How come the SPCA took it?

Because I donated it to them?

Oh, I didn't know you could do that. Whaddaya think they'll do with it? Do they sell 'em for parts?

Good for you, mudpuppie. It is for a great cause.

If I had an old car I might give it to NPR because they're always begging for "your old car, motorcycle, or RV". I might donate it to my local Humane Society. They need the money more.

Whaddaya think they'll do with it? Do they sell 'em for parts?

Saleable cars they auction off. This one isn't, so they'll likely sell it for scrap. [*sniff*]

I could have done the same, but I would have had to pay for towing, which would have negated any money they would have paid me. They tow for free.

Anyway, maybe old dead car will improve the life of some sweet old dog somewhere.

Scrap is pretty valuable these days. More likely than not, it will end up in China or Korea, then they will sell it back to someone in the US as new steel.

Hey, that's pretty cool. I had no idea you could donate old cars. Well done, mudpuppie. That's a good cause right there.

Two years ago, I donated my beloved 1989 VW Golf to the Boston Rape Crisis Center. It had tons of miles, and needed too much work to make it run again for the money I had. It was the first car I negotiated for on my own and bought with my own money. Many road trips, fun times, makeout sessions, roadside waits for the tow truck and episodes of young adult angst were had in it. It was my escape when things sucked at home. It was the celebration wagon. It was my last link to my single life.

The night before the tow truck came, I took a bottle of wine, climbed on the hood, cranked the radio and thought about those times, good and bad, and how I'd learned and grown from them all. The next morning, I took photos and waved as the Golfer turned the corner and was gone.

Aw, see, init gets it!

Yeah, I get it too - when we're young, our car often defines us, because it's our only large asset and is often the first big thing we buy for ourselves. Plus, our first car is often the site of some of our first sexual fumblings, a place where we listened to music as loud as we wanted and a symbol of our freedom. Once you grow up, you can never get that feeling back about a car, no matter how you try. There are too many other, more "important" things to worry about.

Sigh.

I "sold" my '89 Escort to a Miami classmate's Rasta friend for five dollars. We all shared a pizza before he drove off in a sputtering black cloud (it was twelve years old at the time and had gotten caught in two tropical storm floods). I hope he made it up the highway.

All mine died dramatically from battle scars that flew them straight to Valhallah. Seeing their lifeless husks would have been too much, as they had seen so much.

i stopped owning a car when gas started to become unreasonable, but not for that reason. It hasn't stopped and it will never be the same, driving into the sun as it rose in New England or changing the tapes at a rest stop at three am.
i will miss the American Highway.
i miss it now.

Someone take me on a road trip!