# Sell, donate, or fix? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** taurus\ **Created:** [October 24, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sell-donate-or-fix/87803 "2014-10-24T20:38:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![skylark64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@skylark64](https://community.cartalk.com/u/skylark64)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sell-donate-or-fix/87803/1 "2014-10-24T20:38:17Z")
I have a 1999 Ford Taurus. It’s been a great family car but recently it’s developed some gremlins. My father-in-law and I rebuilt the engine due to a bad oil pump shaft but there are a few remaining issues: • Heater doesn’t work. Heater core is good, radiator is fine. I think it is the vacuum actuators for the heater doors. • Speedometer doesn’t work. Probably the sensor. • Shifting is off. Could be it needs a service, could be it doesn’t know how fast it is going. • Creaky steering. We replaced both front struts but it makes this creaking sound. Bonus problem: it stinks. It sat for a while and developed that moldy, BO smell. Not the good gas, exhaust, vinyl mold smell that old cars have. Here are my options: A. Sell it. I’d probably get about $500-1000. B. Donate it. Nice tax break. C. Fix it. I usually do all the work myself, but these problems are a little too tedious and involved. What should I do? ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sell-donate-or-fix/87803/2 "2014-10-24T20:47:49Z")
Time to say bye bye. Even if you fix the other problems, you’ll be forever suffering from the moldy smell. Them mold spores, they have a half-life of forever. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sell-donate-or-fix/87803/3 "2014-10-25T03:29:41Z")
Donate it! You have better things to do than nursing an oldie like that. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sell-donate-or-fix/87803/4 "2014-10-25T05:16:25Z")
If you think you will get a great tax break, you are probably mistaken. If you donate to a charity that uses the car, you can determine the value. But almost all donated cars are sold. If that is what happens, the charity will send you a receipt and that is your deduction. ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 6:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sell-donate-or-fix/87803/5 "2014-10-25T06:13:18Z")
Sell it. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 6:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sell-donate-or-fix/87803/6 "2014-10-25T06:23:28Z")
Donate it. The tax write off feels as good as does helping out any great charity. Double warm and fuzzies. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 6:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sell-donate-or-fix/87803/7 "2014-10-25T06:45:35Z")
Won’t get much of a write-off for a '99 Toreass Some gift to charity . . .