Why do folks donate their old cars to St. Vinnie’s? Surely it’s not because there’s something wrong with them and they’re facing an expensive repair. No, it’s because our local St. Vincent dePaul chapter is extremely dynamic and has done so much good in the Eugene community in building affordable housing, among other things. I donated our ’92 Grand Caravan to them, and later saw it at a gas station and talked to its new owner who was so happy to score such a good deal for his family. That’s undoubtedly what everyone who donates their old cars hopes for, just like when they drop their dog at the pound because they can’t care for it any longer.
So let’s drop in again (we’ve done this a number of times before) and see what is looking for a caring new home.
Here’s the front lot, facing Hwy 99. The overwhelming majority are from the ’90s and ’00s, but there are a few notable exceptions, like this Chevy Equinox, which is very much from the ’10s. Not surprisingly, it’s their most expensive car, at $7995. It better be solid for that price.
And of course there’s the ubiquitous Ford Explorer next to it.
Eugene loves Subarus, and here’s a couple on the front line; a Forester and an Outback.
A Scion xD, which are starting to get a bit thin on the roads, along with its predecessor, the xA. But there’s still plenty of xBs, which are much more desirable, of course. Chevy S10 and a Ranger next to it.
These Saturns have turned out to be quite durable, and not just their plastic body panels.
And of course the best classic of the bunch, a 1984 Reliant K-car station wagon. We covered that gem in detail yesterday.
Are we in Accord?
The Gen2 Prius was once insanely popular here, and there’s still a very healthy contingent on the streets. But this one was given away. Weak battery, perhaps?
Another newer car, a Ford Escape. Has it failed to escape certain issues?
For a while these Siennas were the go-to replacement for old Toyota vans and Previas. But they too are thinning out.
A Ford Freestyle! No, we haven’t totally forgotten about you, although we’re well on the way. Sorry!
Minimum price for a Maxima.
Its mountaineering days may well be over but it’s still good for some trips to the Grocery Outlet.
The plumber’s best friend. And another Exploder behind it.
Here’s a real gem: A Chrysler 300M. Ten inches shorter than the Chrysler LHS/Concord so that Bob Lutz could try to sell them in Europe and show them just what a great road car America could build. Those were the glory days of Chrysler, before it all started to go downhill. Maybe the Mercedes execs were so impressed by the 300M that they just had to own the company?
The world’s most overstuffed sports-bolstered seats. Brougham meets Recaro.
Highly forgettable…
Unlike these two.
Oooh! A Dodge Avenger. Remember those?
Somebody didn’t want their Malibu to be invisible like the rest.
It’s got a hood scoop and those portholes make it very special.
A fisheye Taurus, looking so sad, as they all do, despite the forced little smile. It’s not working…
Another Prius and a Buick Rendezvous, the car I once said was the car I’d most hate to be forced to drive for a year.
I’m wondering if this is really for sale or belongs to one of the salespeople?
That’ll haul.
Wow! An Audi A8L 4.2. What are you doing here? Don’t ask…
This was Audi’s first serious effort into the top echelon of big German sedans. Ferdinand Piech just had to have something that he could be seen in properly, before he confused matter with the VW Phaeton. Now that’s what I’d like to find.
It doesn’t get much nicer inside than this. Calling Jim Klein.
The first Cadillac Escalade, when it was just a badge-engineered GMC Yukon Denali, or in other words the Cimmaron of SUVs.
This will raise your pulse.
Isuzu, we miss you!
And we miss you Suzuki even more! This is the twin to my Tracker, but it’s got the 2.5 V6. I rather prefer the simplicity of the four, although it does struggle on the highway, especially when it has a roof rack and the a/c on.
A rearward glance.
And another one…
Remember Volvo station wagons?
We haven’t forgotten the unusual Malibu Maxx, I hope. One of the more unusual cars of its time; it was of course an Americanized Opel Insignia, an attempt to make a larger, upscale hatch back. It did have gobs of rear seat leg room.
Here’s where they all are now.
Still my beating heart.
Why did Chrysler give up on the Dakota?
How about a minivan, in either FWD or RWD?
Is this fine looking Saturn coupe about to be picked up by its new owner?
That’s it for the front lot; most of these will likely end up with new owners. Tomorrow we’ll tour to the back area where the really mangy dogs reside, whose future is a lot less rosy.
Here’s Part 2:
St. Vinnie’s Donation Car Sales Lot, Part 2: The Back Lot, Where The Really Mangy Dogs Await Likely Euthanasia
Here’s a shot from my first trip to the St. Vinnie’s lot back in 2011, when there were a lot of big RWD American sedans and most impressively, a running Vega!
Related CC reading:
Come On Down To Paul’s Official CC Sales Lot – Today’s Special: 1974 Vega For $1495 (It Runs!)
So Saint Vinnie gets the cars donated (free) and then *sells* them to destitute people?
Whatabunchacrooks.
We had a Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic-run thrift store here for awhile, but that was too many syllables for the customers, so they shortened it to Saint Joe. Go figure.
There was a St Vincent next to my work. Every few weeks I’d wander in and see what they had. Usually I’d get a book for spare change.
I certainly hope you’re being facetious. Our St. Vinnies, led by the exceptional Terry McDonald for over 30 years, has been the exemplary non-profit in town, finding the funds to leverage numerous new apartment building for low-income residents as well as a host of other programs to benefit the disadvantaged. He’s won many awards.
The reality is that many “destitute people” are in no position to buy, fix and maintain cars.Giving them these cars would mostly be self-defeating, and they’d end up sitting abandoned somewhere.
This lot generates income used for appropriate support programs, including one just down the street that provides clothing, tents, sleeping bags, food and showers for many unhoused persons.
👍I fully agree. I’m on the east coast and we don’t have a car lot like this but we do have other things like habitat for humanity where those that have something serviceable donate it so that someone in a lesser situation can buy it to help those that can’t get a home. I love places like this. They help people that truly need it If I was closer I would probably buy one of these cars. I actually would love to have the Malibu maxx.
What a commendable program. Not similar but still worthy, last week when I was home on vacation my brother had a couple of not-so-old bikes that were in his way. The kids are long past bike riding days (no screens lol), so he and I aired them up and donated them to a Co-Op in New Haven that provides low cost or even free bikes to folks needing them to commute to work. It was a tremendous organization run by vonlunteers 3 evenings a week, including a clinic to help people maintain their bikes. I was very glad we heard of it and were able to contribute in a small way.
I say thanks to people like Terry doing what they can for communities that need support. If he helps people get on the road, perhaps enabling them to take up a better job or maintain family links, then good on him.
My interpretation is that the cars are donated, perhaps with declared faults as well as wear and tear, and sold to informed buyers for a below market price. Do that with unsafe cars or to people who can’t afford to run what they’ve bought, and the model will run aground pretty quickly.
Thanks for the thought but I’ll need to pass on the Audi, I think I’ve slowly turned into my Dad who also owned five of them in succession before turning away for good…. However once you add a 2″ lift kit it might be just the thing for you to stretch out in the “L” part of the back seat and the full time AWD and (coughs) light-weight aluminum chassis will propel you through the western deserts with aplomb. Kenya Safari Rally success runs deep in its DNA after all…
Your St. Vinny’s seems to be the physical embodiment of Facebook Marketplace, lots of crapcans, prices that sometimes seem lower than the current norm and thus raise the initial interest level, but far easier to navigate and to get ahold of someone to take your money…It’s a place I should have insisted you take me to the last time I was out there!
Facebook Marketplace in my area seems to have a lot of very interesting stuff, but often very high prices. Like a RHD (yes!) 1st gen RAV4 for well over $10K. And imported from the UK, not even JDM. Recent offerings have included other gray market stuff (V8 Lancia Thema anyone?) and olde British cars: a Hillman Minx, Humber Hawk, a Ford Consul and several MG’s and Morris Minors.
Marketplace is full of idiots. Not all but many as I found my Ambassador wagon there. However, last week I saw a 2004 Park Avenue listed at $3500 which is about right for it. Yet it’s registration was two years expired as well as it needing a smog test. Contacted the seller and said I could be interested but it wasn’t up to date and not my responsibility. Apparently he got it done and then relisted at $4500. I said, good luck.
The Mountaineer is the Premier trim level the only way you could get a single tone paint job in those years, similar if not identical to the one that is still in our driveway 21 years. OK it is currently in my daughter’s driveway, though not on front line duty like it was when it came there the first time 20 years and 11 months ago.
Last week I visited a friend who lives north of Eugene. Now I wish I’d have visited this lot.
I’m glad one of these operations isn’t near me. It looks too much fun. I’ve got kids that need wheels and I’d be too tempted. My first look would be the Ranger. I’d never buy anything European at this stage of their life cycle – couldn’t afford repairs on them. That Dodge Charger is a disposable car that was popular in these parts with folks without credit who were drawn to their appearances – same with that old Grand Am. I’d also seriously look at that Saturn and see if it has the simple single cam that lasted forever, or the twin cams that I foolishly bought.
So much fun!
I would have been interested in the Grand AM if it was a 4 cylinder with a 5speed.
I had a pretty basic 95 with the base 4 cylinder and a 5 speed. Low on options but a great car I bought used with 113K miles on it. I drove it for 6 years to 223k miles. Several years later I bought a 98 grand am with 68 K miles on it. Fully loaded with all the bells and whistles for an N body…. I hated it
If you took many of those cars to Maine, they would sell quickly. It is amazing to those of us in Maine the lack of rust on the cars. Road salts and the salt brine they use to keep the roads clear up here eats away the underside of cars very fast. I am sure many of them have mechanical problems. Are they sold “as is , where is?” Looks like some interesting cars and decent prices. If you could get “good’ one at a reasonable price, it would be a good deal for the money. How do they inspect the cars and do they tell you what they need mechanically, etc.? Looks like a neat place! Wrong coast for this person though!
Maybe someone should haul a truckload out East? These are all totally rust-free.
In that second picture, we see that their sign says “We accept appliances”.
If that’s true, then where are all the Corollas and Camrys? 😉
That Grand Vitara would be very interesting to me. Tough little rigs if properly cared for.
A very interesting bunch .
Most donated vehicle lots in So. Cal. ave absolute drek that’s wildly over priced .
dman, were are those Morris Minor’s ? (because I’m stupid and don’t learn) .
TIA,
-Nate
It’s great to see activism and support to the community like this, helping those in need get transportation to make it to jobs that provide for their families – and also help fund low-cost housing. Mr McDonald deserves every accolade he receives.
While the Volvos are tempting, if it had less than 200K miles in it, I’d grab the Sienta – it could easily go another 100K.
Have always liked the Lincoln Mark VII, especially the later series with the more powerful engines. The tricky part is the air suspension, but I understand conversions kits were available for awhile. This Mark doesn’t get the respect it deserves.
You can definitely see the changeover in what were the old cars from 2011 to now. In 2011 the older stuff was still pretty Broughamy
The first generation Escalade looks in decent shape. There were only around 50,000 of these made in their two years of production, and attrition has thinned their ranks. If it’s running well and the interior is nice, and the necessary maintenance has been done (intake manifold gaskets and fuel injection upgrades, 4L60E transmission in good condition) this is an easy $5000 or more vehicle. And parts from the other 95-up GMT 400 trucks interchange too. The two pickups from that series look good too; wonder why the cream colored one is in the back lot? These trucks are fairly easy to repair, and above average in reliability…..