Cash For Clunkers program - Not quite going as planned...

[AZhitman]

Ask Pete Bracket from Prospect, Conn., why he bought a new Nissan Altima, and he looks down and smiles.

"It's a good-looking car first off,” Bracket, 23, said.

And he'll also tell you he got a sweet deal.

"It's brand new car,” Bracket said. “I've never driven a new car ever."

But even though he's put the money down, “I can't drive it,” Bracket said, as he stood by the red coupe inside the Barberino Nissan showroom in Wallingford Wednesday night. “This is actually mine right here, and as you can see, it's still on the showroom floor."

That's because Bracket took advantage of the federal government's “Cash for Clunkers” program, which is stuck in park.

The program, which is part of the Obama Administration’s stimulus package, will give you anywhere from $3,500 to $4,500 off a new car, depending on how many more miles per gallon the new car would go compared to an eligible trade-in vehicle.

Bracket traded in his gas-guzzling Oldsmobile that got 16 miles per gallon and got $4,500 off the more fuel-efficient Altima.

"I couldn't refuse this offer,” Bracket said. “It really pushed me to go out and buy a car."

The way the program works is the car dealer takes up to $4,500 directly off the sticker price of the car. To get that money back from the government, the dealer needs a code, and that’s where the problem comes in.

"The government had a website that basically was going to give us redemption codes for all the vehicles," explained John Mocadlo, General Manager at Barberino Nissan in Wallingford.

But a snafu with the website, has left Mocadlo and other dealerships with no access to the codes.

Mocadlo says he’s sold two dozen cars under the program, that he is still waiting to deliver.

"You get a call every half hour, ‘Is my car ready?’ ‘Is the Clunker program ready?” said Mocadlo. “And the people think that we're lying to them, but it's the government dragging their feet. They are just not giving us the tools that we need to deliver the vehicle."

Nissan and the other car franchises are pushing to fix the problem.

"It's going to happen,” Mocadlo said. “People have to just be patient for a few more days."

As for Pete Bracket, he says, "the sooner the better. When that money comes in it's my car and I get to drive it."

[hsckris]

It gets better...

"The government plans to suspend its popular "cash for clunkers" program amid concerns it could quickly use up the $1 billion in rebates for new car purchases, congressional officials said Thursday."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200...nkers

[NSR_s30]

It's a double edged sword.

[ADDirishboy]

The program was a bad idea from the start.

[TgduMg]

It gets better...

"The government plans to suspend its popular "cash for clunkers" program amid concerns it could quickly use up the $1 billion in rebates for new car purchases, congressional officials said Thursday."

I just read this AP report on yahoo as well. And I'm thrilled.

Some very nice vehicles have surely already been thrashed, while some mush less worthy examples got to stay on the road.

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'

Danisiti 1

[hbpignosePA]

so what do they do with the "clunkers"

crush them?

or just put them in junkyards

cuz honestly if they are crushing them that is such a waste of energy

way to "cut emissions"

idiots

[dusred]

I was going to say the R word but than I realized that my thread was posted 3 minutes after yours.

:P

But yeah, I thought it would be a political subject so mine is in the politics section.

[Red coupe]

so what do they do with the "clunkers"

crush them?

or just put them in junkyards

cuz honestly if they are crushing them that is such a waste of energy

way to "cut emissions"

idiots

There is a silica solution that is poured into the engine which is then ran till seized, then metal bits go back into the metal stream.

Its honestly not as easy as it seems, Its definitely something the gov. is paying for... but it is getting more fuel efficient cars out there, and even modern cars of the same level of consumption will likely be running cleaner. There is a lot of energy wasted in disposing of the old cars, and a lot of money that goes into paying everyone 3-4 grand... but we get a lot of our metal back too. Its also stimulated a good bit of spending. I've heard dealerships have been selling in a day what they have been in a month and money moving through the economy is always a good thing.Still likely a net loss, but its hard to say how much. Besides any bump the economy can get is a good thing.

[dusred]

so what do they do with the "clunkers"

crush them?

or just put them in junkyards

cuz honestly if they are crushing them that is such a waste of energy

way to "cut emissions"

idiots

They crush them before your eyes.

Thats why SEMA and other auto enthusiasts groups tried to stop the program because rare parts were being destroyed. Not to mention that perfectly good cars that the poor could drive are being crushed.

editsorry, here's a link to my thread

zer...ended
Modified by dusred at 8:21 PM 7/30/2009

[ScrapMetal]

It gets better...

"The government plans to suspend its popular "cash for clunkers" program amid concerns it could quickly use up the $1 billion in rebates for new car purchases, congressional officials said Thursday."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200...nkers

I saw the news on CNN earlier today. They said the government had already suspended the program because they had quickly ran out of money. Don't really know how accurate the story was since it was "breaking news".

[krazydriver]

so what do they do with the "clunkers"crush them?or just put them in junkyardscuz honestly if they are crushing them that is such a waste of energyway to "cut emissions"idiots

Yup, they crush them. It's REQUIRED that the vehicle be destroyed, not even used for parts.There's an article in my local newspaper talking about this, because there isn't a car crusher anywhere locally. So dealerships are refusing to participate in the program because they can't destroy the cars.

[hbpignosePA]

meh pretty soon they will just buy us little electric cars and not give us a choice

big brother is scary

[numbnuts240]

the only good thing about barberino nissan is dominic in the parts dept. aside from him, that whole dealership is full of rats and scum bags. oh, we were talking about cash for clunkers? yeah i got nothing to say about that...

[MinisterofDOOM]

There's an article in my local newspaper talking about this, because there isn't a car crusher anywhere locally. So dealerships are refusing to participate in the program because they can't destroy the cars.

That would make things extra difficult, as the program rules also specifically state that any junkyard accepting cars for the program cannot transfer those cars to any other junkyard...they must be crushed or shredded there, which doesn't leave a lot of options in the case of your area.

[Repo Man]

Its definitely something the American Taxpayer is paying for...

I fixed that for you bro.

Apparently, one of the biggest dealers in the state is going to have eat 30 or so deals because the rules got changed at the last minute. The paperwork associated with this program is a NIGHTMARE and may the Lord be with anyone that makes a mistake.

It makes me very glad that I am no longer sitting at the F&I desk. Of course, that was at a HUMMER dealer, so I wouldn't have been all that busy anyway.

[DrifterXRPS13]

Stupid program, i'm glad that it's dying and should be killed off.

[HashiriyaS14]

+1 to all of this, time for it to go.

Never mind that the governing logic of the program is fundamentally flawed.

Yes, the new cars run more efficiently mile-for-mile, but how many miles must they run to make up for the environmental costs involved in their production? Sourcing materials, building cars, shipping parts, shipping finished cars, etc.

Driving an old EG or S13 is, ultimately, much more "environmentally friendly" than driving a new Prius. The Prius could take years of operation to make up for all the energy consumed to build it.

[hsckris]

+1 to all of this, time for it to go.

Never mind that the governing logic of the program is fundamentally flawed.

Yes, the new cars run more efficiently mile-for-mile, but how many miles must they run to make up for the environmental costs involved in their production? Sourcing materials, building cars, shipping parts, shipping finished cars, etc.

Driving an old EG or S13 is, ultimately, much more "environmentally friendly" than driving a new Prius. The Prius could take years of operation to make up for all the energy consumed to build it.

Or even take that one step further.... I read an article a couple years ago that did. Guy was daily driving a 72 Pontiac with a straight six, achieving 20mpg on average. His point was that the cost of creating that Pontiac had been amortized over such a long period, that a Prius would either have to be driven for quite a long time to make up for it or get 100mpg or more.

[Solar_Runner]

I was at a dealership yesterday - they actually opted out of the program after a few days - said it was a paperwork nightmare.

That's what happenes when the government runs things...

[AZhitman]

...and yet, despite almost UNIVERSAL agreement that this is one of the stupidest programs ever initiated, where is the criticism of the Administration that supported it?

Makes one wonder what else they'll get away with.

Colossal stupidity, even in the face of overwhelming dissent from people who KNOW better (i.e., SEMA)... yet the program moved forward.

[DrifterXRPS13]

you know how it goes though greg...regardless of administration....crap laws and programs are always passed regardless of what people think....it's just the way it is....

...now if people would read the constitution (should have already when we were younger) and knew that the people are the ones who should be calling the shots and that the gov't works for us....but nope...people are lazy and only want to complain.

[Repo Man]

...but nope...people are lazy and only want to complain.

Not necessarily true Cub fan. There are plenty of us that have called the Senate Hotline, written letters/emails and have organized/attended tea parties only to be ridiculed by the MSM as "right-wing extremists" and racists because we vehemently disagree with the "hope and change" that is being rammed down our throats balls-deep.

I personally have worked every Indy 1500 gun show since the election as an NRA-ILA volunteer to build membership at a grassroots level to preserve our rights as acknowledged by the 2nd Amendment. There are plenty more people like me and indeed ones that do far more than I do.

It's kind of like saying all Hollywood types hate the military and are liberal fruit cups when you have guys like Gary Sinise and Toby Keith going above and beyond to help our brothers and sisters in uniform.

[Solar_Runner]

^ 1+

Gary Sinise and the Lt Dan Band FTW! Either of those guys would never want for a beer if I was a around.

[naladude911]

Still ran........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0IcIxhd8ks&NR=1

[Red coupe]

Still ran........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0IcIxhd8ks&NR=1

Most of them still run I think.

In fact thats the whole point of the program, to take old cars off the street... If the car didn't run anymore they wouldn't be worried about paying the owner to upgrade to something "better for the environment"

[DrifterXRPS13]

I hear what your saying true cardinal fan (btw, it's the brown guy from this past weekend, lol) I've seen those organized tea parties on the tv and i know there are groups everywhere like yourself but that's such a small minority and only specialized groups....i'm talking about as a whole nation, we the people of these united states need to assemble and take our gov't back...i'm no republican gun toting nra member but that doesn't mean i still can't back you guys up and abide the the 2nd amendment right to bear arms...We just need to assemble and make sure the people we elect from the lowest positions to the highest position are doing what we elected them to do and not make these empty promises and then go off and do their own thing regardless of what party it is.

[numbnuts240]

[Red coupe]

I hear what your saying true cardinal fan (btw, it's the brown guy from this past weekend, lol) I've seen those organized tea parties on the tv and i know there are groups everywhere like yourself but that's such a small minority and only specialized groups....i'm talking about as a whole nation, we the people of these united states need to assemble and take our gov't back...i'm no republican gun toting nra member but that doesn't mean i still can't back you guys up and abide the the 2nd amendment right to bear arms...We just need to assemble and make sure the people we elect from the lowest positions to the highest position are doing what we elected them to do and not make these empty promises and then go off and do their own thing regardless of what party it is.

What you gotta realize man, is that they have taken back the nation. They get what they vote for, they just don't really understand what they vote for.

Its not that they have given up power, its just that as either a car enthusiast or a gun enthusiast like you said your a minority group, the rest don't care, don't understand and are easily swayed...

s***, you would almost be better off if most the people your talking about REALLY did forget their right and stay out of government so people who understand and care don't have their votes nulled by those who just had to vote for something, or heard something about it on fox news.

[turbotaloon95]

Well at least they have good intentions....

[maxhopper]

Yup, they crush them. It's REQUIRED that the vehicle be destroyed, not even used for parts.

False! The recyclers can remove and resell a lot the parts off the car. The only thing not allowed to be resold is the engine and/or drivetrain. http://www.cars.gov/faq#category-14