"Cash For Clunkers Anyone?" Topic

Did anyone take advantage of the US government's cash for clunkers program to buy a new car?

Nope. Mine is already well above the MPG number they were aiming at.

Would have, but mine's 1 mpg above the cut off for it.

Yup.

I got $8,000 value for my '89 Cadillac so that, and a $1,000 USD off the sticker price took a $19,000 sticker price down to $12,000 with tax, license and etc – or about 2/3 the retail. We went with a PT Cruiser because Chrysler was doubling up the government contribution – and it fit within the target price. The PT was also tone of only two cars in Mopars line-up which had enough MPG to meet the requirements. The other, the Caliber, was rated too poorly by Edmunds and Consumers Union to be much of a consideration. We also already own a PT.

The Pontiac Vibe (a rebadged Toyota Matrix) and the Nissan Versa were the other contenders, but GM couldn't match the cash and the Versa was a bit too small even if it would've been about the same price for an upgraded model.

I did it through my credit union and the process was pretty painless. It was kind of freaky buying a car sight unseen but, as I said, we already owned a PT so it was a known quantity.

The Cadillac just made the cut with a rating of 18 mpg ( the onboard computer told me I consistently got 17). If the DOT hadn't raised that rating by 1 mpg the week before the program started, I could've gotten about $500 USD more for the Cadillac and gotten a different vehicle. The new car was not in the budget – I'd wanted to get rid of the current car payment before getting a new one. But, I was looking at spending $2,000 in the very new future as the Caddy's transmission was starting to suck fluid. So, I could make 10 car payments all at once for a car I'd just sunk $600 USD into to fix the ignition switch, or I could spread that pain out over most of a year and have a new car.

The answer was relatively easy – the El Dorado only cost me $60 USD and no one was going to offer me 8 grand for it in the next 50 years.

Wyatt

Nope, but have bought an '08 and a '81 (very good condition less than 58k miles!) vette in the last three months.

The local gas station loves me.

Wish I could have but I still have 2 years on the loan for my Daughters car…..sigh.

I have a 89 Dodge Neon, 275,000 miles on it and 1 expletive mpg over the cutoff. But at least I rest easy knowing I don't have another car payment.

And here is irony. If instead of destroying the trade ins, we had sold them to the Mexicans who travel I35 buying cars to take to Mexico, we would supposedly reduce emissions in both countries by replacing older Mexican cars which are really polluters.

I have a 1986 Mercury Grand Marquis. It's a full size car, same as the Ford LTD / Crown Vistoria. It has a 5.0 litre, V-8 engine. It's a boat.

When the car rolled off the assembly line in 1986, 23 YEARS AGO, somehow this thing was rated at 16 MPG around town (somewhat believable), and 24 MPG on the highway (I'm skeptical here), which some government formula turns into 19 MPG overall average.

Now, with over 100,000 miles on it, there is no way to recapture the compression in the engine (even a rebuild probably wouldn't do it), and thus, no way in the world that this car can come even close to 19 MPG overall average.

I get 14 MPG around town, and 20 MPG on the highway.

I brought my car in to my mechanic for an oil change, and he asked me whether I was going to clunker it. After telling him the details above, he was speechless for a moment, and then told me that was unbelievable.

I told him what was more unbelievable was that the 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis, which is 14 YEARS YOUNGER than my car, is eligible for the clunker program at 18 MPH overall average. He was dumbfounded.

You would think that since they are already using some formula to calculate the overall MPG average, they could have factored in the age of the vehicle a little, and thus, my "clunker" would probably be off the road.

However, since my clunker only has 104,000 miles on it, and I drove a nearly identical 1986 Ford LTD wagon (same drivetrain) up to 196,000 miles on it, I'll probably keep driving the Mercury for a while, even if it has it's quirks and blemishes.

No, I'd bought a new car last year. It does not qualify as a clunker, although I rather wish the C4C program had been in effect then. They didn't offer me much for my 94 Cherokee, so I kept it for schlepping dogs around.

I have a 89 Dodge Neon, 275,000 miles on it and 1 expletive mpg over the cutoff.

Your Neon is rated at 19mpg? We never got less than 30mpg with ours… Also, the Neon was introduced for the 1995 model year?
-Kle.

Oops typo, 98 dodge neon.

I get 32 on the highway but it is lousy in city traffic. But since my daily commute to work is 45 miles of interstate I keep the old thing going.

I've never bought a new car in my life, i.e. never had a monthly car payment. Currently, a '94 Plymouth Voyager with c. 120K miles on it, and a '96 15 passenger Ford Club Wagon with c. 193K milies on it. The Gov't ain't getting either one of 'em. My 16 year-old daughter drives the 15 passenger to school each day, starting this week….

Nope! I just bought a new Jeep Liberty in February. I got almost $6,000 USD off the sticker on it though back then, so no complaints. (I used to sell em so I knew all the tricks to get good deals and they had good rebates then as well).

My bike, even with an obnoxiously loud and big engine, gets about 45 MPG.

Heh. More than 3 times what the 81 'vette gets…

Jake

Nope.

'07 Subaru Outback turbo. Big egnine mods to boot. Not trading that in.

1974 BMW 2002tii. Granted, cruddy gas milage ( 16mpg), but… Over 300k miles on it. It was my first car, and I still have it in working shape! I told my wife, when I die, dig a hole big enough for me and the car. Its comming with me.

I have a '67 beetle, but I don't consider it a clunker.

Currently being restored to be my baby puddle-jumper in winter, when AC is much less important.

No. I drive a "clunker", but the vehicle I need to replace it did not get high enough gas mileage.