It's a series about people who traded in (or tried to trade in) their cars in the cash for clunkers program:
I thought my trusty, rusty ride was a sure bet to qualify. But my Buick gets 19 miles per gallon, just missing the 18 m.p.g. cutoff to count as a clunker. I feel cheated; it doesn't seem like a very inclusive program. I am in the market for a car, and I was shut out.
I know they want to get the big gas guzzlers off the road, but it's unfair that a 3-year-old Hummer gets the trade-in while a 26-year-old car doesn't qualify. A lot more vehicles should be included, and the program should consider other elements -- like steady employment.
It's just frustrating. I volunteered for President Obama at the phone banks. I got my transparency, but I don't particularly like what I see.
He does have one point: a three year old Hummer is not a clunker. This program wasn't about clunkers at all, it was about turning in your non-PC car for a hybrid.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
If you volunteered at any of the phone banks for a major political candidate, chances are you're a tool.
Give your time away to those who tax you every other minute of the day.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
It is a flat 4500 for a "clunker". Which is a vehicle that is not older than 25 years, and gets a combined MPG of less than 18. You also have to trade the car in for one that gets at least 25? or so mpg.
Trading in a 3 year old hummer would be pretty dumb.
Mostly we're seeing shittastic ford explorers getting traded in, you know, the car that kicked off the "crappy SUV phase" in American driving.
I like this program, myself. Of all the stimulus packages/plans so far, this one is actually helping exatly who It should be helping. Also, people are buying domestic, and Ford, who weathered the storm, is seeing a good upkick in sales, according to the news. (New Ford focuses are the #1 cash for clunkers rebate car)
Your comments about Ford are accurate, but this one isn't 100% accurate.
Of the top ten cars being purchased in the clunker program, only 3-4 are American cars.
Granted, the other foreign cars were probably built here, so the line of "Buy American" blurs a bit.
“Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole.” - Dr Thomas Sowell
Well, buying domestic more than I thought they would (is it 50%?).
If I were doing this myself, I might have reservations about trading in a piece of crap for another car made by same company that made my piece of crap. I sure as hell didn't buy a Nissan last month, after all the shit I went through with the Xterra.
Troy wrote:I like this program, myself. Of all the stimulus packages/plans so far, this one is actually helping exatly who It should be helping. Also, people are buying domestic, and Ford, who weathered the storm, is seeing a good upkick in sales, according to the news. (New Ford focuses are the #1 cash for clunkers rebate car)
So you are happy you are pitching in some cash for your neighbor to buy a new car?
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Troy wrote:I like this program, myself. Of all the stimulus packages/plans so far, this one is actually helping exatly who It should be helping. Also, people are buying domestic, and Ford, who weathered the storm, is seeing a good upkick in sales, according to the news. (New Ford focuses are the #1 cash for clunkers rebate car)
So you are happy you are pitching in some cash for your neighbor to buy a new car?
I like it much, much more than paying for some well connected banker who despite running his bank, and the economy into the ground, still receives a huge bonus that really doesn't help anyone.
One of the things that really confused me about this clunker program is why they didn't limit what you could buy.
The government very recently spent billions bailing out two of the three American auto companies.
Wouldn't it have been smart to stipulate that you must buy an American car if you want the cash from this program?
“Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole.” - Dr Thomas Sowell
Then how about increasing the taxes on the foreign cars enough to offset the clunker program payouts?
Essentially, the same way those foreign countries tax our cars.
“Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole.” - Dr Thomas Sowell
What are people trading their clunkers in for? It depends on who you ask.
The government's results showed small cars as the top choice for shoppers looking for Cash for Clunker deals. But an independent analysis by Edmunds.com disputed those results, and showed that two full-size trucks and a small crossover SUV were actually among the top-ten buys.
The discrepancy is a result of the methods used. Edmunds.com uses traditional sales measurements, tallying sales by make and model. The government uses a more arcane measurement method that subdivides models according to engine and transmission types, counting them as separate models.
For example, the Ford Escape is available in six different versions including two- and four-wheel drive and hybrid versions. The government counts each version as a different vehicle using guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency. Only the front wheel drive, non-hybrid version made the government's top ten list.
The Ford Escape crossover SUV, instead of being the seventh-most popular vehicle under the program, as the government ranked it, was actually the best seller, according to Edmunds.com.
