House passes Cash For Clunkers

BBShark

BBShark

Garage Monkey
Staff member
Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
5,034
Location
Right here
The U.S. House approved the "cash for clunkers", paving the way for consumers to snag up to $4,500 for trading in their older vehicles for new, more fuel efficient transport.

Here is one of the "incentives" that is in the bill. Please keep in mind that these government cash givaways are with borrowed money from the Chinese!

SUV, pickup truck and minivan buyers are eligible for a $3,500 voucher if their vehicle gets at least two mpg higher than their trade-in

So lets say you drive 10.000 miles/yr in your minivan. You trade your old minivan that gets 18mpg for a 20mpg minivan. Government sends you $3500 dollars they borrowed (and is re-payed by taxpayers). So you save about 50 gallons of gas per year. At $3.00/gal, that's $150 (about $50 of that is Highway Use and other taxes)!

This is so wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to start.

Bottom line is no one will object because it's easy money (even if it is borrowed). When is the government going to figure out, we don't have any money!
 
THE answer is, the commie bastards in the .gov don't give a whit damn.....

and yes, I fell for that bullcrap in the 70's......about all that could be said is I did not wait in line for gas so much.....15 mile one way commute in a 33 mpg Plymouth Arrow....last one on the lot, for like 6 grand in spring '79, all they had to do was shove the Sha out and I could see it coming....had 50 gallon capacity on the camper Van we had.....filled it a total of 3X all that year, transferred the fuel to the Arrow......drove to station at bottom of the hill at 5 am to wait 2 hours for station to open, :hissyfit:

BUT it was convenience as it turned out, NOT economics at that time.....the savings was Negative on the wash out.....:hissyfit:

not going there again...have 35 gallon capacity on this van now....so it becomes another milk truck, woopie doo, maybe put 6-8 gas cans in it too....

:thumbs::crylol:
 
I hope there are more restrictions like proof of ownership and registration for at least 6 months. Otherwise you could just buy a $100 POS and trade that in.

How about proof that the trade-in is really taken off the road ? Example Germany (that's where Obama got this great idea): trade ins are not crushed and instead sold to Poland or Russia...

2mpg is just silly..... 6mpg would at least make sense.....

The door for fraud is wide open....

I actually like the basic idea but I would have added a lot more restrictions (income limit, trade in must be 10+ years old, registered in this person's name for at least 12 months) .

Example1: Family with 2 kids has 40K annual income and the DD is a 1993 V6 Buick that gets 16-18mpg. They can trade it in for a new 4-door car that cost around 18K and would get $4500 because the new car gets 24mpg.

Example2: Single dude with $150K annual income trades in his Hummer for a Lincoln Navigator and gets $3500 for a 2mpg improvement.

Something wrong here ?
 
Your old vehicle is not a trade-in. It is confiscated and crushed.

I guess my point is, a $3500 minivan or SUV is not far from the scrap heap anyway. Why not let nature take it's course and allow the old vehicle to go to the scrap heap in it's own time instead of buying it with borrowed money.

I just don't think that getting the old clunker off the road a few years early is saving a lot of gas. And, the replacement vehicle uses energy and resources to build!
 
Chances are there is so much fine print with it that even after you spend your money for a new vehicle you would somehow be disqualified.

Went thru that crap here with the hurricane/generator rebate.
Wife had a legal medical qualification, refused on the rebate, friend is a fireman, wife also worked, total income around 200 grand a year and gets $400.00 rebate from FEMA.

Can't trust any of it because lawyers grow up to be politicians.
 
Jsup said:
This is one scary administration.
Click to expand...

The only thing scarier would be BIDEN, why in hell you think he is VP??? Nobams' best life insurance policy.....

then there is Queen Pelosi, with that wide eyed vacuous stare, there ain't no one home with that bitch....brain dead on drugs decades ago....same stare my nephew got from his hippy daze....

too much PCP with his pot.....

:gurney::banghead::bomb:
 
MYBAD79 said:
Example2: Single dude with $150K annual income trades in his Hummer for a Lincoln Navigator and gets $3500 for a 2mpg improvement.

Something wrong here ?
Click to expand...

I don’t agree with the program in the first place, but the problem I see with your example is the dude making 150K is paying all the taxes to support the program in the first place. To then say he can’t take advantage of the program he is forced to pay for…that is BS. Spreading the wealth around pure and simple.
 
BBShark said:
Why not let nature take it's course and allow the old vehicle to go to the scrap heap in it's own time instead of buying it with borrowed money.

I just don't think that getting the old clunker off the road a few years early is saving a lot of gas. And, the replacement vehicle uses energy and resources to build!
Click to expand...

I agree...but it is too simple and logical for a politician to understand.
 
I think it is designed for people like me. I trade in my 454, 10 mpg ( 11 with a tailwind) Suburban for an econobox Cobalt. But I can't carry two complete engines in the back of a Cobalt. Not a problem and the reason why this program won't work. I'll carry the engines in my other 454 Suburban I just bought for $500.
Mike
 
Here's a thought: instead of crushing all the old cars let's ship them to Cuba. Then they could finally crush the 1950s clunkers they've been driving. Since they all still have emissions controls it would probably improve things. :D
 
MYBAD79 said:
Here's a thought: instead of crushing all the old cars let's ship them to Cuba. Then they could finally crush the 1950s clunkers they've been driving. :D
Click to expand...

Humm I dont think they would crush those 50s car.

1, the cars became a symbol, look at any pics of Cuba, theres always a 50s car in it.
2 theyve managed to keep them going no matter what so they wont let them go for sure. You wouldnt beleive the ingenuity those guys have to keep them car running
 
1Michel said:
MYBAD79 said:
Here's a thought: instead of crushing all the old cars let's ship them to Cuba. Then they could finally crush the 1950s clunkers they've been driving. :D
Click to expand...

Humm I dont think they would crush those 50s car.

1, the cars became a symbol, look at any pics of Cuba, theres always a 50s car in it.
2 theyve managed to keep them going no matter what so they wont let them go for sure. You wouldnt beleive the ingenuity those guys have to keep them car running
Click to expand...

Not a doubt in my mind that is where '53 Corvette #1 is......to be found when Castro/brother die off........:devil::banghead::drink:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top