So a few months ago, my mechanic gave me some good news and bad news. The good news? Even though I was about 3000 miles beyond where I should have been for an oil change, I didn’t need one. The bad news? I had a blown head gasket. After reaching 177,000 miles, my 1997 Chevy Cavalier (“Li’l Red” as we called her) had finally come to the end of the road.

Or had it? I always said that I’d drive her into the ground. Towards the end she had no hubcaps, no A/C and the first two fan speeds on the interior blower were gone. But she was running and humming through all sorts of weather until she blew her top. Hell, I even drove her for two more weeks on a blown head gasket. As far as I could tell, I had been driving her like that already for a few months, which might explain why I was hesitant to take her in for that oil change.

The decision to donate Li’l Red to the National Kidney Foundation was a no-brainer. The value of the car as a trade-in or in an outright sale was minimal. But her value as a potential Kidney Car was still very high. Whether Li’l Red will get fixed up and on the road again or will be scrapped for cash doesn’t matter to me, though the thought of her getting back on the road makes me grin given all the great places we’ve been for the last 11 years. No matter what happens to her, I know she’s saving lives.

The donation process was super simple via the online forms. When I had questions regarding the signover of the title, the people at the Foundation were awesome. And when the day came for her to be towed away, it was just a matter of a simple confirmation phone call from the tow service. And about a week and a half later I got a cool thank you letter, a bumper sticker (for my guitar case, natch) and a tax receipt for what amounted to a $700 charitable donation.

But the real reward was knowing that in my own small way, I was able to help someone in need. That’s the best part.

[And for those wondering about the reference I made in the title to this blog post, check the clip below.]