Cash for Clunkers

Aangeliceus

Aangeliceus

Kitteh's Meow
FC/Leadership
Anyone got any stories they know personally?

I've been watching the YouTube videos and other news outlets about what they are doing with these vehicles that I would not consider to be "CLUNKERS". Just because they don't get great gas mileage, does not mean it's a "CLUNKER". Some of the cars I've seen in these videos, they were nicer than the 1999 Ford I've got collecting dust back home in the states. :/

I think the overall idea was good, but I think they needed some more stringent rules on what was considered a real clunker!

Top Ten Traded In:

1. 1998 Ford Explorer
2. 1997 Ford Explorer
3. 1996 Ford Explorer
4. 1999 Ford Explorer
5. Jeep Grand Cherokee
6. Jeep Cherokee
7. 1995 Ford Explorer
8. 1994 Ford Explorer
9. 1997 Ford Windstar
10. 1999 Dodge Caravan

Top Ten Bought Under the CARS program:

1. Ford Focus
2. Honda Civic
3. Toyota Corolla
4. Toyota Prius
5. Ford Escape
6. Toyota Camry
7. Dodge Caliber
8. Hyundai Elantra
9. Honda Fit
10. Chevy Cobalt


Hmmmmmmmm..... :badshape:

Oh... and I read somewhere, someone bitching about the Americans buying Japanese based cars. OHI... most of those are built in America. :/ Idiots.
 
It refers specifically to mileage... that's really all it applies to. That's why you see so many SUVs.

I heard one story about a local guy that traded an old car in. He got a new one and a few days later the dealership told him his old car no longer qualified so he had to bring the new one back. Essentially, the government recalculated what mpg was needed to qualify and his was no longer on the list. The state later clarified that his car was ok as of the day he traded it in, but not past the date they made the change. By the time they said that though he had already gotten it back from the dealership. So in the end he got stuck with his old car with no recourse. The screwed up thing was they took five other model years around his, just not his particular year.
 
There was a tiny story on Headline News about some guy trading in his Maserati under the program. Pretty crazy....
 
I have a hand-me-down 1987 Econoline E-350 van from my grandpa that gets about 8 miles a gallon. I would keep it, but im afraid that when im driving it, the wheels are going to fall off or something, because its a real piece of shit now. To my surprise, when I brought it to the Toyota dealership, they said they don't take this specific model because its not on the "list" of cars being accepted...it only goes to E-250, even though my van takes more gas mileage. Its considered a "Class IV" truck, which means ill only be able to trade for another class 4 truck (which there arent any that get more than 17 mpg so they dont qualify) which means I can only trade it for NOTHING. What kind of failure rule is that.....retarded government.

I would have used my powder blue 92 ford escort (w/ sports package) that i'm currently driving, but its apparently not clunker enough to qualify because it doesnt use enough gas....wtf. I will personally appear before congress and swear on the bible that it is, in fact, a clunker. I should punch a hole in the gas tank to turn it into a 2 MPG car.

But then it doesnt matter, because no Toyota dealership has a single Prius within 200 miles of my house and they wont be getting any before the C4C program ends. They should let you get a "Clunker" coupon so you can trade in your clunker now and get credit so that you can get the car you want when it becomes available...I want a prius with a solar roof dammit.

Another story is that my good friend's dad was in the market for a new car and he had a Jeep (which he didnt like too much). So he went to the Jeep dealership to see what they had to offer, and with the cash for clunkers program he would get about $12,000 off his jeep (4500 for C4C, 4500 for some deal that matches C4C, 2000 owner loyalty and some other thing for 1000 bucks). Then he went to Chevy and got pretty much the same deal.

Finally, he went to the Lexus dealership and found that he would get no money other than the amount for the trade-in. He decided to go with Lexus, because the other car companies make shitty cars and treat their customers like shit. The government has taken a serious dump on Chevy and Chrysler.

Ford is still cool, and mike rowe is their spokesperson (which is nice), but there isnt a Ford dealership close to use because they all got closed when the ford plant closed.
 
Damn Ashmus... are you seriously still driving that thing?

I kind of wish I was back in the states to taken advantage of this. My current vehicle has at least 150+k miles on it...

I had a 1998 Ford Explorer, bought brand new and loved it until I let a GF of mine drive it. She ran it off the side of the interstate while talking on her cell phone. It would not have been totaled except that she had a friend with her and the fire department had to cut the roof off because she couldn't fit out the door on the passenger side. The way the vehicle stopped in the trees, you could not open the passenger door fully... I had two payments left and I was so pissed... so pissed... :arg::arg:(The girls were fine, I've got some pics around here somewhere.)

The ironic thing: After becoming my 'former GF' shortly after that accident, she bought a new Mercury Sable. She had that car for about 4 months and then totaled it in another accident. She pulled out in front of a teenage driver and got T-Boned.joff

The cars I've had since I started driving: (1992)

1. 1980 Ford F-250 Pickup Truck (V8 351 Windsor)
2. 1982 Honda Civic Sedan
3. 1995 Ford Escort Sedan (first brand new car, sold it to my grandmother in 1997)
4. 1997 Ford Ranger STX (4x4, V6) (Traded in for Explorer)
5. 1998 Ford Explorer XLT (4x4, V6) (wrecked)
6. 1999 Crown Victoria (former Government Fleet car)

The Escort received my first in-car cell phone, which was then installed into the Ranger later on.

Lastly, my very first & only accident, so far, was not with my own vehicle...but with an Ambulance! We did not have a patient and it was the end of the shift, headed back to park the truck for the night. 5PM rush hour traffic, looked in the mirror to change lanes (for the exit ramp) and when I looked back... everybody was stopping... I couldn't make the thing stop in-time... read-ended 1 car that forced two other cars to rear-end each other... :/ :eek: - I was.... i think 20 at the time.

Ah memories...
 
Aangeliceus said:
All that Aang said
Click to expand...

Yeah, that scares me. I've been driving for half a year and I drive like a grandma... really slow and I stay in the slow lane. I drive a sweet 1990 Oldsmobile and getting into an accident like that is unimaginable.

I guess it's ultra sad that I don't really think of what it costs in terms of broken bones and such, and more of what it costs financially :/. Darn this world :badshape:
 
Its purely based on MPG considerations.

There was a report on the local SoCAL NPC sister station where a guy traded his old car in and got 4500 credit. Then the car dealer matched that 4500 and he drove away with a new car for 8000ish.
 
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