donating a car

so my car had turned really old over the years, but it was in driving condition, and since i didn't have money to afford a new car, i was managing it with 1000-2000 worth of repairs each year. However, last summer I felt something was off with it, so I took it to the dealer (no judgements please - some of us distrust local mechanics more, coz they tend to dupe women more). They gave me a list of repairs. the estimate was $7000 and they said that I can drive the car a little bit, but it's not gonna last too long.

Since then I kinda freaked out about it. Even if we chose a mechanic and it's half the cost, even 3500 was too much. So XH and I made a deal. He will drive my car, usually less than 2 miles daily, for his commute, and I took his car. The plan was to sell it by the end of summer, after we are done with all the vacations and stuff and able to think a bit more freely.

But we didn't sell it. I was wary of driving it anything more than 5 miles a day, outside of local roads, but XH was, I think correctly, more confident of it. So he continued driving it.

Cut to November, I find out XH sometimes drives it 50-100 miles at a time, and that he won't stop. He kept on arguing that the car is alright. We had an argument, I spent the night in a hotel, and next morning drove into a dealership. Coincidentally that day itself the car had a flat tire. By afternoon, I had leased a new car, and given him his car back. Can't have him out on the road with an old car, that in my heavily dramatized imagination would break down @ 65 mph and XH would crash into 10 other cars on the highway. Guess the reason why I was so paranoid was coz that car had broken down on me two times while I was on road, but luckily I was on a deserted road driving at low speed.

Again, I didn't know what to do with it. There was no way I was gonna sell it and be responsible for someone's accident. I had made up my mind I will sell it either to the dealership, or to a mechanic with full disclosure of its condition. But decided to table the decision until next India trip.

I even registered it for 2018. Then I realized I am still paying insurance for it when the car has not left my garage in 3 months. I removed it from the insurance and decided to donate it. Coincidentally, that day itself I heard a donation jingle on the radio, took it as a sign, and called them up.

Right now, am in the middle of that process. And every step of the way I begin having self doubts. That car was a part of me for so many years. I have so so so many memories of it. I am experiencing some parting anxiety. When they ask me questions about each part of it, I feel like they are asking about my own baby's defects. Feels sad. I find myself defending it, and say things like - I was driving it fine until it had a flat tire, although I know it didn't have much life left.

I think I have made the right decision by donating it instead of selling it for petty 1-2K, if at that. Part of the reason I didn't want to sell it was that I could not bring myself to put a value on it. That's why even if I would have sold it to a dealership, and they are known to underquote, I would have taken their first offer.

Apparently I will get some tax benefit for the year. They are gonna auction my baby and give me a receipt accordingly. Sometimes the suspicious in me begins questioning if the people I am talking to are legit or not. But then I think, whatever it is, let it be. Not like I want to make any real buck out of it.

Even though I take 1-2 days to return each of their calls, I know I will be without that car soon. Even kids are getting all emotional about it. XH is like, why are you thinking so much for something that's gonna be sold to junkyard, and I feel sad all over again. Close friends can't understand how I can get so emotional over a car.

But still, here I am, really sad.