So, Uncle Sam is buying back our junkiest cars. What are we selling him?
For the most part, we're trading our SUVs in for cars. The Houston Chronicle reports, "More than 70 percent of the clunkers are SUVs, and 84 percent of the new vehicles are passenger cars." That means the program is helping to meet some of its goals, such as cutting into our oil consumption. "Early statistics provided by CARS show that the average clunker trade-in gets 17 miles per gallon and the average new vehicle gets 25."
If you're ready to trade in your old car for a new one, contact local dealers to start the process.
Though there were concerns that the program would boost sales of the heaviest trucks, that doesn't appear to be happening. Motor Trend notes that, of the first 16,000-some agreements signed, "10,114 of the cash for clunkers deals have been for passenger cars like the Ford Focus, 5,389 category 1 trucks like the Toyota Tacoma, 819 category 2 trucks, and just 29" were for heavier category 3 work trucks.
And the nastiest clunker anyone has dragged in? Well, USA Today is searching for that. So far, two promising candidates have emerged. Today's USA Today Clunker of the day: A Mazda MPV with peeling paint and "a strip of cardboard being used as a makeshift windshield wiper." It fetched the full $4,500 rebate for Pramit Patel. He had 270,000 miles on his MPV, USA Today notes, "more than the average distance from the earth to the moon." Today, he drives a 2010 Toyota Corolla.
Yesterday's USA Today candidate, however, may still have it beat. That one was an early ‘90's Isuzu Rodeo in faded green with a broken speedometer (so no mileage estimate possible) and an actual bullet hole in the drivers' side rear door. David Vetter of Mebane, N.C. bought it used for $600 two years ago, and traded it in for $4,500 towards a 2010 Toyota Camry this week.
If you're interested in the Cash for Clunkers program, check out our Cash for Clunkers page. If you're ready to buy, contact local dealers. For the latest news on the program, check out Cash for Clunkers news.
