Couldn't give it away
Some charities solicit gifts of automobiles. Do they always know what they're getting?
A few years ago, I had an '87 Buick Century that ran great but was pretty banged up, thanks to my boys. They called it the Terrormobile.
Joe Abernethy, then director of Habitat for Humanity in High Point, spotted it and asked, "What happened to your car?"
"My boys drive it," I explained. "They've been a little hard on it. I think I'm going to get rid of it."
"Why don't you give it to Habitat? One of our families needs a car."
That sounded like a great idea, so I turned over the title, got the wreck off my hands and thought maybe I'd done someone a favor at the same time.
A few weeks later, I saw Joe again.
"How'd the car work out for that family?" I asked.
Joe looked a little sheepish.
"They didn't want it," he said.
"They didn't want it? Why not?"
"They said the good Lord had given them a new house and they'd rather wait for Him to give them a new car, too."
Comments (2)
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It sounds like that family was looking a gift-horse in the mouth.
My wife and I have a 1992 Toyota Camry with over 220,000 miles on it. It still runs fine, but we're starting to think about replacing it. We may end up donating it. I hope someone takes it!
Posted on September 20, 2005 10:39 AM
Jason, find a deserving young student, who is working at a job, so they can pay the insurance and maintenance on a car, and going to college full time to better themselves so that in the future they can buy a better car that hopefully in the future they will be willing to donate. Otherwise, you are wasting your time givning it to folks who would look down on such a gift with disdain in hopes that God will give them a new car. They got a long wait!.
We recently "donated"(offered to) our Nissan Maxima, with 260,000 miles on it to a grandson, who lives in Texas, who came all the way to NC to pick it up. When he arrived he insisted on purchasing the vehicle, not taking it as a gift. He feels if he has an investment in the vehicle he will take much better care of it. So far , he has not missed a $100.00 payment. 3 down and 6 to go. Once it is paid off , he will be in for a surprise. We take his $100.00 and invest it in Franklin Templeton Funds. Just another way to get him started on the right foot. He is a college student,( freshman,) and works 25 to 30 hours a week in the constuction business, hanging drywall.
So when you want to make an investment in someones life Jason, look around, there are lots of kids like our grandson who will appreciate either a low cost vehicle or even a donated one.
Posted on September 21, 2005 12:54 PM