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Roadside Assistance: What Will Insurance Cover?

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Roadside Assistance: What Will Insurance Cover?

Until an incident six months ago, I mainly considered my car insurance to be something I would use if an accident occurred. After being stranded at work with a car that wouldn't start, I learned there was more to my plan than that. There is a whole section that has to do with roadside assistance. The guy driving the tow truck asked if my insurance covered emergency calls and I said I didn't know. He asked me the name of the company and then called his boss. After a quick word with my provider, he found out that I was covered in full. If you are not sure if your car insurance covers roadside assistance, let me tell you how to find out. After going over specific clauses in the contract, I'm betting you are covered for everything from a flat tire to a dead battery.

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Three Ways To Get Rid Of Your Clunker

9 April 2015
 Categories: , Blog

Whether your first car from your teen years is finally dying, or you've been in an accident or your car had a series of unexpected issues, you've got a problem. You have a clunker on your hands. Clunkers are infamously difficult to get rid of. Unlike selling a proper vehicle, very few people want to buy a dying or dead car. That's why you need to get creative in order to get rid of your old ride.

Finally Rid Yourself of Your Clunker

Selling a car that's less than ideal is difficult. Below are three ways you can find a new home for your old, dying vehicle.

  1. Make it a Mechanic's Special. This option won't be available for everyone, but will be the best option for some. If your clunker happens to be a car that's sought after by mechanics to restore and sell for a profit, you can list your car for sale as a mechanic's special. In your listing, let it be known that there are many things wrong with it, and that it does or does not run. You never know who will want to restore your vehicle. Old Mustangs and VW buses are common targets for restoration.
     
  2. Contact an Auto Recycler. Auto recycling is a great way to earn some cash for your clunker. An auto recycling center will typically buy your vehicle outright and take it from there. They strip it for parts and then recycle the rest. The chassis is sold as bulk iron, which is then sold to various companies to melt down and produce countless new products. So, you get cash for your clunker and all of the materials are reused in one or another. That beats having it sit in your driveway for the next few years, right?  
     
  3. Donate it to Charity. Donating a dying or dead car to charity might not seem like an obvious solution, but it's actually a mutually beneficial way to rid yourself of the vehicle. You'll receive a tax write off for the approximate value of the car, and the charity will receive an asset they will put to great use. Some vehicles are donated to education centers where students will use your old clunker to learn how to fix the vehicle. It might even be fixed up and sold, with those funds being invested back into the charity.

There are many options available for anyone looking to get rid of their clunker. You'll need to choose the best option for your vehicle, area and situation.