The Government wants your Wagon....

"The "Cash for Clunkers" bill was introduced last week by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA.), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Charles Schumer (D-NY) in a bid to help the economy by boosting spending on car purchasing and increase putatively more sustainable vehicles on the road.
The program would exchange crummy, old, heavy and polluting junkers for coupons between $2,500 and $4,500 for a private owner or $50 for dealers and scrappers. The cars must have been registered for at leaast 120 days prior to trade in, get 18 MPG or worse and be in generally drivable condition. The hope is that with coupon in hand, you'll buy a new car to both clean up the air and stimulate the economy."


Look out fellas, there won't be any Station Wagons left in 10 years if we don't fight this kind of anti- old car legislation.



Wright your senators!

 

Government at its best. Wonder what Obama would say about this.......

 

I e-mailed her about that a few weeks ago. How could it clean up the air? Doesn't all it takes to build a car and that car on the road make more pollution than the old car could ever make? what about conservation?

 

Well, he is for BIG government and control... so I am thinking he would think this is a good idea... which of course it is NOT.

SAVE our cars!

 

This legislation shows a lack of understanding of "sustainability." The environmental cost associated with building a new vehicle outweigh the savings associated with increasing your fuel consumption by anything but an astronomically high number (think 150%). So unless people are trading in old Suburbans for Vespas, you'll be hurting the environment more than helping it. The one benefit we can get behind is the auto industry stimulus that would occur from added sales. However, it would be a one-time hit — not a real solution to the many things that really ail the industry.

 

I'd be tempted to let it go at that offer.

Any counter offers out there?

 

You're SOL. You just passed the emissions and get better than 18 MPG.

Too bad these politicians go for iconic photo-ops rather than substance. BlueVista makes a good point. There are more emissions to melt the old scrap, ship it to Asia for certain components and ship it back, assemble it, ship it to the dealers. It's far less costly in emissions to restore than build a new one, like by 5 times. The problem for Government is that there's far less sales tax, duties, shipping permits issued and of course all that License Plate revenue.

 

Thanks Don for the info. You are right, if we don't stand up, we will loose our wagons thanks to our gov. I also see this bill being passed with president Hussein now in command........scary thought.

 

"They" took one of my Fairmonts off the road.
I'm kind of sorry I let them get their hands on in, but rust was found in the rear after I had a front end fender bender.
But at least here, with our "Public" insurer, I got a pretty good deal, $1200, AND I got to keep the car. I've already pulled enough stuff of it to more than justify keeping a parts car.

 

If we let the government (local,state,federal) get a foot hold on legislating older cars off the road it will only be the beginning.

There are places in Oregon that are confiscating cars because the owners had more than the "authorized" number of cars in their driveways or private property. If a car has out of date registration but parked in your driveway, not on a public street the city/county can grab it.

Homeowners associations are limiting the number of cars a homeowner is allowed to have in their driveways. I work with a guy who has a 2 car garage for his and his wifes cars. His daughter came home for winter break from college and parked her car in their driveway. On the second night the daughter was home the "home owners association's Gestapo" knocked on his door and said he had a car in his driveway for more than 48 hours that was not listed on their paperwork. It would have to be in the garage or leave the neighborhood!!

Private property rights are being diminished every day. First "they" come for your cars, than your property, where does it stop?

 

This is an OUTRAGE!!! Where do they get off? Things need to just be left alone. And also, they try taking unregistered cars around here, I've got a few here that have never been driven, but are up to date on registration, just so the gestapo don't come and haul them off!

 

The other thing they dont take into consideration is how well we maintain a lot of these cars. I cant tell you how many times I have pulled up to some POS 90's import or other jalopy belching smoke and crap because it is so neglected. GET THOSE CARS! Base in on TRUE polution output.

Heck... when I had my wagon emissions tested, there was a 90's Maxima next to me that failed miserably. My wagon passed first time through... the guy commented about how well I must have it tuned...because the C02 was so minimal. I simply told him... YES, I do have it perfectly tuned - and we both just smiled and laughed at the Nissan.

 

You are right about the emissions tests. My '88 Squire passed the test with flying colors, as did my '77 T-bird Squire. Both have V-8's, and both have Catalytic converters. They BOTH got lower CO2 numbers than my '98 Sable wagon with a 6 cylinder.

When was the last time you saw a real beater 60's or 70's car on the road? Most of those cars left are fixed up and tuned really well. Go grind up all the crappy 90's Plastic cars. Old cars can rust back into the earth, the plastic cars will be here for eternity.

 

Here in Chicago, most of the 'beaters' are from the late 80s and early 90s, some even pushing the later 90s. If there is a beater 60s or 70s car around here, with in a short time a hobbiest will find it, buy it, and rescue her.....

 

Yeah, around here, I can think of one beater 67 Impala I saw yesterday, a 70 Dart, and a beater 66 Fairlane, all the rest of the beaters, are Civics or a similar rice burner. Or the late 80's and up cars.