Car Allowance Rebate

peter78

peter78

Super Moderator
I saw in the paper today, the government may give you $3,500 to $4,500 for your old clunker, if you buy a new car with good mileage.

http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/cars.shtml

The old car has to get 18 MPG or lower to qualify. I looked at my old Previa and I put it through the sytem in the above link and if I trade it on a new RAV4, I get $4,500 back. I am not in the market, but it does make you think.

To qualify, you have to of own a old car for a year, it must get 18 MPG and you must buy a car with better mileage.

Anyway, if you use the link, you can check to see if you qualify.
 
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peter78 said:
I saw in the paper today, the government may give you $3,500 to $4,500 for your old clunker, if you buy a new car with good mileage.

http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/cars.shtml

The old car has to get 18 MPG or lower to qualify. I looked at my old Previa and I put it through the sytem in the above link and if I trade it on a new RAV4, I get $4,500 back. I am not in the market, but it does make you think.

To qualify, you have to of own a old car for a year, it must get 18 MPG and you must buy a car with better mileage.

Anyway, if you use the link, you can check to see if you qualify.
Click to expand...




Well, it may be set up with good intentions......but it still sounds like a form of government-controlled welfare to me.
:bash:
 
I just checked and the 1st gen and 2nd gen 4Runner all configurations qualify for this program. Just something to think about if you have an old 4Runner you could get up to $4,500. That is if you want a car with good fuel economy.

To me it would not make sense to trade in a 3rd, since they are worth more.

I just wonder if car makers will raise the prices of new cars? That is a good point about it being a welfare program. I think there could be some probelms with this program, we will see how it goes.
 
I look into today's paper and there was an ad for Dodge / Chrysler. It turns out they show the final price and they include the $4,500 government rebate. They had this on 2dr. & 4dr. Ram pick up trucks and the best mileage they can get is 16. According to the government web site, they don't apply for the rebate.

Can you say "sleazy". I remember now why I don't like dealers. I kind of felt sorry for the dealers going through hard times. Not anymore.

http://www.mallofgacdj.com/
 
I've read a few articles calling out the EPA for changing fuel economy ratings just before the rebate took effect. The change purportedly knocked out a lot of would be candidates for the rebate program by raising the fuel economy of certain vehicles by 1 mpg. The "official" response was that roughly the same amount of eligible vehicles were added as the amount that were removed through an update of vehicle fuel economy. My mom actually just got a new hybrid Altima using the program and personally I think it's a great incentive to potentially boost auto sales, but it's green impact is questionable at best.
 
It's just another form to bailout the auto industry.

One fine print point is you have to own the trade in vehicle for at least one year.
 
I must admit, I thought about this program. I have an old car, but I really isn't a good time for me to buy a new car. Still, $4,500 can put a dent in helping with your monthly payments.

I am not sure what is going to happen, but it sure looks confusing to me.
 
peter78 said:
I must admit, I thought about this program. I have an old car, but I really isn't a good time for me to buy a new car. Still, $4,500 can put a dent in helping with your monthly payments.

I am not sure what is going to happen, but it sure looks confusing to me.
Click to expand...

Peter, maybe it's a good time to buy a Corolla or Camry 4-cyl. You already have 2 SUVs, do you really want a 3rd SUV?? Gas prices may still go up in the near future. The new Corollas drive pretty nice...smooth and comfy...probably my favorite econobox.
 
The wife and I just bought a 2006 Honda Pilot. Obviously it's not new so it wouldn't have qualified even if we had a clunker to trade-in, but talking with the dealer I learned that this program is basically a big PITA and the dealers aren't even happy about it.

The dealership has to give the 4500 off if the trade-in and new car qualify yet the final say is up to the government. In theory, the dealers could be giving out hundreds of thousands of dollars in rebate money that might not even get approved by the government.
 
I ran into a fellow (mid 30's redneck trailer trash who drinks a case of beer every night type) at the gas station last night who just picked up a brand new Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 and he said got in on the CARS rebate. He traded in his 95 Ford F150. He said things are going gang busters at the dealership and they had to get his truck from a dealer 100 miles away.

Now I don't know all the ins and outs of the program but how is this possible exactly? I am pretty sure a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 gets nothing near 22 mpg.

I know the government is calling this program a success but it seems to be targeting the wrong people. I read someplace that 80% of the people doing this are paying cash and make over $30,000 per month. Yeah all the rich people I know have an old clunker laying around. I am not a conpiracy theorist by any means but it will be interesting to hear just how people took advantage of this program.

Also on the radio a guy took all the good stuff off his car and sold it on craigslist. He replaced the good parts with junk parts and made 2 grand in addition to the $4,500 rebate. His car was in a pretty stripped state but it did not matter since it ran and it was going to be destroyed anyway.

I was a fan of this program early on but not so much now. Seeing perfectly good cars being put to death just seems wrong.
 

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peter78 said:
These were in today's paper.


http://www.ajc.com/business/stop-go-wait-dealers-carsick-109236.html
Just think how well the government can handle things. I like the part, the program was suppose to last till November, but lasted 10 days.









A picture of the true cash for clunkers.
Click to expand...

I noticed last night at 2 Seattle area dealerships that pulled all cash for clunker advertising. I imagine most are until round 2 passes.

This bill is yet another that was way to rushed without a lot of thought. What really upsets me is round 2 is being pushed just as fast with little input from the general public. It seems the majority of the people I talk to about this say its a piece of crap and a waist of tax payer money.

Here is a recent Volvo being put out of its misery by the program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waj2KrKYTZo

Here is a guy having a bit of fun before he turns his car in....still worth $4500

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IczcO9vJAU&feature=related

Someplace on YouTube was a 2nd Generation 4Runner that was still in good shape being put to death but can't find it at the moment (edit found it). Now this is just sad!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrc0Vy38uzM
 
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And all these "clunkers" have to have the motors seized up and destroyed. I understand they are trying to get vehicles with poor emissions out of circulation but man there are a lot of decent cars just getting destroyed when they could actually be put to good use by a low income family or as a starter car for some 16 year-old.

The dealership that my father works at took in a chevy suburban with no body. The guy had two suburbans but one of them had a pretty beat up body on it so the guy took the body off the nicer one and put it on the one with the beat up body and then traded in a rolling chassis all because he actually had insured and registered for 1 year. What a wonderful program this is...
 
What a bunch of idiots! I thought I read that the vehicles had to be delivered to salvage yards but I was obviously mistaken. I was also under the impression that these "clunkers" could be used as part vehicles, but not if they are blowing up or seizing the engines. Now the point of this program is completely lost. It's a step back imo. :wtf: I just want to stick my head in the sand until this administration is replaced!
 
Girlfriend used the Cash For Clunkers & got a 2010 Toyota Corolla LE.

$4,500 - Cash For Clunkers
$2,000 - Dealer Rebate

$13,000 OTD
 
As it turns out my Previa had a problem, the drivers door would not open and my wife wanted to take it to a repair shop. I talked to her about considering getting a new car and getting rid of that POS. She said she liked it and in two years when I retire we can get a vehicle that can tow what ever we decided to buy. Getting a brand new car now, I have to admit didn't make sense.

Anyway, when I got home from the repair shop I saw on the news, "Cash for Clunkers" program will now be stopped at 8 PM on Monday. So, I guess if you want to get rid of that clunker, you better do it quick.

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/car-dealers-will-119110.html
 
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