The Cash for Clunkers program is going to make late model big blocks a lot more rare.  But the good thing is you can NOT junk a y block and get the rebate.  The car must be 25 years old or newer.  Old age has some benefits. 

Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

Doug, that is the only thing good about that deal. Makes me sick to think that my tax dollars are being used so some dude can drive a new Toyoto or Honda. If they had limited it to the Ford, or GM it might be a little easier to take.

Glen Henderson



Freedom is not Free

Letohatchee, AL

Paul,

       Agree, not to be Anti-Japanese, but how does helping Toyota, bail out GM? I know they make the trucks here, but the profit still winds up in Hiroshima or Tokyo.

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

Gents,

I agree 100%.  I think we only have to ask ourselves what would the Japanese, Koreans, or Chinese would do in a similar situation.  But of course we have the best government that lobbiest money can buy and the the off shore auto companies have plenty of $$$ to spend. 

The new car sales list was Ford Focus 1st but then 4 offshore cars then Scrub Cobalt with the highbred Ford SUV and a Chrysler model in the mix somehow. 

I thought I heard someplace in the last couple days or so that the "Big Three" now account for somewhere around 40% of the domestic market.

The most common "clunker"?  Ford Explorer SUV

Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

Not to be pro-Japanese (they SHOULD have hung Hirohito), but don't the profits from publicly traded corporations usually go to the stockholders? A balanced 401K portfolio likely has as much Honda/Toyota stock as FoMoCo. (how many arab governments own huge blocks of GM stock?) What about all the autoworkers in Ohio/Tenn.? Aren't their jobs important too?



I, for one, will not be shedding any tears over GM's troubles (unless they can dig-up & reanimate Harley Earl), but I agree NO tax money should go to any auto company without a major U.S. investment, regardless of gas mileage.

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

I bought a lot of stock in Toyota and Nissan over the years. But, I wouldnt buy one of their cars . Unless of course if they were equipped with a Y-block. Personnaly I dont see what the public thinks they are gaining by buying a car. They could most likely strike a better deal without the clunker program.My son did. Me I own an E430 Benz,an SLK 230 Benz and my Y Bird.  

55Birdman  Hickory NC

My cousin has 2 Chrysler dealerships and a GM dealership. He said only a small percentage of the interest people qualified. Either the cars were too old, got too much gas mileage or they couldn't qualify for credit. But he still sold a lot of cars. His lots look really empty. I was hoping to qualify an 87 Mercedes Diesel station Wagon because I am tired of driving and it stinks like oil because I used it for a parts runner. But the darn thing is rated at 22 mpg.



I say him at lunch yesterday and he said a guy came and asked if his wife would qualify as an "old clunker".

Kenneth

Fredricksburg, Texas

Well the one thing it has done is allow dealer to sell at retail and get all the profit out of the vehicle and not have to reduce the price to clear out the 2009 stock to make room for the 2010 stock,so i guess it benefited the dealers most of all and the timing probably couldn't have been better

I actually had a dream a couple nights ago that sitting in a car lot was a '54 Victoria that had been traded in via the clunker program.  Nice and straight, great platform.  Offered the guy a good price but it was going to the crusher .

Mike, located in the Siskiyou mountains, Southern, OR 292 powered 1946 Ford 1/2 ton, '62 Mercury Meteor, '55 Country Squire (parting out), '64 Falcon, '54 Ford 600 tractor.

Thankfully that Vic would have been more than 25 years old. I'd have had to hurt somebody if they got it CLOSE to a crusher.

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart)