Donate Your Vehicle

Wheeler accepts donations of cars, trucks, vans, mini-buses, boats, tractors, and heavy construction equipment. Sorry -- we draw the line at trains. For tax deduction information about such donations, skip to the bottom of the page.

To donate any vehicle, please email or call Steve Kerr at (317) 635-3575 first. To donate a car, van, or truck, here's what you need to know:

1. Wheeler can accept any such vehicle, running or not.
2. The person who owns the vehicle, possesses a clear title, and has the keys should be the one who calls.
3. Some vehicles will be put into the service of the ministry right away. (Camp Hunt, for instance, currently has a need for a 4x4 pickup truck.) You may deliver your vehicle to us, or if it is in the Central Indiana area, we can arrange to pick up your vehicle.
4. Vehicles that could not be used for ministry will be sold at auction. Wheeler and another organization, Volunteers of America, work together on this class of vehicles. When you coordinate your donation through Wheeler, Volunteers of America will pick up the vehicle, and the two organizations will split the proceeds of the auction.
5. You will receive the kind of receipt you need for a tax deduction
   
   

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Tax Deduction Information:

Wheeler is a qualifying 501(c)(3) charitable organization and according to the IRS, you can deduct the fair market value of your vehicle when you itemize your deductions.

How do you estimate the fair market value? First of all, don't ask us to do it: we're not allowed to. But IRS publication 561 offers this advice: Say "the 'blue book' value of a car like yours is $1,600 in good condition. However, your car needs extensive repairs. After checking with repair shops and used car dealers, you find that the car should sell for $750. You may use $750 as the FMV of the car."

There is no limit on how many vehicles you may donate during a year, but if the fair market value of the vehicle(s) is $5000 or greater you must file the IRS Form 8283 with your tax return.

Here are some links to the Kelly Blue Book and the NADA Guide to get you started. It's also wise to compare your vehicle to similar ones for sale in the area; check out cars.com, and/or AutoTrader.com to see what price yours is bringing.