Vehicle donation
That car in the driveway can put a Borregan through college
BASIC has its own vehicle donation program. A car, truck, boat or RV you no longer need becomes books, summer learning and scholarships for the students of Borrego Springs — and you never have to list it, meet a stranger in a parking lot, or haggle over a price.
Every dollar raised here stays with BASIC’s Cradle-to-Graduation work: early literacy for the youngest readers, enrichment through the middle grades, and the scholarships that carry Borrego Springs graduates through college and trade school. Our students are the amazing cause. Your unwanted vehicle is a way to fund them.
70%
of what your vehicle is auctioned for comes back to BASIC and the kids of Borrego Springs. The rest covers the towing, the title work and the auction.
Or call, seven days a week855-500-RIDE (7433)
Calling? Tell them it is for BASIC.Ask for Basic Assistance to Students in the Community, in Borrego Springs
. CARS runs that phone line for thousands of nonprofits, so they need to hear our name before the proceeds can reach Borrego Springs students. The button above and the code on our flier already carry BASIC — a call does not.
CARS Makes Donating a Vehicle Easy!
BASIC does not run the tow truck. Our vehicle donations are handled by CARS — Charitable Adult Rides & Services, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that exists to run vehicle donation programs for other nonprofits, and has returned more than $600 million to them.
They take care of all of it: the pick-up, the paperwork, the auction, the receipt and the tax documents. You tell them what you have and where it is, and they do the rest. Then the proceeds come to BASIC.
What to expect
Five things worth knowing before you start. There is no cost to you at any point.
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Name BASIC when you call
Starting online sends you to BASIC’s own page, so the donation is credited to us automatically. On the phone you have to say it:
Basic Assistance to Students in the Community, in Borrego Springs
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Almost anything with wheels
Cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, campers, boats, trailers, off-road vehicles and farm equipment. Running or not — it only has to be in one piece and reachable by a tow truck.
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Free pick-up, usually in a day or two
Towing is free in all fifty states and most vehicles are collected within 24 to 72 hours. Clear out your belongings and have the title ready; the tow operator takes the title, the keys and the vehicle.
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A receipt at the curb
You get an initial receipt when the vehicle is collected, and a thank-you letter within 30 days of its auction. Vehicles are typically auctioned within four to twelve weeks.
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The tax paperwork, handled
If your vehicle is auctioned for more than $500 and you have given your Social Security number, an IRS Form 1098-C is mailed to you within 30 days of the auction.
What vehicle donors say
BASIC’s program is new, so these are not our donors — they are people who gave a vehicle through CARS to a cause of their own, in their own words, from careasy.org. The experience they describe is the one waiting for you.
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When it came time to replace my wife’s 18-year-old car, we donated it rather than sell it or trade it in. We’re not rich and can’t do a lot, but we do what we can.
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We donated our vehicle because we listen all the time and wanted to support fact-based journalism that keeps our community connected. We need that now more than ever.
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We have spent many amazing years and miles together. Drives to skating practice, off to college, then to California for grad school. Today I donated her in hopes that the car which enabled my adventures will fund some for future generations.
BASIC is in good company
CARS runs the vehicle donation program for thousands of nonprofits. Among them:
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- Disabled American Veterans
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America
- Big Brothers Big Sisters
- Susan G. Komen
- Stand Up To Cancer
- The Sierra Club Foundation
- National Kidney Foundation
- Americares
- World Vision
- Ronald McDonald House
- The USO
- Goodwill
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Civil Air Patrol
- Helen Woodward Animal Center
- KQED
- PBS SoCal
CARS is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and is a past winner of its Torch Award for Ethics. Their names appear here to say who else trusts this program; none of these organizations is connected to BASIC.
Ready when you are
It takes a few minutes online, or one phone call. Everything after that is someone else’s job.
Calling? Tell them it is for BASIC.Ask for Basic Assistance to Students in the Community, in Borrego Springs
. CARS runs that phone line for thousands of nonprofits, so they need to hear our name before the proceeds can reach Borrego Springs students. The button above and the code on our flier already carry BASIC — a call does not.
Print the flier (PDF, one page) — for a bulletin board, a counter, or a neighbour who is not online.
← All the other ways to give to BASIC
BASIC — Basic Assistance to Students in the Community — is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization. EIN 33-0631683. Within the limits prescribed by law, your contribution is tax deductible. This page describes a program operated on BASIC’s behalf by CARS; it is a summary, not tax advice.