U.S. Scrappage Scheme Moving Forward

[Christ]

Originally Posted by Vwbeamer

My gas burning, oil burning 1979 chevy pickup does not qualify...WTF??

I was waiting for this to pass to get a new Tdi, but my clunker does not qualify, yet it pollutes more and burns more gas than cars that do...

So go buy a $200 beater from your local craigslist... it's not the end of the world. Chances are, you can sell that truck to some redneck for $500, make $300 profit after your clunker buying adventure, and still get the $4500 subsidy.

[Christ]

1 - Neither of my vehicles meets the MPG requirement for the bill

2 - It's not a matter of "protecting" anything, since the bill (and the subsidy attached to it) are still optional, AFAIK.

[Vwbeamer]

The bill, as I read it, requires that you have owned the car for at least a year, and that the car be registered and insured in the last year.

Originally Posted by Christ

So go buy a $200 beater from your local craigslist... it's not the end of the world. Chances are, you can sell that truck to some redneck for $500, make $300 profit after your clunker buying adventure, and still get the $4500 subsidy.

[RobertSmalls]

I sure hope there's a provision in there to prevent me from buying a 1992 Exploder out of the junkyard for $300 and trading it in on a Versa ($9990 MSRP - $4500 rebate = $5501), then flipping the Versa for a profit at the taxpayers' expense.

If there's not, well, I'm getting a Versa, baby! My tax dollars at work.

Edit: Ah, good to see that won't work. But it wouldn't stop somebody who already has an old SUV from pulling a similar scam, and using the money to get back into an old SUV.

[cfg83]

Vwbeamer -

Originally Posted by Vwbeamer

The bill, as I read it, requires that you have owned the car for at least a year, and that the car be registered and insured in the last year.

Rats, they foiled my e-vile plan.

CarloSW2

[shovel]

Originally Posted by kitaimdao

Bottom line - the scheme is to help those in the car industry

I suspect you are correct that this is the intent of the scheme, however those who passed the scheme are clearly too stupid to comprehend that any help it gives to the manufacturers of new cars is only stealing money from the Autozones, Pep Boys, Kragens, not to mention all the auto repair shops, all the aftermarket parts manufacturers (not just performance parts, but aftermarket replacement parts).


So the auto makers make more money, including foreign ones, while your local mechanic gets raped because rather than replace a minor part on a serviceable oldish car, owners will just scrap and buy a whole new car.

wasteful, short sighted, and reprehensible. I hope everyone behind this bill dies of cancer.

[UfoTofU]

Originally Posted by shovel

I suspect you are correct that this is the intent of the scheme, however those who passed the scheme are clearly too stupid to comprehend that any help it gives to the manufacturers of new cars is only stealing money from the Autozones, Pep Boys, Kragens, not to mention all the auto repair shops, all the aftermarket parts manufacturers (not just performance parts, but aftermarket replacement parts).

Manufacturers and dealers

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

I sure hope there's a provision in there to prevent me from buying a 1992 Exploder out of the junkyard for $300 and trading it in on a Versa ($9990 MSRP - $4500 rebate = $5501), then flipping the Versa for a profit at the taxpayers' expense.

If there's not, well, I'm getting a Versa, baby! My tax dollars at work.

Edit: Ah, good to see that won't work. But it wouldn't stop somebody who already has an old SUV from pulling a similar scam, and using the money to get back into an old SUV.

I don't think you can use an SUV toward anything other than a newer more efficient SUV, at least thats how I read it.

[Nevyn]

I think that this plan isn't really going to do too much for too many. I have cars that probably SHOULD be gotten off the road, but I can't afford really to get rid of them (I'm getting ready to try with one of them). This plan I thought would help me, but it won't - which is ridiculous. My cars are rated at 20 combined (Lumina) and 21 (Grand Prix), and they leak various things (oil, powersteering, tranny). They don't qualify. Even if they did, I can't afford the payment on a NEW new car - but a decent used one I could squeeze in.

I have a friend with a '95 Cadillac that WOULD qualify, except he's got no way at all to afford a new car payment. He needs better MPG for sure, but catch-22! Can't afford to buy a car that gets better MPG, can't afford to get rid of car he has now (just like me).

This whole thing is a waste in my opinion.