Originally published on June 8, 2015 on autoTRADER.ca

LOL! Your old POS just died. You held on for years. You waited for this day. You made a commitment to drive this rusted old heap into the dirt, hoping it would die a quick death, but it just kept going.

It was like that old girlfriend that just wouldn’t let go. You could swear that, more than once, your leaky old rust-heap whispered into your ear “I’ll never let you go…we can make this work! And don’t you dare leave me… I’ll find you!”

Your POS was what Vince Vaugnan would call a Stage Five Clinger. And now it’s dead. Dead dead dead. The engine finally seized up and blew bits of itself all over the place in dramatic fashion, you’re ready to part ways, and move on, and start shopping for something new.

After all, your once-lustrous and fresh POS had become like a really old man, suffering dribbles, leaks, grumbles and aches, and experiencing frequent and embarrassing failures to contain gas.

But oh, what to do with that dented, peeling and faded heap of sheetmetal and plastic and memories. After all, you can’t exactly just leave her out for the trash, and if you’re crafty, you might even be able to squeeze a few bucks out of the old POS before it’s shredded in a scrap-yard and turned into bed-pans and cutlery and watering cans.

Here are a few tips on how to maximize value from your old POS (Pretty Old Sedan, by the way), if you’re all set to move on.

Strip It

Do you know how to operate a wrench? What’s more satisfying than dismantling your old rust bucket to harvest some of its parts and sell for a few bucks? Headlights (especially of the HID variety), taillamps, seats, interior trim panels and even parts like the alternator or trunk-lid can all be worth a few bucks apiece to the right person, provided they’re in good shape, and you’re of the proper level of mechanical inclination to tackle the dismantling. Inner door bits, including window regulators in good condition, can be another gold-mine.

Remove any parts you can sell for a few bucks, take plenty of pictures, and sell them online. This can be especially fruitful if you own a rarer or sportier car. Post the for sale ad in the car’s online owner’s forum too, where appropriate. Note that shipping larger items like wheels and seats via your local Greyhound bus station can typically be done for a reasonable price, if the seller isn’t local.

Another method of disposal: Final Drive: 2000 Ford Focus (with Demolition Derby Video)

Get a Tax Receipt

Pick a charity you’d like to support, possibly from a site like kidney.ca, carheaven.ca, or donatecar.ca, and give them a call. Most will arrange free pickup of your ride, after which point it will be dismantled, recycled and used to generate a bit of income for the assigned charity. That charity will send you a tax receipt, which saves you some dollars and basically makes you a genius. The amount of your receipt will vary based on numerous factors, but the folks at donatecar.ca say they’ve had donations for recycled vehicles, and corresponding tax receipts, as high as $11,000! Donating your old clunker to a local highschool or college auto program may qualify you for a tax receipt as well, while providing a learning tool for aspiring mechanics.

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