Cash for clunkers!

[Ratickle]

I hope that is not true. I wonder what the net environmental impact of this whole program is. Ok, so we get an old "clunker" off the road. Now someone gets a more fuel efficient car (who was probably going to get one anyways) and we are left with a heap of scrap metal. And one might even say that a person getting better fuel efficiency might be inclined to drive more? Blue Oval talked about a chemical kit being used to seize the engine...where do those chemicals end up? Supposedly nothing can be stripped/resold from these clunkers? Where does all of that end up? Trash? Then there is all of the fuel used to tranport these clunkers once they are seized up at the dealerships (or where ever that happens). If it is being transported across seas, we are only burning more fuel to do that....I'm sure that I am missing something here too.

The metal can end up in China, or anywhere else who wants to buy it.

The only requirement is the engine must be destroyed. Not that the car cannot be salvaged. Most are just smashing them though. Some wrecking yards are doing okay I've heard. Depends on the vehicle.

Just another government program that is ill-advised and poorly planned. They could have easily received a return on the $4500 instead of just throwing it away. And some people are trading in cars which would have been worth that much as a trade in in the first place.

 

[Blue Oval]

Just another government program that is ill-advised and poorly planned. They could have easily received a return on the $4500 instead of just throwing it away. And some people are trading in cars which would have been worth that much as a trade in in the first place.

Yep!

 

[nortech4play]

Then there's always the little things they don't tell you about these government programs....It's your typical waste of Tax Payer's money....

 

[Blue Oval]

Lost count of dealers I talked to in the last few days,they are holding anywhere from $25,000.00 to $260,000.00 in cash from clunkers.Maybe 20% have there inputs approved,the rest have delivered there cars without even getting the deals approved from Gov't web site.No one has got any money!

 

[Expensive Date]

Lost count of dealers I talked to in the last few days,they are holding anywhere from $25,000.00 to $260,000.00 in cash from clunkers.Maybe 20% have there inputs approved,the rest have delivered there cars without even getting the deals approved from Gov't web site.No one has got any money!

I am hearing the same.

 

[Wrinkleface]

Lost count of dealers I talked to in the last few days,they are holding anywhere from $25,000.00 to $260,000.00 in cash from clunkers.Maybe 20% have there inputs approved,the rest have delivered there cars without even getting the deals approved from Gov't web site.No one has got any money!

:beatdeadhorse5:

 

[JupiterSunsation]

Local Toyota/Scion dealer has rented the parking lot of an old hotel to park the clunkers. He was quoted in the paper as saying he would not destroy one car until he got paid by the govt.

A kid that works for me traded his V-8 Dodge Durango with 175K on it for the $4500 clunker program, then got $1,000 for being a recent college graduate and $600 for something else towards a new Scion. The program worked for him since the old car was junk (everything worked incl. a/c but truck was tired, body damaged) and he got a car that can be filled with 12 gallons of gas!

 

[Tony]

Scion, isnt that the thing that looks like a shopping cart?

 

[JupiterSunsation]

Scion, isnt that the thing that looks like a shopping cart?

Yeah, he got it and I asked if he got a new refridgerator with wheels......


They make a coupe that looks like a new version of the Toyota Celica but it was too expensive so he got the refridgerator instead.....



The only thing that bothers me about the program is you can get the govt. money no matter what you buy. I think if you want USA money then you need to buy USA products with it!

 

[fund razor]

The only thing that bothers me about the program is you can get the govt. money no matter what you buy. I think if you want USA money then you need to buy USA products with it!

According to the federal government, a vehicle with a 75-percent or more domestic parts rating is classified as a domestic vehicle. The web-based resource site Cars.com has compiled the 'American Made Index' that lists the top ten vehicles made in the U.S. according to where their parts came from, where they were finally assembled, and even how many were sold in the U.S.

Here are the top ten domestic vehicles and where they're assembled:
(As of 2007 model year)

Ford F-Series - Dearborn, Mich.; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; Norfolk, Va. (Except Ford F-650, F-750)
Chevrolet Silverado - Fort Wayne, Ind.; Pontiac, Mich.
Toyota Camry; Camry Solara - Georgetown, Ky. (Except hybrid Camry)
Ford E-Series - Lorain, Ohio
Chevrolet Cobalt - Lordstown, Ohio (pictured)
Ford Explorer - Louisville, Ky.; St. Louis, Mo.
Chevrolet Malibu/Malibu Maxx - Kansas City, Kan.
Ford Escape - Kansas City, Mo.
Toyota Sienna - Princeton, Ind.
Chevrolet TrailBlazer - Moraine, Ohio (Except now discontinued TrailBlazer EXT)

 

[fund razor]

Ok, found it for 2009:

1. Toyota Camry** Georgetown, Ky.;
Lafayette, Ind. —
2. Ford F-150 Dearborn, Mich.;
Claycomo, Mo. 1
3. Chevrolet Malibu*** Kansas City, Kan. 3
4. Honda Odyssey Lincoln, Ala. 7
5. Chevrolet Silverado 1500*** Fort Wayne, Ind. 8
6. Toyota Sienna Princeton, Ind. 6
7. Toyota Tundra San Antonio 5
8. GMC Sierra 1500*** Fort Wayne, Ind. —
9. Ford Taurus Chicago —
10. Toyota Venza Georgetown, Ky.

 

[fund razor]

So... the top selling American car is the Toyota Camry.

 

[ChiefApache]

So... the top selling American car is the Toyota Camry.

Has been for years hasn't it?

 

[fund razor]

Has been for years hasn't it?

Third place to Ford and Chevy trucks until the recession really hit.

 

[ChiefApache]

Third place to Ford and Chevy trucks until the recession really hit.

As far as cars however, it's been the top seller for years.

 

[fund razor]

This is interesting: Back in the fall... I noticed that a long line of car carrying rail cars were parked along a track next to I-75, at exit 14, near the Monroe Ford plant. They sat there empty all winter, all spring... all summer. Yesterday I wondered how long it would be before they moved again. As I drove to work today, I was on a call from a friend who sells TV advertising and he was pulling Ford ads because they have low inventory. (At least HIS Ford dealers... can't speak for the whole bunch).
As I got off at exit 14, the rail cars were finally gone. I take this as a good sign... meaning that there is a need to move cars again.

 

[fund razor]

As far as cars however, it's been the top seller for years.

If ya'll use your truck as a daily driver.. ya'll can count it as a car. :driving:

Besides, calling a truck a car is not much of a stretch compared to called a Toyota American.

 

[sledge]

I hope that is not true. I wonder what the net environmental impact of this whole program is. Ok, so we get an old "clunker" off the road. Now someone gets a more fuel efficient car (who was probably going to get one anyways) and we are left with a heap of scrap metal. And one might even say that a person getting better fuel efficiency might be inclined to drive more? Blue Oval talked about a chemical kit being used to seize the engine...where do those chemicals end up? Supposedly nothing can be stripped/resold from these clunkers? Where does all of that end up? Trash? Then there is all of the fuel used to tranport these clunkers once they are seized up at the dealerships (or where ever that happens). If it is being transported across seas, we are only burning more fuel to do that....I'm sure that I am missing something here too.

Sorry if this was pointed out before, but a little bit of a reality check:

At $1Billion and $3500-4500/car, we're talking approximately 250,000 cars. There's approximately 100,000,000 cars on the road. Annual NEW car sales were 16,000,000 or so before chit hit the fan. Now they're looking for 10,000,000 in ANNUAL car sales. According to some wholesale car businesses, at least 20,000,000 USED cars get moved around the country every year. I haven't looked around for stats on how many cars end up in scrap/salvage yards each year, but let's say 5,000,000 or so?

SO, as far as this program goes, we're not talking about very many cars. All this doom and gloom about parts being taken out of circulation, steel going to China, charities not getting donations...all that is being blown way out of proportion.

Now, chances are this "program" was waaay more successful than the nimrods who came up with it thought it would be. I'd bet there's nearly a million (1,000,000) cars that got traded in with the hopes of getting the rebate. Hopefully the dealers won't get hosed; but that will mean more money out of the taxpayers' pockets.

 

[Big Time]

Lost count of dealers I talked to in the last few days,they are holding anywhere from $25,000.00 to $260,000.00 in cash from clunkers.Maybe 20% have there inputs approved,the rest have delivered there cars without even getting the deals approved from Gov't web site.No one has got any money!

Explain to me how this works. "Clunker" comes in...who decides how much of a credit they get (between 3500 and 4500)? So you as a dealer credit the purchaser for, for the sake of argument, $4500 towards the purchase of a new vehicle. When does the dealership receive that $4500 from the gov't? What is invloved in the process?

 

[Big Time]

SO, as far as this program goes, we're not talking about very many cars. All this doom and gloom about parts being taken out of circulation, steel going to China, charities not getting donations...all that is being blown way out of proportion.

So then what you are saying is that net/net it will have very little environmental impact being that such a small % of cars (within the big picture) are being traded in. So if the motives aren't "green" then what is the gov'ts motive? To stimulate the auto industry? Why does the gov't get to pick which industry to stimulate? Give me $4500 towards a new boat and then we will be talking!!!