The economy continues to struggle and gas prices remain high. The cost to fill up the gas tank in an average car is over $60. If that is breaking your budget, there are two things you can do about it. You can try to improve the gas mileage in your car or you can replace it with a more fuel efficient one.

To improve the gas mileage in your car, make sure your tires are properly inflated. Under inflated tires will waste as much as 2 miles per gallon. Also, put in new spark plugs in every 30,000 miles and replace your air filter regularly. A tune up will also help. The smoother your car runs, the better its gas mileage will be. You should remove anything from your car you do not really need. The more weight there is in your car, the more gas it will use.  Also, remove your roof rack when you are not using it and if you have a pickup truck put a bed cover on. These changes will reduce drag and give you 2 or 3 more mpg.

Of course, the ultimate gas saver is to slow down. The faster you drive the more gas your car will use. If you drive the speed limit, accelerate gradually and avoid sudden stops you can save 3 mpg or more.

If you do buy a fuel efficient car, you have to figure out what to do with your gas guzzler. The car dealership will probably not want it as a trade in because there is no demand for them. For the same reason, it will be difficult to sell it privately. You can sell it for parts at a junk yard for a couple hundred dollars, or you can donate your car to charity. When you donate car, you get a tax deduction of the amount the charity sells your car for or $500, whichever is more. You only need to itemize on your federal tax return to claim your tax deduction. 

The hot sun and extreme heat we are experiencing this year, can wreak havoc with your car. It can cause the interior plastic on your dashboard to fade and crack. It can also fade and crack your leather or plastic seats.

To protect your seats and dashboard, clean them with a good polish. The polish will leave a layer of protection on the surface. Be careful, not to use a harsh chemical to clean the interior of your car. If you do, it may actually increase the likelihood that the interior will fade and crack. Parking in the shade and using a sun shade will also protect the interior of your car from damage.

The summer sun and heat can also fade and crack the paint on your car. Washing your car frequently will help to protect it. Washing it after it rains will keep the paint from being damaged from the acidity of the rain. Frequent washing will also remove tree sap, road tar, insects and bird droppings. The acid from bird droppings can eat through your paint. If it does, that area may rust. Also, washing the under carriage of the car will remove any accumulation of dirt and mud.

Waxing your car often will also help to protect its paint and finish. To keep the wax from drying before you can buff it, only wax it in the shade and when the temperature is below 85 degrees. Wax your car using a soft cloth to avoid scratching it. Also, use a dry rag to clean dirt, bugs etc. from your headlights so you do not scratch the lens.

There is a lot of road construction during the nice weather. That means your car is exposed to a lot of dust, gravel, tar, stones, etc. during this time. That debris can cause scratches, pits and dings in your car. Where you find them, you need to address them before they start to rust. Surface rust is unsightly and reduces the value of your car. To prevent it, just use a little polishing compound to clean the blemish and then some touch up paint to cover it.

When you donate your car to charity you do not just satisfy your needs, but the needs of the charity you donate car to and those of the community.

Car donation satisfies your needs in many ways. First, you get rid of a used car you no longer need. You also save yourself the aggravation of haggling over the trade in value of your car with a car dealer. No one needs that! You will not need to pay for advertising your vehicle for sale privately. And you will not need to waste your valuable time waiting for people to call or come to look at your car or negotiate the sale price for the car. It is very difficult to sell a vehicle that has a major problem and/or does not run.

When you donate car to charity, you will not need to fix it. Most car donation charities will gladly take it no matter what condition it is in. And the charity will have your car picked up fast and free, thus satisfying your need to get rid of it to make room for your new or newer car. You will also get a valuable tax deduction for your car donation. Who does not need that?

Most charities sell donated cars. Newer cars or cars that run are generally sold through public or dealer only auctions. This helps to supply the market with much needed used cars. Older cars, cars that do not run, are significantly damaged or rusted are usually sold directly to parts yards. There, the valuable parts are removed from the cars and the remainder is crushed. This not only helps to provide needed used car parts to the market, it also is a needed source or scrap metal, most of which is sold overseas for construction.

Charities rely on car donations for some much needed revenue. When you donate your car, there is an extremely wide variety of needs it can help to fill. With your car donation, you can provide food, water and shelter to needy people in third world countries or in your own community. It can go to help fund needed research for many diseases, illnesses or causes. It can be used to help fund educational programs or other programs to help young people. The proceeds from your car donation can help fulfill the needs of those currently suffering with physical or emotional problems, or those that have been abused or abandoned. Or, it can provide services for veterans, soldiers and/or their families. Your car donation can help animals either worldwide or in your own area.

When you donate your car to charity, you will save a lot of money. First, you will save money at the car dealership. Most auto buying guides say you will be able to negotiate a much better price for a new or used car without a trade in.

Through car donation, you will save the money you would have paid to advertise the sale of your car either on the internet or through the newspaper. Also, if your car does not run, has a major mechanical problem or a lot of body damage, you may have to fix it in order to sell it for a decent price. Donating your car will save you the money you would have had to pay in repair costs had you decided to keep it. You will not lose any money by having to take time off from work to show the car, fix it, etc. And if your car is in really bad shape, you will not have to pay money to have a junk yard come and tow it away.

Most car donation charities will be quite happy to accept your car no matter what condition it is in. You will simply need to give them a valid title. When you donate your car to charity, they will pick up your car fast and free and at a time that is the most convenient for you. That will save you money on the unused portion of your car insurance, registration, license plates, etc.

You will be eligible for a tax deduction of at least $500 when you donate car to charity. To claim your money saving tax deduction, you just need to itemize on your federal income tax return. In most cases, the charity you donate your car to will sell it. If they are able to sell it for more than $500, that sale price will become the amount you can claim as your tax deduction. Unlike many things in life, getting a tax deduction by donating a car to charity is definitely a sure thing.

The charity you choose to donate car to will use the money generated from its sale to help further their mission. They may use it to help fund research on a wide variety of illnesses or diseases. They may use it to provide information and services to those inflicted with aliments, or with mental illness. The proceeds might be used to provide counseling services, for education or for programs for young people. The money may even go to help fund services for wounded soldiers, veterans or their families. Some charities use the proceeds from the sale of car donations to help provide shelter, food and medical services to needy individuals or homeless animals.

If you have a car that you want to get rid of and want to purchase a brand new one, make sure that you donate your car to a good cause rather than selling it off at a low price. If you have been thinking about what to do with your old, damaged car you should consider giving it to leading service providers handling car donations. If you donate your car instead of selling it off, you will be able to help certain people who are in need of food, shelter, and money, as well as receive a tax credit. The best providers of car donations take possession of these donated cars and sell them off at an auction and the price that is earned is donated to charities to help people in need.

Car donations are just a phone call away and the company arranges for your car to be towed to a yard. You do not need to worry about how to transport it to their location. Most providers of car donations do it all for you. The tow company will be sent to your place to pick up the car you will sign a release paper and then it’s done. Even if your car is in a bad shape, you can be assured that it will be put to good use. After the car has been picked up, the car donation company will sell the car off either through the internet, wholesale outlets, retail facilities, auction yards, or even an auto dismantling companies. The money that is then earned through the sale of the car is donated to various charities. The car donations company makes sure that a car is sold at the highest selling price to maximize the aid provided to each charity.

A tax deduction is offered to every individual who donates a car. So donate your car, to make a good, kind, and compassionate move and also get a reduction in your taxes. If you are selling your car to someone, you will need to get the proper paper work together and then send in a release of liability for the car. To avoid all of this, if you donate your car, most car donations companies will help you by doing all the tough paper work. Then they sell it off and the funds earned will be used by community charities to help the less fortunate to a great extent. So, if you have a car and you do not want to use it anymore, donate it so that someone in need can make use of it.

When purchasing a new or used car, there are several things you can do with your older car. You can use it as a trade in, you can sell it privately, you can give it to a friend or relative, or you can donate car to charity. There are pros and cons with each choice.

Negotiating the purchase price for a car with the dealer is difficult enough without having to haggle over the trade in amount. Most car buying guides indicate that you can probably make a better deal without a trade in. If your used car needs significant repair or does not run, the dealer may not offer you much of a trade in for it simply because he does not really want it.

Selling your used car privately comes with its own set of problems. First, you have to advertise it and wait for people to response and make arrangements to look at it. Then, you have to wait for them show up.  If you car does not run or is in poor condition, you might have to makes some repairs in order to sell it. Once you have an interested person, you then have to negotiate the selling price. After you settle on that, you have to establish the terms of payment, i.e. will you take a check, accept payments, etc.  Accepting another method of payment other than cash, a money order or a certified check is never in your best interest. There are some other concerns associated with the private sale of a car. Everyone has heard horror stories of the buyer suing to get their money back by claiming the car had some major problem that the seller failed to disclose. Fortunately, in most states private sales are viewed as being as-is and these types of lawsuits are generally unsuccessful. The other concern is that the buyer will drive the vehicle without transferring the title or registering it in their name. This can happen particularly in states where the license plates stay on the car.

On the surface, giving your older car to a friend or relative seems like a very generous gesture. However, this can really backfire and cause irreparable damage to your friendship particularly if the vehicle develops a major problem you were not aware of shortly after the gift.  Besides the possibility of losing a friendship, you will get no financial benefit by gifting a car.

Summertime is for being outdoors, barbequing, swimming, boating, vacationing; just enjoying the nice weather. Unfortunately, it is not an enjoyable time for everyone. For those dealing with disease, illness, injury or poverty, those who have no home or food, those who are abused or alone, summertime is a time of pain and misery.

You will help when you donate car you no longer need to charity. Cars4Charities will proudly handle your car donation for you, promptly and professionally. Many car donation charities will only allow you to donate car that runs, does not have a lot of body damage or rust and is under 10 years old. Cars4Charities accepts almost all cars for donation. They only require that you have a title or transferable registration for the vehicle, that it not be stripped of its parts and that it be located somewhere where a tow truck can easily get to it.

Cars4Charities is recognized by the IRS as a charity themselves, so you can be confident your car donation will be handled properly. Cars4Charities will have your car picked up fast and free too! They have a very extensive list of charities you can donate car to; including International, National, Regional and local charities. Cars4Charities will sell your donated car for the highest amount possible and send the proceeds to the charity you choose from their list. When you donate your car, you will receive a tax deduction that is equal to the greater of the amount the car is sold for or $500.

In addition to assisting the charity and getting a tax deduction, there other good reasons to donate car to charity. Car donation is much less stressful than negotiating with a car dealer over the trade in amount or with a private party over sale amount. There are also no fees associated with car donation as there are in advertising a car for sale or in making repairs to the car to make it easier to sell. When you try to sell a car to the public, you have to wait around for prospective buyers to come over to look at the vehicle. That can be very time consuming. Car donation takes very little time. At Cars4Charities, you do not even have to make a phone call. You can complete the car donation process online any time of the day or night through their website; http://www.cars4charities.org/.

When you are ready to donate car, please contact Cars4Charities at http://www.cars4charities.org/ or call them toll free at 1-866-448-3487. They will gladly explain the entire car donation procedure to you.

Learn everything you can about the entire car donation process and its benefits to you. First, learn whether you can claim the tax deduction  you will receive for donating your car to charity.  You can only claim the tax deduction if you itemize on your federal income tax return. 

If you regularly itemize on your taxes, you will get a financial benefit if you donate your car. If you do not normally itemize, you should learn whether you will be able to if you donate car. A simple way to learn whether it will make a difference is to re-calculate your previous years’ taxes as if you donated a car. If car donation would have allowed you to itemize on your taxes last year, it probably will this year as long as there are no other major changes in your financial situation.

Next, learn what charities will let you donate your car based on its condition.  Many charities will only accept vehicles that are under ten years old, run and have no significant problems, rust or body damage. If your car does not fall into this category, you only have to do a little research to learn what charities will accept it.

Once you compile a list of charities, learn all you can about them. One of the first things you will want to learn is whether the charity is an IRS qualified organization. If you donate car to an unqualified organization, you will not be able to claim your tax deduction. In general, qualified organizations are 501 (c) (3) organizations. To learn more, see IRS Publication 78. Other things you will want to learn about the charity is their reputation in general, any complaints that have been filed against them, the portion of proceeds from car donations that go toward charitable purposes, etc.

Next, you will want to learn about the entire car donation process. Learn where and how to sign over the title to your car. You are the seller and will need to sign the title in the space marked “seller’s signature”. You need to sign your name as it appears on the title. If there is a lien listed on the title, you need to learn whether a lien release is necessary.

Once you sign the title, you need to learn what to do with it. Some charities ask you to leave it in the car. This is never a good idea. Some will ask you to give the title to the towing service when they pick up the car. Still some charities will ask you to mail the title to them. They ask that because it is safer for you to have it in their hands rather than those of the towing service.

You also need to learn what to do with your license plates. Most states require you to remove them.

Finally, learn what type of documentation you will receive from the charity. If your car is sold for more than $500 the IRS requires the charity to provide you with IRS Form 1098-c.

If you have been beat down by the weather, there is some good news. The weather is finally breaking and Summer is here. You are ready for a vacation to parts unknown. But you are wrestling with lots of issues; gas prices are really high, your bank account is tapped out, your car is down for the three count and you feel as those you have been hit with a foreign object. These could disqualify you from taking that road trip.

But, instead of getting upset, you decide to go to the car lot and look for a new or newer car. Finally you spot the car you want. But, you get blindsided by the price. So, you decide to bring in a referee to help you manage the sale. That does not help you when two big bruisers come over to tag team you. One of them is the enforcer; the other is just the mouthpiece. After you tell them to take a flying leap, you get hit with a low blow when the finisher comes off the top rope.

Now comes the main event and it is a stunner. You are ready to rumble. You each dance around the squared circle, vying for position. He wants to body slam you and you want to put the sleeper hold on him. It is a real grudge match. But, because you brought your A game, he takes the fall and you smack down a deal.

Your next match is a backbreaker. You have to wrestle with what to do with your old car. Your car is a no-sell because the hood is dented, it leaks juice, the windows will not roll-up, the mats are missing and the mechanic says it needs a championship belt and it will not corner or make it through a Texas cloverleaf.

You finally hear through the grapevine that you can donate your car to charity. There is no hype, no angles, no gimmicks and they do not stretch the truth. When you donate car to charity, they will dispatch a tow truck from the stable to scoop up your car donation for free. Then, you will get a hotshot tax deduction for your car donation. You will not get sandbagged, clotheslined, or head butted.

You will feel like a champion when you realize that your suicide drive will help the charity, help those in need, get you a tax deduction and clear your yard.

Knowledge is power even when it comes to car donation. The more knowledge you have about the car donation process, the better decision you will make about whether to donate your car and what charity to donate car to.

The answer to the question of whether to donate your car is determined by your motivation for donating it. If your motivation is simply to help the charity, the answer is of course; donate car.

If your motivation is get a tax deduction you will need to gain some knowledge about what the tax deduction is and if will you be able to claim it. To claim the tax deduction, you will need to itemize on your Federal tax return. That means you will have to file Schedule A. Your actual benefit from your car donation is determined by the tax bracket you are in. For example, if you are in the 35% tax bracket, your actual benefit is 35% of the amount you claim for your car donation.

There are several things that will determine which charity you donate car to. One of them is the mission of the charity. There are a very wide variety of charities that accept vehicle donations. They include international and national charities as well as state, regional and local ones. Their missions range from conducting research on many diseases and afflictions, to helping those who are afflicted, to animal rights issues, to environmental issues, to programs for young people, to care for the elderly, disabled, injured or abused, to local food banks, homeless shelters, hospices, etc.

Once you determine the mission you wish to support, you will want to obtain some knowledge of their efficiency, effectiveness, reputation, etc. There are a number of ways to can check them out. Some of the places you can check are Charity Navigators, the Institute of Philanthropy, GuideStar, etc. If the charity you are checking on does not have a good rating, those guides will show you alternative ones.

Once you have narrowed down you choices, you will need to gain some knowledge about their car donation process. One thing you will want to know is whether they handle donations themselves or use the services of a car donation center. Many use a car donation center. One reason they do is because the vast majority of donated cars are sold. There is a certain level of expertise required in operating a car donation program. It requires the knowledge of the rules and regulations involved in the sale of vehicles, the transfer of titles, what to do with the license plates, etc. These rules and regulations vary by state. Many charities prefer not to use their resources for this and often find it to be more cost effective to use a car donation center.

Next, you will want to gain some knowledge regarding the qualifications the charity has for accepting a vehicle. Many prefer to only accept those cars that run and are less than ten years old. Other charities accept vehicles in virtually any condition as long as they have not been stripped of their parts and are in a location from where they can be towed.

The more knowledge you have regarding the intricacies of car donations, the more you will know whether and where to donate your car.