are still in good condition. You can then take these parts out, sell them individually, and junk the rest of the car. You may even find that the money you get for the individual parts is more than you would have gotten for the car as a whole.
Don’t Let Your Old Car go to Waste
As you can see, there are plenty of options when it comes to dealing with an old car. Depending on your situation, you could easily turn that old car into some money through a wide variety of methods. Hopefully the above list was able to give you some ideas, and that old car that’s just been lying around will finally be put to some good use.