Cash for Clunkers

[Iron Lizard]

Has anyone here looked into this program. It sounds good on paper but after reading in it no one mentions they destroy the "clunker". The government could sell or donate these cars. Instead they just straight up kill them it is a freaking waste.

Here is small list from a member of the Volvo Forum I frequent

1994 BMW 530i v8 (manual trans)
1988 Toyota Land Cruiser (77k miles)
1992 Cadillac DeVille
1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee (4x4 Laredo)
1994 Chevrolet Caprice
1995 Volvo 960 (pending gov't approval)

and some pics
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showth...=176981&page=3

[Bablefish]

They do in all the commercials here in TV, Radio and print. It is also good to get those cars off the street, better for the environment, and better for the driver not so much money for gas.

[otaku]

well I think its not a bad idea for a couple of reasons: gas usage and other environmental issues and then of course they can be recycled to I would imagine and its a good way to boost car sales. Honestly I think obama is mishandling this I hear germany has a similar program that is less restrictive on what is considered a clunker and as a result car sales have soared! I have a car that just misses being a clunker by 1 mpg! bs! Also I would have used some of that stimulus he pissed away to buy some cars for folks (this could have helped GM alot) oh well

[David J.]

I got the max trade in for my POS 03 Grand Am towards a 09 Hyundai Elantra Touring and couldn't be happier. I get better milage, more options, oh yeah. Just dont have automatic lights, but that's OK.

[TheEdge]

I heard it a pretty good idea, problem is that I heard they are changing it a little which will screw people out of some cash.

[Iron Lizard]

I like the trade in idea for $4000.

I hate the idea that all of these cars will out right be destroyed. The government could recoup some of its costs if they sold them. They could be sold to poor people ( ME) , donated to the salvation, junk for Jesus, etc, salvage yards could buy them but few want them because the cars straight crushed the engines are killed with this procedure...........

Perform the following procedure to disable the vehicle engine.

1. Obtain solution of 40% sodium silicate/60% water. (The Sodium Silicate (SiO2/Na2O) must have a weight ratio of 3.0 or greater.)
2. Drain engine oil for environmentally appropriate disposal.
3. Install the oil drain plug.
4. Since the procedure is intended to render the engine inoperative, drive or move the vehicle to the desired area for disablement.
5. Pour enough solution in the engine through the oil fill for the oil pump to circulate the solution throughout the engine. Start by adding 2 quarts of the solution, which should be sufficient in most cases.

CAUTION: Wear goggles and gloves. Appropriate protective clothing should be worn to prevent silicate solution from coming into contact with the skin.

6. Replace the oil fill cap.
7. Start the engine.
8. Run engine at approximately 2000 rpm (for safety reasons do not operate at high rpm) until the engine stops. (Typically the engine will operate for 3 to 7 minutes. As the solution starts to affect engine operation, the operator will have to apply more throttle to keep the engine at 2000 rpm.)
9. Allow the engine to cool for at least 1 hour.
10. With the battery at full charge or with auxiliary power to provide the power of a fully
charged battery, attempt to start the engine.
11. If the engine will not operate at idle, the procedure is complete.
12. If the engine will operate at idle, repeat steps 7 through 11 until the engine will no
longer idle.
13. Attach a label to the engine that legibly states the following:

This engine is from a vehicle that is part of the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS). It has significant internal damage caused by operating the engine with a sodium silicate solution (liquid glass) instead of oil.

I hardly think this will help the environment. It is designed to help the Auto Industry sell more cars.

[InternalPrimate]

I've been bothered over and over this last week because of this program...

I own a 1997 Honda Civic EX, and the thing still runs beautifully! Yeah, it's not the most impressive car around, but I kind of don't care. And while it would be nice to have a newer car, and $4000+ to put towards it, I'd still have to pick up a new monthly bill, which I'm not too thrilled about.

I'm a little surprised that this program isn't aimed at Ford and GM exclusively. But hey, they've moved so much of their operations out of the country anyway, what's the difference between them and Honda and Toyota?

[Iron Lizard]

Ford actually just turned a profit, small but a profit, Gm and Chrysler are ones in real trouble right now.

[otaku]

most of the sales have been going to korean makes from what Ive heard and of course the only cars selling are cheap ones

[Iron Lizard]

[Elusive]

Honestly I think obama is mishandling this I hear germany has a similar program that is less restrictive on what is considered a clunker and as a result car sales have soared!

I can't speak for Germany, but here's the programme my government has put into place: (source)

Your vehicle

The vehicle you are trading in must:

* be a car or small van weighing up to 3,500 kilograms (kg)
* be registered in the United Kingdom (UK) on or before 31 August 1999
* be registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) or Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in your name
* have been registered to you continuously for 12 calendar months before the order date of the new vehicle
* have a UK address on the registration certificate (V5C)
* have a current MOT test certificate before date of order for the new vehicle (or within 14 days of expiry at the time of order)
* have a current tax disc when the order for the new vehicle is placed (or within 14 days of expiry at the time of order)
* be insured when the order for the new vehicle is placed

The new vehicle

The new vehicle you want to buy must be:

* a car or small van weighing up to 3,500 kg
* first registered in the UK on or after mid May 2009
* declared new at first registration in the UK with no former keepers

When trading in your old vehicle for a new vehicle the registered keeper for both vehicles must be the same.

Assuming you meet all the criteria - basically, any day-to-day vehicle that's more than a decade old - you then automatically qualify for a £2,000 rebate from a brand-new car. The old motor then gets scrapped & sent on for recycling & disposal in the usual way.

[The Coop]

It doesn't sound like that bad of an idea at first, but destroying the vehicles seems a bit odd. If they're old and quite run down, sure. But mid-90s vehicles in good shape getting compacted? That seems like a waste, especially when they could be inspected, and offered via some kind of a trade-in program to those who have really old beat up cars and trucks, but can't afford to take part in the program (or don't qualify for it).