Do you actually know anyone who qualified for the cash for clunkers program?

[Stinky The Clown]

I see and hear a lot of grousing about how someone is *this* close, but can't qualify. Or how they qualify but no dealer selling what they want to buy wants to participate.

We tried but they changed the rating on our *11* year old clunker just last year. We now find it misses the criteria by **1** mpg.

Do you know anyone who qualifies? Or even more rare, do you know anyone who actually got a new car after making use of this program?

[Stinky The Clown]

1. Who pushed the unrec on THIS thread?

The thread is as innocuous as can be. Yet there's the COWARDLY, CHICKENSHIT JERKOFF rec from a cowardly, chickenshit, ANONYMOUS jerk.

How brave of you, you gutless punk.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I think there are some peckerheads out there who push the unrec button

just for the hell of it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

23. Many are still monkey wrenching the Unrec function

[Stinky The Clown]

28. The pattern I am seeing on any thread I post is an early unrec - often before a single reply

I think I have a stalker, by gosh!

[ProgressiveProfessor]

29. Don't go tinfoil on us...I don't think there is a way to track by poster

and there are a lot of monkey wrenchers

[EFerrari]

31. Yes, the admins know who uses rec/unrec .

[Warren Stupidity]

5. democracy sucks

everyone has an an opinion and an asshole

[lonestarnot]

32. prollee the same fuckwad that pushes it on every one of my threads.

:thumbsdown: to the asshole. :evilgrin:

[dysfunctional press]

2. my van qualifies.

but i don't want a new car right now, and probably still couldn't afford one, even with chrysler matching the cash for clunker money.

[ejpoeta]

7. i never trust the dealers... they say they will give you so much off

and then they find a way to get the cost into the financing somehow. just like when you bring a trade in in and they pad the loan to make it so you somehow are just paying for it in the financing. i know, i am paranoid... but i don't trust any of them. we got a personal loan through our bank and went in and got a minivan with that... that was a year ago this past april. now the dealer we bought it from is gone (thanks chrysler).

[Warren Stupidity]

4. it is a stupidly stupid program

What it should have been: any car older than 10 years or more than 150000 miles should qualify for the purchase of a replacement vehicle with 35 mpg or greater.

[ejpoeta]

6. there are plenty who qualify. the specifics are pretty straight forward,

though I question them. apparently an SUV can only have a 2 mpg improvement over the old one, and a truck only 1mpg. wtf is that!! but the car has to be less than 25 years old, have been registered and on the road in the past year and get 18mpg or less to qualify. I don't know if they go by the mpg rating the car gets on paper or what it actually gets, because i've had cars who didn't get that great of gas mileage even though they were rated higher.

[One_Life_To_Give]

8. Yes, think my truck for one

and a coworker has a Suburban that woulkd qualify.

But finding a high mileage vehical that ccan also pull a 6000lb trailer up a 16% grade, and I typically use the 4wheel low range to park the trailer.

My coworkers camper is a few thousand heavier and has a tongue/distributed weight of over 1000lbs as well.

[madokie]

9. I believe both or our vehicles qualifies

both '98 fords, explorer and f150. both have 130 thousand miles on them and they are still pretty much like they were when new in all ways. We plan to keep the f150 as we go into retirement but we plan to upgrade the explorer with an EV as soon as they are readily available. We plan to keep the explorer though for winter driving as it is a good snow and ice vehicle with automatic 4 wheel drive and all. We're not planning on taking advantage of the cash for clunkers but we could. ithinkwecouldanyway

[HughBeaumont]

10. Mine misses by 4 mpg with their best mileage car.

Even if it did qualify and I did get the discount, I'd still be in hock 17 to 20 grand. Not something I'm really interested in now, with the economy being as horrid as it is.

[mopinko]

11. interesting. i was wondering about this. how long does it go?

i might be talked into parting with my beloved suburban. but i am reluctant, so i was wondering about the end date.
i was also wondering if there was anything in it for the dealer. i infer that the car must be crushed. i think that would cut into the deal for them if it is a salable car.

[MercutioATC]

18. October...or until the money runs out.

Since it's only funded with $1B, the money will run out before then.

[whistler162]

12. yup.. know at least one who is taking advantage

to buy a second Prius and I don't know if my brother and his wie will take advantage to replace their van.

[TheCowsCameHome]

13. One of mine qualifies.

But I doubt I'll buy a new car because of it.

[MannyGoldstein]

14. Mostly The Well-Off Really Qualify For This

Think about it - Cadillacs and SUV owners are the prime candidates.

Once again, Goldman-Sachs gets the dollars, and we get the change.

[KarenS]

15. yes,,,, my father-in-law,,,,

had a big (think: boat) old Oldsmobile and just purchased a new Chevy Malibu.

[greguganus]

16. I screwed up and bought a fuel-efficient car in the 90's so I could pay my mortgage.

Now I can't get a cash for clunkers rebate or help with my mortgage payments. Sometimes it sucks to be a practical consumer.

[MercutioATC]

17. I guy I work with just got rid of an old Jeep and bought a new Sebring.

The mileage difference was 9 MPG, so he only got the $3500 voucher.

[sinkingfeeling]

19. My brother-in-law's S-10 qualifies. I have 4 cars/station wagons between 10 & 15 years old and not

one qualifies. All have gas mileage ratings above 23MPG!!

[TlalocW]

20. I don't qualify. My 1994 Nissan Sentra with 170,000 miles on it

Still gets 30 mpg on the highway, and I have driven the hell out of it and am not the best caretaker of my vehicles.

What pisses me off is that this program just reminds me that since my 15 year old vehicle gets comparable gas mileage to a lot of new vehicles which are being hawked as fuel efficient. One commercial actually says about a certain car, "An INCREDIBLE 33 mpg." Shit, I get 35 on the highway if there's a wind behind me. I truly believe every car manufacturer out there could and should have at least 3 affordable non-hybrid models that get over 40 mpg. I know we have the technology, but the automakers don't want to give Americans what they want for some reason.

TlalocW

[Gold Metal Flake]

21. My 1990 Mercury Colony Park Station Wagon does.

With a record of continuous ownership, registration and insurance coverage of over a year, and a combined fuel economy rating of 18, it is eligible under the plan.

The car was left at the dealer Friday evening and my wife has a new car. We got the full $4500. I could not have gotten more than $1500 for it if I tried to sell it locally, and I do know the LA used car market and I do have an intimate mechanical relationship with that wagon. The car has no collectible value, and no one will miss one old 5.0 roller block out of millions produced. The car sans engine will hit a local junk yard, be picked clean of salvageable parts and then the metals will be recycled. The car we bought gets more than 10 MPG combined better mileage.

So, yes, our car qualified and yes, we got a new car.

[Bluenorthwest]

22. I've always driven fuel efficient cars

and so I get nothing. I do know one set of nice folks who seem to be on the verge of getting the credit. I also know several who are getting it who drove big SUVs and mocked those of us who wanted mileage with words like 'we like to be safe' or 'we need big engines because I'm not going to have MY wife out there in some shit can like you drive.' Love those folks, love that I'm helping buy them new cars.

[SheilaT]

30. Yeah, I wish those of us who have

always driven fuel-efficient cars would get something for having made better decisions in the first place.

Oh. And I always buy used and have been able to pay cash for my cars for quite some time now.

The real problem for many people is that they're really buying a car payment rather than a car.

[LynneSin]

24. Yes, my best friend is taking advantage of it to get a new car

She also just lost her husband. She has 2 cars, one with 200k+ miles and the other 100k+ miles but that vehicle doesn't qualify.

Between the value of the 100K mile (Saturn station wagon in immaculent condition - complete regular maint records included) and the stimulous package deal she's getting for the beater minivan, she'll end up with about $10k-$12k for a new car, probably another Dodge Caravan.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

25. I do. I have a old truck that I use mostly for hauling on my property

I keep it licensed so I can use it to pick up lumber and such. Occasionally I take it to work.

I am not going to trade it in. The cost of a replacement is too high and this one is in good shape

[DevonRex]

26. We qualify. We have a 1999 Blazer that we're going to trade in on a

Malibu Hybrid. At least that's the car we're thinking of buying, sometime in the next 2 weeks.

[Delphinus]

27. I've no idea what the program is.

My car is 13 years old ... but I don't have money for a new car.

[formercia]

33. Cash for clunkers calculator:

http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2009/07/24/cash-for-clunkers-fords-qualification-calculator/


--snip--

Ford has a really neat Cash for Clunkers Qualification Calculator on a Web site called Let Ford Recycle Your Ride. It only takes a few seconds, and it truly doesn’t get much easier than this. As long as you know your car’s vital stats, including year, make, model, engine, transmission and drive, the calculator instantly provides you with an answer. After you’ve entered your vehicle’s information, just fill in your ZIP code and press the submit button. That’s really all you have to do. The site tells you the rebate amount your trade-in qualifies for depending on the replacement vehicle you select. Remember, you’re not actually signing up for anything here, so don’t be afraid to hit the “Submit” button on the calculator.

Remember, different requirements and rules apply for pickup trucks and vans in the Cash for Clunkers program. But no worries — Ford has you covered there, too. In the lower left corner of the calculator, there’s a button that reads, “Own a Pickup Truck or Van? Click Here.” That selection takes you to a page where you can read all about the unique program rules that apply to pickup trucks and passenger and cargo vans.

There’s also a button that tells you what to do if your vehicle isn’t listed.

I have to admit, this calculator is pretty interesting to play around with. Whether you do or don’t plan to participate in the Cash for Clunkers program, just for fun, spend a few seconds entering your current vehicle information. Go ahead … I’ll wait.

--snip--


Link to calculator:

http://www.letfordrecycleyourride.com/

[juno jones]

34. We have one, a Chevy Silverado.

We don't use it much, pretty much only for business and the occasional haul to the dump. We can't really justify trading it in and all the attendant debt(doubtful if they would even finance our under employed asses...), etc for a mere mile or so a gallon.

Besides, it was previously owned by a race car driver and makes the most delightful rumble. My husband would be hating it if he couldn't set off car alarms in parking lots...:evilgrin:

[Maru Kitteh]

35. We probably do but can't afford a new car and couldn't get the credit

I have one friend who qualifies and is thinking about taking advantage of it.

[Maine-ah]

36. I qualify

I can't afford a new car though.

edited to add I have a 2001 Nissan Xterra.

[Javaman]

37. Yes, me. And I'm going to take full advantage of it. nt

[spanone]

38. according to this Time article it is just starting today....

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1912683,00.html?cnn=yes

[fishwax]

39. I know people who qualify, but they likely can't afford the new car anyway

I haven't talked to them about it, but that would be my guess.