What demographics will win in the recent “Cash for Clunkers” legislation? Well let’s take a gander. In the cars section, all but the last two primarily appeal to folks that are north of the double nickel. Traditional Caddies, laid back Lincolns. Throw in some nasty old British hardware, a couple of misguided pseudo-imports (LS and Aurora), and the guido enriched pre-’92 F-body and you have the whole fleet. Also those who are into old-school Benzes and Q45s should definitely qualify, along with pre-1990s full-sized Detroit metal. But apparently Consumer Reports forgot about them. Oh well. So enthusiasts should get a couple of nods. For trucks?
Seventeen domestics and six imports of recent times. That’s not quite an indictment on Detroit. The list is riddled with cars that made the Legacy Detroit Three very rich until [Hurricane] Katrina. The Astro experienced a 20-year model run. That’s more time than many murderers spend in jail. You also have the F-150, Silverado, S10 V6, and Ram in some of their more expensive 4WD configurations. The big boat Expeditions, Navigators, Suburbans, Grand Cherokees . . . pretty much everything Detroit sold with an old-school V8 or 4WD has a good shot at it.
Finally, on the import side you have the Montero and 4Runner (again 4WD), Sedona and Pathfinder (any one will do). An anonymous second-tier minivan called the Nissan Quest. Oh, and I forgot, the Chrysler Minivans made the list, but only the 3.8L AWD Grand version. So if you’re into 4WD, V8s and luxobarges, congratulations! The government has a nice subsidy for your next Nissan Versa.
Before you guys hate on the model, let me just say, “Nice.”
Hopefully the word will get out to the people who I see driving poorly maintained POS vans, trucks, and SUVs around here. Most of them bought it because it was cheap transportation to start with not factoring the gas costs. Crossing my fingers that they’ll do the math and realize they would take more money home each week if the traded it for an base economy car. And yes most people around here can drive stick, dealers around here actually keep base models on their lots and buy them at auctions. (Round here would be Gallup, NM)
Why do I look at this photo and immediately start hearing Lynard Skynard songs in my head?
Association of awesome things, I’d think.
If clunker=gas guzzler that program is an EPIC FAIL
This seems like such a waste. I’m assuming that the traded-in “clunkers” will be destroyed, when their parts could have been used to repair the vehicles that weren’t traded in. There will be a shortage of junkyard parts for these cars.
It needs to be said: “Mr. President, we must not allow a junkyard gap!”
I also say ‘nice’. Hopefully TTAC keeps up the good work!
I thought the clunker deal only allows for vehicles back to 1990. Also, depending on which set of EPA figures is used (old, old but adjusted, or new), only a few Mercedes are going to actually qualify–and those that do are probably worth more than $3500. But if anyone has a 500E that is in good working order, let me know!
Do you really think those who drive these cars on a regular basis can afford a to buy a NEW car, even with the rebates?
Did I miss a post on Sunday about it being white trash model week?
Also, anyone who’s going to paint a van up should have the common sense to airbrush it. Fancy graphics can’t possibly stack up to an airbrushed wizard. Or wolves. Or a dragon. Or an airbrushed wizard riding a dragon being chased by wolves. Yeah, man. Hell yeah.
An anonymous second-tier minivan called the Nissan Quest.
a.k.a. Mercury Villager
I have two vehicles that qualify for the C4C giveaway, a sedan and a minivan. According to Ford’s online C4C calculator, I can get $3,500 by trading for a Focus (27 mpg) or a Fusion (27 mpg).
Or, I can get $4,500 by trading for an Escape (23 mpg). In other words, by buying a thirstier SUV (CUV?), I’d get an extra thousand bucks from the gummint. That’ll cover the extra fuel usage for, oh, about 9,000 miles, as well as saving interest by having a $1,000 smaller amount to finance.
Anybody see anything wrong with this picture?
I’ve said it before, half the guys in my dad’s weekly breakfast group are retirees who have older cars that qualify even though they also own newer cars. They kept their old “clunkers” because they weren’t offered enough at trade-in time, and still drive the cars occasionally. They are not necessarily wealthy, but most pay cash for their new cars, granted they only buy once every 8-10 years. Keeping those 80’s Monte Carlos, Olds 88’s, Buick Parisians and Ford Thunderbirds payed off. They’re all interested in buying new cars now, even though I doubt any of them voted for Obama.
I also know some folks who bought their children gas-guzzling first cars that are mighty pleased Junior or Juniorette didn’t wreck them.
I’m looking forward to getting $3500 for my rusty but somewhat trusty 88 F150 toward a new stripper truck. I don’t like the program and have grown almost hateful of GM over the years, but I’ll be using the program most likely buying a crappy Silverado. I don’t feel guilty because my current taxes, future taxes, and the inheritance tax on my children/grandchildren will pay it off. When the plane’s going to crash, you either cry about it or go into the bathroom with the sexy lady in the seat next to you.
RayH :
June 30th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
When the plane’s going to crash, you either cry about it or go into the bathroom with the sexy lady in the seat next to you.
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1) The bathroom is probably already occupied.
2) Do you even care to go to the bathroom to do it? I mean, the plane is crashing and others are busy crying.
“I thought the clunker deal only allows for vehicles back to 1990. Also, depending on which set of EPA figures is used (old, old but adjusted, or new)”
Any vehicle manufactured less than 25 years from the day you turn it in and rated at 18 mpg or less by the new/old but adjusted EPA combined rating qualifies. So, if you trade in your clunker on August 10, 2010 it must have been manufactured no earlier than August 11, 1985. In practice, most of the traded in vehicles will be model year 1986 or newer. Only a bare handful of late production 1985 model year vehicles might squeak through. This provision was pushed into the legislation by the SEMA lobbyists in the name of protecting the classic car restoration hobby. Somehow I don’t see what they gained by protecting 1984 F150s from the scrapper.
As far as I can tell, the requirement that the trade in vehicle be scrapped does not preclude junk yards from pulling marketable parts off the thing. One must wonder how many of these “scrapped” vehicles will be scrapped intact by being put on a truck to Mexico.
“Do you really think those who drive these cars on a regular basis can afford a to buy a NEW car, even with the rebates?”
My guess is that most will be extra/student vehicles being pulled out of the driveway. I have an occasional use 1989 F150 which I’m considering trading for a $4500 voucher. The market value of it is around $2,000 (manual tranny). We could potentially sell the 2003 Accord privately, turn the F150 into a voucher and use the money from those two things to offset most of the cost of a new car.
@Ray H.: Sorry, your 1988 F-150 will not qualify for the program, unless you buy a stripper ranger, that’s the only truck that qualifies, not the Silverado, new F-150, or even the Colorado. Unless you’ve got the thirsty-as-a-sinner-in-hell 5.8L Ford, and get a 4.3L Colorado (a 5mpg improvement), maybe the Silverado XFE has 5 mpg more over the 12-mpg 5.8L F-150 from ’88. Otherwise, keep shopping, of course, these are the 2009 numbers as fueleconomy.gov has nothing for 2010 trucks, and very little for any other 2010s.
@John Horner: in regards to the “vehicles scrapped by sending them intact to Mexico” front, I think I recall reading that the drivetrain must be crushed. Body parts and interiors etc, can be left to await new life for when other cars still on the road get wrecked or eaten by rust.
1988 F150 DOES qualify in my scenerio. I have 4.9 I6 and manual, 15 combined under new EPA formula, they don’t use the old numbers pre 2008 or whatever when comparing MPG’s new and old vehicle, only the new set.
2009 Silverado XFE and Silverado 4.3 automatic 2x4s get 17 combined. All figures from fueleconomy.gov. Here’s the rule for type two trucks and its definition:
If both the new vehicle and the traded-in vehicle are category 2 trucks and the combined fuel economy value of the new vehicle is at least 1, but less than 2, miles per gallon higher than the combined fuel economy value of the traded in vehicle, the credit is $3,500. If both the new vehicle and the traded-in vehicle are category 2 trucks and the combined fuel economy of the new vehicle is at least 2 miles per gallon higher than that of the traded-in vehicle, the credit is $4,500
A category 2 truck is a large van or a large pickup truck, based upon the length of the wheelbase (more than 115 inches for pickup trucks and more than 124 inches for vans).Info via CARS.gov
133″ wheelbase longbed reg cab 1988 F150, 143.5″ Silverado longbed. Info via quickie google search.
So I am probably getting $4500 instead of $3500.
2) Do you even care to go to the bathroom to do it? I mean, the plane is crashing and others are busy crying.
I’d like to think we’d respect the rights of the other passengers. Plus the audience might create performance anxiety; the crashing plane, not so much.
If the blonde next to that van is in the plane seat next to me we stay put and party.
Ok, that’s settled, I can’t wait to dump the F150 off and get a huge credit for it. 4500 for a 2200 vehicle is plane(sic) stupid but since I didn’t vote for The Messiah I can blame my neighbor who did that was complaining about how unfair the requirements were.
I thanked him for helping me unload this POS for twice book value. Socialism for me, nothing for him.
Is that Tonya Harding?
Yeah, I’ll second the Junior idea. His old Dodge Ram may be headed to the scrapper to be replaced by the lowest cost econobox I can find.
“Also, anyone who’s going to paint a van up should have the common sense to airbrush it. Fancy graphics can’t possibly stack up to an airbrushed wizard. Or wolves. Or a dragon. Or an airbrushed wizard riding a dragon being chased by wolves. Yeah, man. Hell yeah.”
“1) The bathroom is probably already occupied.
2) Do you even care to go to the bathroom to do it? I mean, the plane is crashing and others are busy crying.”
“If the blonde next to that van is in the plane seat next to me we stay put and party.”
… and this is why I keep coming back to TTAC.
Sorry, I was wrong, I was under the impression that you had to improve the combined mileage by 5 digits to get the credits on a truck. Good luck finding a Silverado XFE (and getting a reasonable price on it). I think the dealers won’t be in much of a giving mood on the price when it comes time to negotiate and you tell them you’ll be using your CARS credit.