The Cash for Clunkers carnage begins.....

[Charger_Fan]

There's a dealership here that's next to a freeway. They have maybe a dozen of the cars on their lot, parked near the freeway fence with "CLUNKER" written on their windows...many of them look just like that, with a long life ahead of them still.   A waste indeed, people can sure be idiots.

[694spdRT]

Somebody posted this on Moparts.......somebody traded this in as a "clunker". What a waste

I agree it is a waste too but most people are looking at the economics of it. My friend tried to trade off his 2006 Dakota 4wd club cab with 70K on it about 2 months ago to get a new one. It is in real nice shape and he went to 3 dealers and the best trade value in was $7500. That Dakota you pictured is a lot older and probably has a lot of miles on it. Unfortunatley, it is probably not worth as much in trade as the clunker bill is offering or it wouldn't get clunkered.

I don't like it either but the program is not that sentimental about the "clunkers". I have a good running '95 Mercury Cougar V8 with only 70K on it and a prior salvage title. I could never get $3500 or $4500 for it on trade. I would like to get a 4 door vehicle like a Jeep Patriot or Dodge Caliber with a 5 speed to run around and the Cougar may have to go. I have a guy interested in the Cougar but I doubt he will give me anywhere near what the clunker bill offers.

BTW: If there are any Ford Explorer fans they must be going crazy. I think 6 of the top 10 vehicles traded in were different year Explorers.

[68charger383]

My friend works at a dealer in CA, the program is working to bring in new customers and move cars. They have about 85 clunkers in stock.

The dealer is required to drain the oil and pour something into the motor and run it until the motor is seized to ensure the car is off the road.

The dealer gets $200 for cars and $300 for trucks to send for salvage, but this money actually goes to the customer, they can only keep $50 for the above fee for seizing the motor.

[Old Moparz]

Somebody posted this on Moparts.......somebody traded this in as a "clunker". What a waste

That truck looks nice, but so do halpaggy cars on ebay from 20 feet. 

Seriously, that Dakota looks clean, but it might not have been cost effective to the owner to keep it. What if it needed several thousand dollars in not so obvious repairs to keep it roadworthy over a long period of time? If the clunker money was available when my wife needed a new car, we'd have gladly traded in her older Pathfinder for double of what we sold it for. Her Pathfinder was well kept & looked just as clean as the white Dakota pictured, but it was 11 years old, had 165,000 miles. It was just starting to show some rust in places, & at some point within the next 5K to 10K miles, would've need brakes.

[myk]

Cash for clunkers, huh.  I'm assuming that this is some sort of movement to help gross polluting vehicles off of the road and drive more environmentally responsible vehicles?  That's a cute idea.  I just hope that all of these clunkers that get traded in don't "hurt" the environment while they rust and decay out there in the junkyards across America. How many hundreds of thousands of clunkers will be doing that in the years to come now?  Hmm.....

[moparstuart]

Cash for clunkers, huh.  I'm assuming that this is some sort of movement to help gross polluting vehicles off of the road and drive more environmentally responsible vehicles?  That's a cute idea.  I just hope that all of these clunkers that get traded in don't "hurt" the environment while they rust and decay out there in the junkyards across America. How many hundreds of thousands of clunkers will be doing that in the years to come now?  Hmm.....

we only have  180 days to dismantle the vehical save what we want , then we have to crush it and report it crushed to the goverment. The crushing fasciliity also has to report it to the goverment  or they come after me and fine me for not getting it done .

[nh_mopar_fan]

Contrary to what the gov is reporting, most people are not buying a buzzbox. They're skewing the numbers to make it look that way.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/07/autos/cash_for_clunkers_sales/index.htm?postversion=2009080709

[Old Moparz]

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought the clunker cash program was supposed to be a combination of better MPG as well as stimulate sales? I don't think it was ever designed as being strictly a planet saver program. 

[nh_mopar_fan]

Bob,

That idiot Feinstein was out in the last day or two telling us how the program was successful beyond their expectations in respect to the efficient cars people were choosing.

As to whether they want to go the stimulus vs greenie benefit, I'll go for "None of the above"

Have you heard of any of the big 3 stepping up production?

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/08/07/cash-for-clunkers-is-popular-but-is-it-truly-a-us-stimulus/

Judd Gregg is my senator and he is absolutely right when he says our kids will be paying this bill. 

[jaak]

What pisses me off, is you should only be able to buy America makes.....of the 184,000+ sold the first week, over half were foreign makes.....WTF?

Jason

[Troy]

What pisses me off, is you should only be able to buy America makes.....of the 184,000+ sold the first week, over half were foreign makes.....WTF?

Jason

I answered this on page 2:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,59938.msg669037.html#msg669037

Troy

[jaak]

What pisses me off, is you should only be able to buy America makes.....of the 184,000+ sold the first week, over half were foreign makes.....WTF?

Jason

I answered this on page 2:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,59938.msg669037.html#msg669037

Troy

Sorry Troy...missed that

Jason

[BB1]

 

How about dividing these billions among the millions of citizens, since it's our money anyways.
Oh wait, that's to easy.   

[b5blue]

I have been saying that too!  Can anyone figure out what that would be?

[1970Moparmann]

I just hate it when the government get's involved with anything now a days.  See this crap.....

I say screw the program and give the $3 billion dollars to "tax payers" as a stimulus!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/08/05/lurita-doan-cash/

[moparstuart]

it was a real screwing  to us tax payers


    http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Dispatch/market-dispatches.aspx?post=1341914&_blg=1,1341914     

[1970Moparmann]

Isn't that just another kick to the groin.... Unbelievable... There's still dealerships by my house that the cars are sitting in a back lot waiting for the government money that was supposed to come ASAP.   I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE WOULD GIVE THE GOV'T THE RIGHT TO HEALTHCARE based on crap like this.

Stuart, what are you seeing with your customers.  Same story?

[warmpancakes]

I traded in a clunker   1985 diplomat, came home with a 2009 jeep Patriot  I love the little "suv"   went from 21 MPG to 30 MPG
sticker on the jeep was 23030
  23030
+1381.80 sales tax
+125.00 other fees
-4500 C4c
-5000 chrysler rebate
-2236.80 employee discount and owner loyalty
=$12800 out the door about 49% off sticker I figure I can drive it 2-2.5 years and get my money back, but It has the life time warranty so i might drive it till it rusts away

[moparstuart]

Isn't that just another kick to the groin.... Unbelievable... There's still dealerships by my house that the cars are sitting in a back lot waiting for the government money that was supposed to come ASAP.   I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE WOULD GIVE THE GOV'T THE RIGHT TO HEALTHCARE based on crap like this.

Stuart, what are you seeing with your customers.  Same story?

we got about 50 of these car's , it took about 2 months for the goverment money to come in . All my dealerships i deal with are paid and we have gotten the cars.  It has been a great thing for my buisness , but wish we could have sold the motors also .  It really is a shame these are reallly nice cars and trucks and they should have never been crushed or even taken off the road .      

[loudmouthaussie]

kinda seems so wasteful to trash 2000 model cars even if they do pollute. guess they will fill chinas need for scrap metal. bye bye old scrap yards you have over there takin up acres 

wonder if this will come in downunder? we keep our cars longest in the world (bar mexico) 

[Ghoste]

wonder if this will come in downunder? we keep our cars longest in the world (bar mexico) 

And Cuba. 

[moparstuart]

  anyone know about the japaneses laws where you have to change out your engines after like 30 k miles  ?


  I alway here about the take out japan car motors with 30k or less on them forsales . Because they have emmisons  laws  ?     

[dads_69]

Local wrecking yard has at least 60 CFC now. 90% of them are perfect drivers. Durango's, Explorer's, Nissan SUV's. Etc...
Trucks, you name it, he has them. Many with less than 100,000 miles. IMO, the cash for clunkers idea was a bad idea/joke, but to each his/her own.
Enjoy the new car payments.

We voted for change, we sure got it.

[loudmouthaussie]

  anyone know about the japaneses laws where you have to change out your engines after like 30 k miles  ?


  I alway here about the take out japan car motors with 30k or less on them forsales . Because they have emmisons  laws  ?     

not sure on details of thier laws but down in australia weve been getting jap engines for years that have gone over thier limit. cheaper alternative to a rebuild.