Comments on: House Quickly Sends $2 Billion More to ‘Cash for Clunkers’ http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/07/31/house-quickly-sends-2-billion-more-to-cash-for-clunkers/ Your daily source for national transportation policy news and analysis. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:57:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: urban dweller http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/07/31/house-quickly-sends-2-billion-more-to-cash-for-clunkers/comment-page-1/#comment-77731 urban dweller Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:03:07 +0000 http://dc.streetsblog.org/?p=14181#comment-77731 As the name implies, it's a bailout rather than any sort of meaningful incentive to improve efficiency. It's called cash for clunkers, but the fuel efficiency requirements for the replacement vehicles means we'll still have plenty of gas guzzlers on the road, just newer ones. I wish we could participate in this program... but our well maintained 1994 subaru with 186000 miles on it does not qualify. Average mpg for this car is 22mpg according to the EPA, this is too high for the cash for clunkers program which only provides cash for vehicles that get 18mpg or less. My understanding of this is that someone could trade their old vehicle in for a new one that only gets 22mpg combined, and still receive $4500. So yes, I do think it's a bailout. As the name implies, it’s a bailout rather than any sort of meaningful incentive to improve efficiency.

It’s called cash for clunkers, but the fuel efficiency requirements for the replacement vehicles means we’ll still have plenty of gas guzzlers on the road, just newer ones.

I wish we could participate in this program… but our well maintained 1994 subaru with 186000 miles on it does not qualify. Average mpg for this car is 22mpg according to the EPA, this is too high for the cash for clunkers program which only provides cash for vehicles that get 18mpg or less.

My understanding of this is that someone could trade their old vehicle in for a new one that only gets 22mpg combined, and still receive $4500.

So yes, I do think it’s a bailout.

]]> By: Kenney http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/07/31/house-quickly-sends-2-billion-more-to-cash-for-clunkers/comment-page-1/#comment-77721 Kenney Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:27:14 +0000 http://dc.streetsblog.org/?p=14181#comment-77721 Wow, the statistics at the end of this article are actually quite encouraging. It's good news, all things considered. Nonetheless, I think cash-for-clunkers is still a bad idea, even if it only gave rebates for cars that got a minimum of 40 mpg. Overall, when the government spends money, it should be GIVING us stuff (infrastructure, security, health care), not inducing us to BUY stuff. Every time the government spends our money to make us buy things (ugh, the stimulus rebate checks under Bush...), it never works out. It's always a bailout for an industry, not a stimulus. Wow, the statistics at the end of this article are actually quite encouraging. It’s good news, all things considered.

Nonetheless, I think cash-for-clunkers is still a bad idea, even if it only gave rebates for cars that got a minimum of 40 mpg. Overall, when the government spends money, it should be GIVING us stuff (infrastructure, security, health care), not inducing us to BUY stuff. Every time the government spends our money to make us buy things (ugh, the stimulus rebate checks under Bush…), it never works out. It’s always a bailout for an industry, not a stimulus.

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