Cash for Clunkers...

[mrsilv04]

Sunday evening, I cruised through a dealer's lot, and found the area back in the corner of the back lot, where they are parking their "C4C" units. They were WAAAYYY back in the corner, like a leper colony. They all had "C4C" written on the windshield in white paint.

There were a couple of rolling rust-buckets (a late 80's Suburban and a late 80's E-150 Conversion van). Definitely a good deal for whoever traded those units in.

There were a couple of Exploders, and a S-10 Blazer, that had all seen better days. The one Exploder had some serious front end issues, as the inside edge of both front tires were chewed into the cords, while the rest of the tire had more than 1/2 tread.

The one that caught my attention was a nice late 90's Ranger single cab 4x4, with less than 80,000 miles on the odometer. Of course, it could very well have a rod knocking or a slipping transmission... There was also a fairly nice mid-90's Suburban, that really only needed a set of tires... very little rust and the interior and paint was otherwise in good shape.

Of course, it could have some serious mechanical issues as well.

I really hate knowing that Ranger is going to get crushed. It was still a nice little truck.

Oh well...

 

[Turk]

Step right up.

Destroy our good cars now.

Destroy our good lives later.

 

[wafrederick1]

I heard the truth about it today and it is not good.You pay the dealer to get rid of your clunker.Read the fine print of of the agreement on the paperwork,on the front and back before you sign.It will hurt restorers that restore classic cars too,finding parts will happen and some are very hard to find which are very expensive.

 

[CharlieJ]

This program is helpful for those looking to buy a new car to replace their old one. I don't see why people see it as a bad thing. My grandfather recently traded in his 80's Dodge van for a Jetta TDI. That van had a lot of issues with it already and was ready to be crushed IMO. That $4500 is going to help pay for the last vehicle he will probably ever own.

 

[bdcardinal]

we got the paperwork for it. you have to drain the oil and add some substance, not sure what exactly. then run the motor at 2k rpm until it seizes. then we have to call a salvage yard to takes it and crushes it. apparently we also have to destroy the trans internals as well.

 

[duaneb9729]

if your a new car dealer and have a used car lot, is your used car inventory now worth much less than it was before?

why would i buy a used ford focus when i could buy a new one for near the same price?

 

[CharlieJ]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
we got the paperwork for it. you have to drain the oil and add some substance, not sure what exactly. then run the motor at 2k rpm until it seizes. then we have to call a salvage yard to takes it and crushes it. apparently we also have to destroy the trans internals as well.


Seriously? Draining the fluids is normal, but killing the engine and trans, what is the reason for that?

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: CharlieJ
Seriously? Draining the fluids is normal, but killing the engine and trans, what is the reason for that?
According to one of those in charge of the program on TV today, they don't want the less efficient engines going back into service.

 

[MGregoir]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_12907367

Why not have vocational school mechanics fix the ones that are deemed repairable and sell them into use for a profit if they can be returned to service in good mechanical and operating condition at a reasonable price...

 

[dwcopple]

because the basis of the program is to get the fuel inefficient vehicles off the road.

 

[JHZR2]

disgusting.

Pouring junk in it and seizing the engine probably makes some of the metals unrecoverable as well.

All those good parts... It is not like theyll make the cars come back in great mass... It will only keep a few that are either collector items, sentimental items, or belonging to poor too far below the poverty line to be able to afford to use the c4c program.

 

[brianl703]

The planners keep on planning, don't they?

 

[river_rat]

Seems wasteful.
It takes a lot of energy to make a new car.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: river_rat
Seems wasteful.
It takes a lot of energy to make a new car.


especially a hybrid.

the techs are drawing straws to see who gets to blow up the first one.

 

[Kestas]

Originally Posted By: CharlieJ
This program is helpful for those looking to buy a new car to replace their old one. I don't see why people see it as a bad thing. My grandfather recently traded in his 80's Dodge van for a Jetta TDI. That van had a lot of issues with it already and was ready to be crushed IMO. That $4500 is going to help pay for the last vehicle he will probably ever own.

I happy that your grandfather can take advantage of this program.

The reason people say it's a bad thing is because this program is paid out of our taxes. Essentially, you, I, and every other tax payer is footing the bill for this program. The money has to come from somewhere. It's not free money. I'd rather that the money stay in our pockets so we - not the government - can best decide where to spend it.

I'm not picking on you and your family. I'd take advantage of the program myself if it suited my needs. It's just that I believe the free enterprise system should work these things out.

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
I heard the truth about it today and it is not good.You pay the dealer to get rid of your clunker.Read the fine print of of the agreement on the paperwork,on the front and back before you sign.It will hurt restorers that restore classic cars too,finding parts will happen and some are very hard to find which are very expensive.


It doesn't apply to classic cars. The oldest that qualify are 25 years old.

 

[tenderloin]

Chrysler is matching the up to $4500 for a short time if anyone is interested in one of their products

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
we got the paperwork for it. you have to drain the oil and add some substance, not sure what exactly. then run the motor at 2k rpm until it seizes.


I'd like to have a UOA done on this sh*t.
Nationwide, I'm sure that in the next few months a few ex-girlfriends, mother-in-laws, religion peddlers, government employees and IRS agents will have people lining up to do their oil change for free......

 

[Cutehumor]

Originally Posted By: tenderloin
Chrysler is matching the up to $4500 for a short time if anyone is interested in one of their products


Did you say matching? as in 9k total with the Cash for clunkers?

 

[tenderloin]

Yes

http://www.chrysler.com/dma/803/index.html?zip=92392

BTW
Dealers who accept clunkers required to destroy engines
By John Hughes
Bloomberg News
Posted: 07/24/2009 10:15:24 AM PDT
Updated: 07/24/2009 04:23:18 PM PDT


Dealers in the U.S. "cash-for- clunkers" program are being forced to disable trade-in vehicles with an engine-destroying chemical under new rules to prevent those who take the government subsidies from reselling the cars.

Dealers must replace the oil in the "clunker" with two quarts of sodium silicate solution and run the engine for up to seven minutes, permanently disabling it, according to rules released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Washington.

"Substantial opportunity exists for fraudulent diversion of the trade-in vehicle, largely because its still-functioning engine makes it attractive to return the vehicle to the road rather than relegate it to the scrap yard," the NHTSA said.

The government is trying to help jump-start slumping auto sales through the program, giving consumers new-vehicle credits of as much as $4,500 for turning in older cars. Sales of cars and light trucks in 2008 totaled 13.2 million, after averaging more than 16 million a year during this decade. Federal inspectors will review dealer records and vehicles for violators of the rules, who would face a $15,000 fine per infraction.

NHTSA officials said in a footnote of the rules that they "understand" vehicles in Germany's "clunkers" program have been resold rather than scrapped after certifications that the vehicles were disposed.

Sodium silicate is a substance found in dishwasher detergent and used to seal exhaust leaks in repair shops, according to the rules. The agency said it doesn't believe use of the product will present a hazard to dealerships, scrap-yard workers or the environment.

President Barack Obama signed the clunkers program into law June 24 after Congress approved it the previous week as part of legislation to finance the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The $1 billion in federal subsidies may spark 250,000 new car sales, U.S. lawmakers have said.

While the law took effect on July 1, NHTSA encouraged dealers to wait for today's publication of the rules to begin making transactions.

The rules set detailed requirements for the program, such as requiring dealers to have the title for the used cars and forcing scrap yards to crush or shred clunkers within six months.

Consumers will get a $4,500 discount if the new car they are buying gets 10 miles-a-gallon better gas mileage than the model they are trading in. For light trucks, the improvement must be 5 mpg better than the older model.

For a $3,500 credit, the improvement for cars must be 4 mpg or better, and for light trucks, 2 mpg. The trade-in vehicle must be no older than a 1984 model and get 18 mpg or less in combined city/highway fuel economy.

New passenger cars purchased with the discount must get at least 22 mpg in city/highway fuel economy, and light trucks must get at least 18 mpg. Domestic as well as foreign models sold in the U.S. qualify.

The program will end Nov. 1 or when the $1 billion in subsidies expire, whichever occurs first. Congress must decide later this year whether to approve legislation extending the program into 2010.

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