Donate a youth quad the kids outgrew rather than wore out

Where donated youth quads come from

Families whose kids moved up to a bigger machine or moved on entirely. A 90cc or 110cc quad gets three or four good years and then sits in the back of the garage taking up space.

Grandparents who bought one for visits that stopped happening. Those are often barely used and in genuinely good shape.

Camps, ranches and youth programs retiring equipment. If you have several, put the count on the form and they travel on one trip.

It goes in a truck bed

A youth quad is small and light enough to ride in a pickup bed or on the smallest trailer. It does not need to run. This is among the cheapest pickups we do.

Tell us whether it rolls and steers and whether the brakes release. A quad that has sat for four years usually needs a battery and a carburetor cleaning, which is normal and expected.

Send the tether kill cord, the key and any speed limiter hardware if you have it. Take the helmets and gear. If the original owner manual is around, include it; parents buying these actually want it.

What decides what a youth quad brings

• Engine size and age. The 50cc through 125cc range is the market. A newer machine in a common size sells quickly.
• Whether it runs. A running quad sells for meaningfully more than a non-runner, because most buyers are parents rather than mechanics.
• Plastics and frame. Scuffed plastics from tipping are universal and barely matter. Cracked frame welds and a bent front end do.
• Safety equipment. A working tether cord, a functioning speed limiter and a present key set are all genuine selling points to a parent.
• Make. The known Japanese and American brands bring noticeably more than the low-cost import machines, mostly because parts are available.

Makes we accept

Parents buy on brand, because parts availability is the difference between a running quad and a lawn ornament.

• Most common: Honda TRX90 and TRX250 Recon, Yamaha Raptor 50, 90 and 125 and Grizzly 90, Polaris Outlaw 50, 70 and 110 and Sportsman 90, Can-Am DS 70 and 90, Suzuki QuadSport Z50 and Z90, Kawasaki KFX50 and KFX90.
• Also seen: Arctic Cat DVX and Alterra youth, CFMoto, Kymco, Massimo.
• Low-cost imports: Coleman, Taotao, Kandi, Apollo, Tank, Baja. These sell, at lower numbers, and parts can be harder.

Not seeing yours? The list above is a search aid, not a restriction. We accept any make or model in this category, named here or not, including orphan brands and builders long out of business. What decides a donation is the condition and the paperwork, never the badge, so put yours on the form even if it is not listed.

Manufacturer names appear here so you can find your own machine. No manufacturer sponsors, endorses or is affiliated with this program.

The paperwork, and what you can deduct

Off-road machines are the category most likely to have no title, and that is normal rather than a problem. Some states title them, some issue an off-highway registration, and some issue nothing at all. What we need is the VIN or serial number off the frame and a bill of sale or the original purchase paperwork. We will tell you which applies where you are, and the state title rules page covers the process.

Giving Center sells the quad and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds on Form 1098-C. A newer running youth quad from a major brand can land between $500 and $5,000, where Form 8283 Section A applies and no appraisal is needed. Machines in this class commonly sell for under $500. In that band your deduction is the lesser of fair market value or $500, and we send a written acknowledgment rather than a Form 1098-C. We would rather tell you that now than have you expect a 1098-C in January. The pickup still costs you nothing, and the cause still receives something.

This is genuinely one of the better small donations we receive, because the machines go straight back into use with another family rather than being broken for parts.