Cash for clunkers

Notaguru2

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Here's some good news. Dealerships across the country are reporting their showrooms are packed! :rolleyes: I don't have any links yet, but 2 cable news stations are reporting this today.

Now, if we could perpetuate this into new jobs or call-backs, this could be one of the sparks we need.
 

houtx48

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that could be the new financial crisis, people who buy cars and can't pay for them. Regan's welfare queen and her Cadillac.
 

transformer_99

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I see it as the same gimmick they've always had. I suspect you get down there with a fabulous offer for your clunker/gas guzzler in an advertisement. The new cars they are moving are marked up, people won't read the fine print and wind up getting screwed on a rebate or whatever fabulous offer on the clunker/gas guzzler they're being offered, maybe even sign over and somehow forfeit any tax incentives for buying a "green vehicle" if that's at all possible to the dealer ?

Sorry to be the pessimist, but dealerships and whatever they're selling is the same shell game it's always been. I understand they have to eat too and have to sell product at any cost while trying to get some action in a stalled economy. My last Chevy dealership experience wasn't pleasant, they made it clear to me the only way I drive their product is to bend over and take it like the good little consumer I am. Sorry, but they missed that window of opportunity, I found a better alternative and even when that wears out, they can drive a Chevy, but I won't ever bother them to see what they have on their lots. Personally, I have no stake in GM beyond the bailout, that was forced and I can cut my losses even at that (Obama wouldn't give them any more money so I figure they're done bailing GM out), so they can cease to exist for all I care, 1 less automaker in the world and thus their dealerships is fine by me. As far as I'm concerned Ford makes better products all day long. As for domestics, I rank them Ford, Chrysler and GM. Many Japanese cars are ahead of the 3. So you can see where they sit in terms of making a sale and that's being objective with no animosity towards them. Factor that animosity in and Ford is the only one of the three that I'll ever consider buying a car or truck from.
 
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VeeP

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Yet another stroke of big gov't brilliance that will feed the ever-growing consumer credit crisis. Evidently nothing was learned from the housing debacle. :rolleyes:
 

transformer_99

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Yet another stroke of big gov't brilliance that will feed the ever-growing consumer credit crisis. Evidently nothing was learned from the housing debacle. :rolleyes:

They gotta try to recoup those bailouts and get something going. The only way for the bailouts to work & get repaid is by the rest of us to be the good little consumers that we are expected to be. The only way to repay it, inflation and taxes. We're going to get double dipped here sooner or later. With 10 % unemployment it's already Aug 2009. The Obama show has to be more than bailouts and racial issues. Healthcare has to get off the ground and economy has to turn around.
 

FuzzyKen

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I am laughing my ass off on this one. The whole thing that killed the new car biz was the fact that nobody could get financing because the banks had tightened up credit so much that most of America could no longer qualify for an auto loan.

The ONLY way this is going to work is if the Manufacturers are again doing their own paper without the help of the banking system to make a mess out of it. I seriously doubt that "Camden Roxbury III" is going to trade in his Corniche Convertible for a Hyundai, and if you read the fine print in this getting the maximum $4500 is not as easy as one would think.

Also, in order for this to work Americans are going to be forced to trade in perfecty good automobiles that are by now paid for and go back into debt with a dead economy. I know that there are a lot of dumb people out there, but this big push will last a few weeks and then probably die on the vine. The idea is to push these loss leaders over the curb. What the Mfg's are going to now end up with is a bunch of new cars they can't get rid of turning into a bunch of used cars they can't get rid of when the credit doesn't clear.

Time will tell.

Anyone who falls for this right now is a fool. If you can't afford it you shouldn't buy it.
 

Principessa

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Important Things to Know

  • Your vehicle must be less than 25 years old on the trade-in date
    [*]Only purchase or lease of new vehicles qualify
    [*]Generally, trade-in vehicles must get 18 or less MPG (some very large pick-up trucks and cargo vans have different requirements)
    [*]Trade-in vehicles must be registered and insured continuously for the full year preceding the trade-in
    [*]You don't need a voucher, dealers will apply a credit at purchase
    [*]Program runs through Nov 1, 2009 or when the funds are exhausted, whichever comes first.
    [*]The program requires the scrapping of your eligible trade-in vehicle, and that the dealer disclose to you an estimate of the scrap value of your trade-in. The scrap value, however minimal, will be in addition to the rebate, and not in place of the rebate.
Cash For Clunkers: Scams

So what are the scams? Well, as the program is fairly new (it began on July 1), there are really only a couple of pitfalls to watch out for at this time. The first is “official looking” program Web sites that ask for pre-registration information. These sites ask for a variety of personal info, including names, addresses, phone numbers and (gasp!) social security numbers with the promise that you’re going to be somehow added to “the list.” I’ll say it one time and hopefully make it really clear: You do not need to pre-register to take advantage of the cash for clunkers program. Anyone online asking you for personal information (especially your social security number) in order to pre-register you in the program is not affiliated with the CARS program. They’re clearly up to no good.
Speaking of up to no good, remember when I said that simply knowing the official program name could prevent you from being scammed? Well, that’s because the NHTSA’s official site doesn’t use the slang term, Cash for Clunkers, anywhere on the site. They use only the official program name, Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS). If you encounter a site that looks official, but uses the term “Cash for Clunkers,” well, just be wary. Another thing to watch out for is any car dealer who offers to provide your clunker rebate via check, money order or direct deposit. The only way that you can take advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program is by having the rebate amount deducted from the purchase price of your new car. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a check will be sent to you after you leave the car lot. It just doesn’t work that way.
 

midlifebear

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Two of the cowboys that care for my Big Chunk of Dirt in Nevada recently sent me an e-mail suggesting that it might be a good way to get rid of the 1995 Dodge Ram 4x4 with an inline Cummins diesel engine. This truck has less than 190,000 miles and averages 14 mpg. Once I checked the trade-in value of the truck -- even for a "poor condition" vehicle -- I found out it is worth a minimum of $9,500. So, we decided to put it up for sale in little downtown Wells, NV, with just a sign in the window. I'll give 10% of the sale to my mechanic who knows everyone in Elko and Whitepine Counties. Currently, we've got a bidding war between three ranchers willing to pay a lot more than the Blue Book or Edmonds suggested trade in value. So, fuck the $4,500 idea. As Suze Orman warns, it is never a good deal to buy a new car.

Caveat emptor, etc.
 
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