This Chevy Lowrider Was Donated to Kars4Kids. It Went Straight to the Junkyard

On Jan. 8, Kars4Kids picked up a 1989 Chevy Beretta lowrider from Medhat Beshai, who donated his ride in hopes that someone else would eventually treasure it as he did. No one ended up loving his prized, custom-designed Beretta, though—not because it wasn't worth loving, but because it ended up at a pick-and-pull yard, torn apart just one day later. Unfortunately, Beshai's story isn't uncommon, though that doesn't make it any less painful. Circle in.

The idea of donating a vehicle to Kars4Kids, or any other car donation organization, is that it will be sold and the money received for it will be used for charitable purposes. Now, Kars4Kids has already come under public scrutiny for misleading donors about what it does with the money, but that's a different story for a different time. Instead, this is about what can happen to your car after it's been donated.

According to Beshai, the Beretta ran well and could have been reliable transportation for someone else. "Engine was working perfectly, and no oil leaks and [same for the] transmission," Beshai told The Drive.

That didn't save it. Shortly after Kars4Kids picked up Beshai's Beretta, someone posted a video to Instagram showing it at a pick-and-pull yard. It sat on blocks without its wheels and was missing several parts, as scavengers had already been picking at it. How could someone notice it was his car and not just any old '80s Beretta? Because Beshai's was unmistakable—well-known in the Californian car community, as it was actually featured in Lowrider magazine in the 1990s.

Beshai's Beretta wore a custom-painted purple and gold LA Lakers-inspired color scheme, with hand-painted ribbons and swirls. It sat on hydraulic suspension, wore gold wheels, and had a wild purple suede interior. Its puffy steering wheel was also a sight to behold. The fact that someone put that much love and attention into a Beretta, one of the '80s least interesting American cars, made it feel special. While Beshai wasn't the one who did the work to the car—he bought it that way more than 20 years ago—he loved his Beretta and cared for it during his ownership. After spending more than two decades with a car as unique as his purple '80s lowrider, it's easy to get attached.