Cash for Clunkers runs out of money in a week!

your gov’t at work. if you do the math, 4,500×250,000=1,125,000,000. but hey, whats 125million between friends huh??

The entire clunker program was just a pork sweetheart deal for the benefit of the Salvage and Junkyard lobby.

All there is to say is get used to the following paragraph:

“…Obama administration and congressional leaders are working today “to find and develop ways to continue to fund” this $XYZ billion program, which may be out of cash after a week of operation.

Simple math shows that 250,000 cars at $4500 amounts to $1.125 Billion. So, either the program was massively successfull and helped to sell 250,000 newer, more energy efficient cars, or the government bureacracy has basically stolen their share before giving over the money for the public use.

One is a massive success, and the other is a bloated mess. Somehow I suspect it’s the later and not the former.

Help me if I’m wrong, but 250,000 getting an increase of 10mpg amounts to like a reduction of nearly 50,000 barrels of oil per fillup over the cars they replace?

How can that be a bad thing?

Grrr, I have a qualifying vehicle, but you are required to buy a new car, not just a more efficient used car.

You can save more than the $4500 off the price of a car by buying a 2007 instead of a 2009. I have never bought a new car because it doesn’t pay to buy new.

Oh the salvage yards may benefit from this program but only as a pass through as the crushed or shredded cars get sold to China to produce other things we need here.

The engines are destroyed by pouring something that toasts them then the car gets destroyed. No spare parts and no salvage allowed.

That makes sure that all those cars can’t be used for parts to keep others like them on the road.

Takes away freedom of choice and tries to force you into a government approved piece of shit.

I just watched a Toyota dealer (on CNN) discussing the Clunker program. He sold 61 cars this week through the program.

He also pointed out he had 5 scrapyards bidding for each of the clunkers he turned. Though there are hustlers out there – in both the junk and car dealerships – telling people they can only get <$100 per car in scrap value, it's a crock.

That scrap price also is deducted from the price you negotiate for the car you're buying; so, don't sign a waiver to the dealer before the deal is concluded.

The Toyota dealer said he's getting prices running from $200 to $800 from the scrapyards he deals with.

But, then, his name isn't Mr. Diesel.

#17, ducky,

Most often it is cheaper to pay up front for something than it is to leave it for others to pay for it later. In this case the benefits will pay for themselves several times over.

I used to work at a junk yard, we buy cars for $50 – 100 bucks. I don’t think we ever paid any more then 200 for anything that comes in when I was there.

The program is successful enough to run out of money but then Congress always underestimates that part.

Oh, Congress will say that, even though the program is flawed, we should throw more money at it. That will fix everything!

Why not just buy everyone a new car and be done with it?

Heard a joke the other day:
The boss gives me a $100 to do a project. The project is a complete failure.
Now I demand the boss give me a $1,000 to do another project.
The funny part is that my boss is such a chump, he’ll give me the money.
I’ve got mine, who cares about anyone else.

Good idea but bad execution.

This resulted in 1,000’s of republican owned Hummer’s being turned in. A much better plan:
- Hummer not qualify
- 35 mph for new car
- 2,000 credit for new car
- Raise prop taxes on Hummer owners
- Tax the church

#27 — Define American? Most products produced today are international assemblies. Corporate office may be overseas but assembly plants are located in America. GM sales rebranded Toyota products that are assembled in California. I may be mistaken but almost half of GM plants are in another country. Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Subaru have assembly plants here in America. Parts for automobiles come from all over the world now.

There may be an automobile that has all parts made in America, assembled in America with the corporate office located in America but that vehicle will be hard to find.

The “Buy American” movement is not practical.

As with most government programs, the success of the “cash for clunkers” program is not measured in how well the consequences of the program align with the stated goals of its advocates. Nor is it measured by any economic impacts the consequences might cause. Instead, just like the example of the public library in George Dance’s recent article about Booze and books, the success is measured by participation or usage, not by any measure of the value provides or harm it does to our economy. The trick is to define the program specifically so that it has a known demand so the usage is high. Media spin and politics will make sure the right people hear the program was successful and beneficial. I heard a bit on NPR just today about the downstream benefits that recycling all these old cars has. Ridiculous of course, but the perception amongst the voters is far more important than the actual results and consequences. Certainly there will be follow-on programs, cash for major appliances, cash for tools, etc.