Comments on: Cash For Clunkers Suspended

By: Andy

Andy — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:39:26 +0000

Looks like the program is back on again with the house approving the $2Bb. Given the success I am sure it will be approved and is actulaly one of the stimulus type payments that is actually working.

By: Craig

Craig — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:56:58 +0000

It’s a victim of its own success. Congress is trying to add 2B to refund it and keep it going but not sure if that will be good idea or not.

By: Tom Dziubek

Tom Dziubek — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:20:10 +0000

@KC & @Nickel: Not only to buy cars, but to get the gas guzzlers off the road. If the well-off family traded in a “clunker” to get a new car with better fuel efficiency, then they definitely had every right to do so. Even if it was used only once a week, they might eventually sell it to someone…or give it to one of the kids just learning to drive…who will use it as their regular car. Under the C for C program, that van will now be destroyed.

By: Twiggers

Twiggers — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:15:37 +0000

Watching NBC News last night. They said that the White House said that it will not suspend program yet, but that they will be meeting today to determine what the next step is.

By: nickel

nickel — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:54:48 +0000

KC: The real intent was to get people to buy cars, so it had the desired effect in the case you’re talking about.

By: KC

KC — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:11:53 +0000

You still gotta wonder who is buying these cars. I was just watching a local news report and saw my neighbors on it at the car dealership. I looked in their driveway and their old van is gone – guess they are getting a new one. Funny thing is…they aren’t poor. In fact they are quite well-off. The van they are trading in is the one they all pile in to go to football and basketball games at the local, private D-1 school in my city. This van is their third car, not the main car and is not on the road much at all. Although the old van probably gets 5 mpg it isn’t on the road more than 1X a week. I don’t blame them at all for taking advantage of this program, but I don’t think that was the intent. So how much is this program really helping?