If you're in the Chicago area and have an old beater that you want to dispose of, ZipCar has an offer for you. ZipCar is the car-sharing service that maintains a fleet of cars, and allows members to buy credits that you can use to drive one of the cars on an as needed basis. On Monday, February 26, ZipCar and Cars for Kids will be hosting a screening of "An Inconvenient Truth" along with a "Drive-In, Don't Drive Out" event at the Music Box Theater in Chicago. You can bring your old car and donate it, and get a $500 state tax credit in return.

The first five Chicago residents to confirm a car donation will get an extra bonus $500 in cash, a lifetime ZipCar membership and $500 in driving credits. Everyone else who donates a car by June 1, 2007, will also get the free ZipCar membership and $250 in driving credits. The idea is raise some money for Cars for Kids and also encourage people in the city to use other modes of transportation, to reduce traffic and pollution. ZipCar currently has over 85,000 users in cities around the United States as well as Toronto, Canada and London, England. If you want to attend the screening in Chicago on Monday night, fire off an e-mail to rsvp@zipcar.com with your name, number of attendees, and whether you plan to donate a car. Cars for Kids is affiliated with Children's Memorial Hospital.

[Source: The Auto Channel]