The Background

As an accountant I would often see clients trading in cars for rather small amounts of money. I would lament that I was sure that an Orthodox family would have gladly paid the same amount for that car. However, I realized that a person getting rid of a car has no way to know who in Baltimore might want that car. Therefore, I came up with the idea of a car Gemach.

The Details

1. If someone is getting rid of a car then the goal would be to find an Orthodox family that wants it.
2. Often the seller has a trade-in offer from a dealer and that becomes the purchase price.
3. In other cases the seller has come up with the price on their own.
4.  If you need a car, or are going to be getting rid of a car, email [email protected].  For those who are selling a car, it is a good idea to email as early as possible. Even if you are not getting rid of the car for several weeks, it would still be very helpful to know that a car is coming down the pipeline.
5. That email is monitored and lists are maintained in order to facilitate making matches.
6. Critical to this plan is that when a person buys a car from another Orthodox person it has an extra value in that you know where the car has been and receive some repair history. Hence you are buying a car at wholesale price ("the trade-in value") and receiving a car that is worth a premium.
7. To reiterate, even though it is called a Gemach you are not giving away your car for free. Rather you are selling it for a reasonable price.

To summarize, this Gemach can save people many 1000s of dollars and the seller is not losing anything. It is a great but easy mitzvah.

So please, if you or someone you know needs a car or is getting rid of a car, please email: [email protected]