Cash for clunkers program proposal - 5/5

[roetcr01]

Though I don't believe it's the governments job to play with the market, if they are going to do it, at least make it worth it. The government wants a 39 MGP average by 2016 (or whatever date they end up putting on it) and they are trying to get people to buy cars with a 22 MPG rating. I believe it takes 12 years to turn over the car fleet.

The current plan is to give a $3500 rebate for the 1st tier, and $1000 more ($4500 total) for the 2nd tier. A person with buying a new car would get $3500 for a 4+ MPG improvement or $4500 for a 10+ MPG improvement on their old car. A person buying a new truck would get $3500 for a 2+ MPG improvement or $4500 for a 5+ MPG improvement on their old truck. The old cars and trucks must get less than 18 MPG to qualify.

$4 Billion has been alloted for this project. If MY MONEY is being spent on this, we should get better than 4 MPG on the new cars. Long rant to get to the end, but if they asked me, a 30+ MPG rating should be the goal. But, there may be some goals of helping the ailing domestic car industry here, and I know that many domestic cars do not get high milage ratings. If a 30+ MPG rating was what you had to get to get the trade value, GM, Chrysler and Ford may not see many sales.

All in all, I am disappointed that our goals are wanted to be set high on one hand, but when the chance to reach them appears, the other hand appears with an increase by 4 MPG.

[Neonspinnazz]

That means I score $4500 for getting rid of this troublemaker that might soon be mine (hopefully).



Except the one at my house is black and has custom rims (covered in brake dust and rust!)

[jimvw57]

Anybody else seeing a pattern here?? Bail out the banks, bail out the auto industry, buy all the old cars and have people buy new ones from the factories they government partially own... next we will be calling each other comrade and learn to speak Russian.... well at least in communism, only one person has the ulcers. He does all the thinking for everybody. Which way to the American (russian) front??

[vwW12]

Originally Posted by roetcr01

$4 Billion has been alloted for this project. If MY MONEY is being spent on this, we should get better than 4 MPG on the new cars. Long rant to get to the end, but if they asked me, a 30+ MPG rating should be the goal. But, there may be some goals of helping the ailing domestic car industry here, and I know that many domestic cars do not get high milage ratings. If a 30+ MPG rating was what you had to get to get the trade value, GM, Chrysler and Ford may not see many sales.

There may be? Ya think? Welcome to government motors!

[SMARTIEPANTS]

i have been following this program for a couple months and have even went shopping for a new small size 4X4 pickup truck, then yesterday morning was reading the full text of the bill and found out that any vehicles more than 25 years old are not eligible for trade in.
I never thought my 1979 ford van would ever be to old for the recycle shredder. Made several phone calls to congresmen yesterday and sent out as many emails, and have yet to get any kind of an answer as to why they want to get the gas guzzeling 25 year old cars off the road and leave the 30 year old ones still running around.. maybe my ole "79" is now a classic, i know my dog still loves it

[jwight]

All in all, I am disappointed that our goals are wanted to be set high on one hand, but when the chance to reach them appears, the other hand appears with an increase by 4 MPG.

Good point; seems like a pretty feeble increase to me also. But remember, in the past when any increase in mpg standards was proposed the Big 3 went into high gear lobbying against them, citing "the end of the auto industry" if the new standards were enacted. So, Congress finally gets around to passing some legislation for new standards and sure enough, two of the Big 3 are ready to collapse - not from trying to meet the new standards (which they all now say they can do) but from their own mismanagement. It's a funny old world.

[SMARTIEPANTS]

it's not how many more miles per gallon you get but the percentage of increase over the the old clunker that counts, if i am driving around in a car that gets 12 mpg and i get a car that gets 16 that's a 33% improvement no different that going from a 30 mpg car to one that gets 40 ,,, another thing to keep in mind is all of these cars that get poor mileage use a lot more gas which just drives up the price for all of us,, if everyone drove a smart car they would be paying us to fill up our tanks

[wildman]

I sent senator Evan Bayh a proposal similar to this several months ago. The one big diffeance was I said the car purchased must get at least 30 mpg!!! If it was a hybrid would get either the trade in voucher, or the tax credit, but not both. I saw this as a way to get polluting gas guzzlers off the road, and help the ailing auto industry. I made my suggestion way before the government had to bail out the car companies.

[jwight]

Originally Posted by SMARTIEPANTS

it's not how many more miles per gallon you get but the percentage of increase over the the old clunker that counts, if i am driving around in a car that gets 12 mpg and i get a car that gets 16 ...

But you still end up with a car that gets only 16 mpg - just not good enough with today's technology IMHO. Same reasoning the truck guys use when they tout a truck getting 20 mpg; they should be ashamed to even mention a number that low.

[Orphan-Beggar]

For those who don't actually own a clunker,
will they be able to bring in a friend's clunker,
register and title the new vehicle in two names,
then drop the friend's name later?