The Lift Garage

Your Give To The Max 2022 gift will be matched! 
Dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000!

Your GTMD gifts will provide affordable car repairs to our Minnesota neighbors who need it most! Will you help us make this the best ever Give to the Max Day for our customers? 

What your gift of low-cost car repair mean to our customers:

"The Lift was seriously a life savor for me. I felt like I was drowning at the time, and that preserver is so meaningful." -Robb

"I was blessed to have people help me. Somebody that cared. When I came here, I felt warm." - Anita

"I'll tell you, I felt lifted. I felt honored. I felt exalted. I felt like somebody cared beyond just the car. You cared about me as a person, and you've treated me like that." - Sylvia

"I felt welcomed." - Delano

MATCH MY GIFT: TO HELP CUSTOMERS FEEL WELCOMED

Your gift to The Lift provides:

Low-Cost Car Repair: Customers at The Lift pay just $15/hour for labor and receive the parts at cost. Conservatively, repairs at The Lift will cost our customers about 33% of what they would pay in the market. A market-rate expense would force our customers to make impossible decisions like choosing between fixing the car or buying groceries for their family.  

Recently Samera had a $300 repair bill at The Lift. She maxed-out credit card after credit card in order to make her payment. It ultimately took her six separate credit cards to make her $300 car repair payment. If Samera had been at a traditional shop her bill would have been closer to $1,200. While her repair at The Lift was still costly, she was able to invest those savings into more needed items like rent, groceries, and possibly daycare.  

Match my gift: Low-Cost Car Repair

Pre-Purchase Inspections: Customers are invited to bring in the car they’re looking to purchase, and we’ll help inform them about potential costs and repairs, assisting them in avoiding the purchase of a rusty lemon! They can bring in as many cars as they need until the right one is identified. 

When we informed Tyanna the ’05 Toyota Corolla we inspected for her had a rusted subframe, she was surprised since the seller had told her the opposite. We invited Tyanna to look under the car and see the rust for herself. She was so grateful to avoid purchasing this car and continue saving for a car that would actually make it through a Minnesota winter!

Match my gift: Pre-Purchase Inspections

Additional Financial Assistance: Even at The Lift rates, a repair cost can still be too much for a customer to afford. The Lift has Community Fund Grants that cover unexpected repair bills—bills that could push individuals over the brink.

This fall, Karen brought her ’98 Honda CR-V in for an inspection. We found an oil leak, and the repair estimate was nearly $2,000 more than the value of the car itself. We recommended Karen save money on the repair and invest in another car. Karen, voice shaking and in tears, shared that she was about to be evicted from her apartment and her car was soon to be her home. To add insult to injury, the reason for eviction was the same oil leak—many leases require that parking space remain clean. Karen was trapped, and we—you—were the only way out in that moment. Knowing this repair was the difference between housing and homelessness, we used the Community Fund to help Karen repair her car—and keep her housing.  

Match my gift: Financial Assistance

Since COVID the needs have been changing, but the heart of the issue remains: Customers need their vehicles to keep their employment, to transport their children, to get groceries and so many more essential, everyday tasks. 

We're able to keep the labor rate at $15/hour through donations from individuals like YOU!