Cash For Clunkers

[Jim Ferron]

Oh and another 'tatic' they are using...customer goes in with their Olds Ciera [or any other non-qualifying car]..[doesn't qualify] and the dealer tells 'em don't worry, I'll get you the same $3500 off even without the correct car..he then takes the car [which has SOME value as he doesn't have to crush it] and then just uses factory rebates and regular dealer discouts to add up to the $3500...

so the customer [MY customer] buys a NEW car at the same deal they would have gotten a month ago, thinking they got a 'special' deal....

this customer was a USED car customer duped into buying a new car [one they very well may not be able to afford, I guess I'll see that car next year in the repo lane at the auction...with yet another person with ruined credit]

[Tommy]

I was at a major auto recycler yesterday and they were being over run with clunkers. I wouldn't call half these things clunkers though. One that they were taking around back to terminate was a 2001 blazer that looked like it was just waxed and ready for a sunday cruise in the country... They are blowing all the engines and dismantling the cars and trucks. This recycling center is late model only so if you think about it they are probably blowing up a lot of Vortec and LS engines that hotrodders would love to have for street rods and musclecars... How about watching them lay a brick on the gas pedal of a truck with a 5.3 or 6.0 and know what that same engine will cost you to buy from GM for your next street rod project.... Sad thing is people are turning in these vehicles for newer vehicles with the same engines... They have to get rid of "less efficient engines" .. Weather its stimulates the auto industry or not or weather it helps clean out a few million cars is not the issue with me... I'm just a car guy and still like junkyards and budget builds... Oh well, as is life...

On another note, I would like to make videos of them blowing the engines... Car guys like carnage too. At VW shows they build and blow up engines on purpose and people love to watch it


Tommy

[markjohnson]

I gotta agree that I really don't like this Cash For Clunkers idea at all but I simply CANNOT BELIEVE that they didn't limit it only to American car companies. It's hard to believe this is the same government that provided the bail-out money and they just had a phenomenal opportunity here to boost American-made sales by a significant amount. I would have really supported the program then, and I might have even bought a car myself. Man, they really dropped the ball on this one and missed giving the American Automakers a MUCH-NEEDED jolt!

[Supergas990]

This kind of reminds me of the guns for shoes deals that were so popular for so many years.

You saw more classic and collectible firearms junked for a pair of hightops than you can shake a stick at.

What does the industry do for the next 5-10 years until all these new cars are clunkers? You can't force or evenly strongly encourage a false economy without going broke...

blair

[P.J.]

right, the one billion doooooolars was gone in one week!!!
and they now have made another 2 billion more. Wow glad im not paying the taxes.
PJ

[njsteve]

Just to bust their ballz I responded to one of the dozen (at last count) emails my local dealer keeps sending me begging me to buy a new car and trade in my "clunker". So after telling them I had a 1970 Dodge with a big gas guzzling engine that said "426 Himee on the top of the motor", here was his response"

"Unfortunately the vehicle must be less than 25 years old to qualify, however I suspect that if that car runs it is worth more than $4500."


Do I hear $4600 anyone?

[bwag]

The dealers around here aren't "blowing up" the engines . Some are draining the oil then adding a gallon of sodium silicate(water glass)then starting up the car and driving to the back lot where the engine soon ties up .Not as impressive to watch.

[JChlupsa]

Chrysler dealership here was matching the $4500 to make it a $9K total for someone to turn in their older car for a new one.

[WILMASBOYL78]

Just remember, the government can't give anything to anyone (including car rebates) unless they first take it from someone else.

The only problem with socialism is, that eventually the government runs out of somebody else's money.

[jbsides]

Jim Ferron,

I drive A LOT and put 50,000 miles a year on the used cars I buy, and if I knew a member of this board was a used unit dealer like you anywhere near me, I would buy from him without hesitation! I try to get cars with 30 - 50K on them that are at least several years old, as it makes no sense to me to suffer the immediate and subsequent depreciation you experience just driving them off the lot, I don't care what kind of deal you got. I have been through 5 of them in the last 6 years and doubt I will ever buy new again, and guys like me are out there, so keep the faith!

JB