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Cadillac donations bring yearly donations of hundreds of dollars to dozens of Canadian charities! Since August, we have seen gifts for animal charities, illness-related causes, and children's hospitals.
Continue reading "Cadillac Donations Count" →Knowing the Industry
Ford Focus
Ford Focus donors? We've had a few! Learn how your Focus can impact the Canadian charity of your choosing.
Continue reading "Ford Focus" →Donate My Motorcycle
Can I donate my motorcycle? Yes! And...no. This is a seasonal question for us here at Donate a Car Canada.
Continue reading "Donate My Motorcycle" →BMW Donor Feeds the ‘Bank
One of our BMW donors has made an enormous impact on behalf of their local food bank service!
The vision of your local food bank is to see a Canada where no one goes hungry. They work to relieve and prevent hunger every day, from coast to coast, and they will capably stretch every donation dollar that they receive!
Continue reading "BMW Donor Feeds the ‘Bank" →Buick Riviera
Smart technology in a 1986 Buick Riviera? We were as surprised as you are!
Continue reading "Buick Riviera" →Wildlife Sanctuary
Animal charities have heart
Offering our wildlife sanctuary is a core Canadian value. Of our nearing 1,000 Canadian charities, dozens are animal care organizations. Donate a Car Canada donors often put their donation dollars toward these causes.
Continue reading "Wildlife Sanctuary" →VW Beetle | Punch Buggy…Purple?
The VW Beetle offered its final edition in 2019. Punch buggy aficionados find unique ways to honor this beloved icon. One of our previous donors, C. McDonald of Calgary, Alberta, put a little extra into his current car, a 1.6 Turbo, 2017 slug bug.
Transformation
Mr. McDonald's original purchase was a forest green -- interior and exterior. His first addition to the car (his second VW Beetle) was two 12" subwoofers. Soon to follow: 18" gold rims.
He quickly began dreaming up a paint job for his prized find. The paint job plans soon morphed into saving up for a vinyl wrap -- front to back!
Out of this world
Considering many options (including a galaxy-spangled frunk -- you know: the front-trunk), the owner settled on a
3m gloss deep space purple and hexis gloss and super chrome gold highlights. The gold highlights to some interior surfaces complement the earlier addition of the rims.
This wrap has a surreal effect! Is the car blue? Purple? Bronze? Copper? Green? Depending on the position of the sun, the quality of light, and your perspective, the color changes continuously.
Running with the big boys
This work of art was no small effort. Riley, of ZR Auto in Calgary, Alberta took personal pride in the work and attention to detailed quality. Accustomed to working on high-end vehicles, Riley worked his skills to beautiful effect. The result? Mr. McDonald's punch buggy is a crowd stopper. It's not unusual for this VW Beetle to stop passersby mid-step. Smart phones at the ready, its a sure thing that there are a lot of pics of this shifty little slug bug all over cyberspace.
If you're in the Calgary area and looking for a unique addition to your ongoing game of Punch Buggy!, keep your eyes wide open for this 2017 purple...no, blue...make that copper VW Beetle!
Full-size Cars
I was born in 1970, a year when the North American love affair with full-size cars (read, BIG cars) was in full swing.
My earliest memory of a family car is a 70's model Pontiac Catalina. Four doors. Forest green. Seats as rough as sandpaper, and an eight-track cassette player the churned out the Oakridge Boys for days.
Barbies, singalongs, & the open road
The interior of that Pontiac was astonishing. My little sister and I had the run of the place -- pre-seatbelt era. We stuffed that mother ship of full-size cars to the roof with our barbies and books. We hunkered into the sunburnt back seat and sang our little lungs out, Dad harmonizing all along, on the long treks to and from Grandma's farm.
That behemoth journeyed us across provinces and down the way to Sunday school. Countless memories were made as we squabbled and star-gazed and explored in the safety of the Catalina.
Big cars | A thing of the past?
The march of time and progress have had their effect on our relationship with big cars. Today's full-size cars are feather-light by comparison. A car like the Catalina weighed-in closer to the size of our current mid-size SUVs (at a healthy 4000+ lbs). That said, the Dodge Charger (our best option in full-size sedans, according to CarGurus.com) weighs in with a curb weight of 4500+ lbs.
Length, height, and cargo space -- not to mention our always evolving relationship with aesthetics -- have shifted dramatically over time. Moreover, drivability and safety are deal breakers for today's buyer.
Ready to move on
If you've been nostalgically holding on to your 70's, 80's, 90's full-size car, consider extending its service in a different way? What if that non-drivable old vehicle could be transformed into donation dollars? Through our program, you can choose your charity and get that car off the back parking pad for free. Keep the steering wheel, or a chip of paint. Remove a mirror or memorialize it with a hubcap. A tiny bit of insignia is so much cheaper and easier to tend than that big ol' pile of metal. And the pile of metal can do good work on behalf of someone, or something, who needs it!
My Junk Car, a Charity Treasure
Happy Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Donor
"Good riddance to bad rubbish" was this donor's heartfelt post. His donation on behalf of the CPFF was processed earlier this month. A recycle-ready vehicle, the donor received his free tow in quicktime by Quick's Towing. This faithful agent has been serving Donate a Car Canada in Ontario for years. So many donors and their charities of choice served by one company!
What happens to my junk car?
Not all of us feel quite so strongly about our recycle-ready vehicles as our Equinox donor! We may not be so ready to call Old Faithful, "junk." Whatever the readiness, our process in caring for your donation will hold steady.
You will always receive a free tow from one of our trusted supporting agents. These stalwarts will either recycle or re-sell your vehicle. This is dependent on many factors specific to your location, and the condition of the auto. Donation dollar outcomes vary from one province to the next. This is as should be: metal prices fluctuate constantly. Your donation outcome will reflect that variance.
And your charity? Monies in hand within weeks of us receiving the pay out from our agent. Your tax receipt is then issued to you in the subsequent weeks.
But what if it's not junk?
"Take care of my junk car!" may not be your cry. Perhaps your donation-ready vehicle is in sale-able condition. We're the company for you! Simply submit the car or truck particulars and we'll promptly assess its condition. If we, based on what we know about the industry and our database of sale outcomes, determine that it can be re-sold, or auctioned off, we'll do so! This can result in a much stronger donation outcome on driveable, sturdy, good lookin' units! 'Good for your charity, and great for your tax claims!
Hit the donate button, or give us a call today!
Summer Travel 2020
Summer travel in the time of COVID-19. Do you have plans in place? Are you desperate to hit the open road, or is the plan to stay close to home?
Whatever your process, the present normal of intentionality, care, and health have likely affected you.
Cross-border travel continues to be in question. Furthermore, road travel between provinces is a bit of a puzzler. With some of us masking-up, sanitizing, and isolating while others go about their business as usual, there is much uncertainty about how to interact with holiday time.
What we know for sure
Summer travel is sure to be disrupted by a few key factors. What we know for sure...is that we don't know anything for sure!
First, be prepared for unusual road closures. Some provinces continue to keep roads closed. There are towns that restrict visitation, and others that will allow only residents.
There is an ebb and flow to the way COVID-19 does its thing. For that reason, unpredictable (or, even predictable ones, for that matter!) spikes could result in you being stalled in your journey. Have your car stocked and ready for limited access to amenities.
All that hand washing you're doing at home? Be ready to ramp that up. Keep in mind that some stores may insist on masks, and not all roadside locations will be open for business.
What happens on the other side
Returning home from summer travel is another thing to consider. The broader your exposure to your fellow Canadians, the higher your chance of exposure to sickness. Consider your circle of contact upon returning home: is your possible contact with the virus going to put others in danger?
While these are limiting and frustrating considerations it may serve well to err on the side of care this summer.
When camping in the yard is a thing
As you've, no doubt, considered, summer travel in 2020 may be a lot more effort than it's worth. Here's to creativity and ingenuity rising to meet the challenge! Perhaps you have already come up with an inspiration that will find you and your loved ones enjoying every moment of the season? Is this the year to make friends with pitching a tent in the back yard? Could exploring the wonders nearby bring new appreciation for what's at hand?
For more on how to sort your summer, check out CTV News. The National Post encourages you in your "staycation" plans. Even more detailed is the Global News guidance on what various provinces and airlines are up to.
Whatever your summer travel plans, we wish you good health and the freedom to connect with the ones you love!
