Cash for Clunkers? Wanton Destruction of Good Vehicles, More Like

[Dredly]

Originally Posted by gold cup abuser

Well since it was a Volvo I would say this was a mercy killing lol.

Now I wonder what these geinuses are going to do now that the Cash for Clumkers program after only 4 days is now bankrupt????

If these fine upstading leeches of MY tax money didn't get that car traded in on time then all I gotta say is..........karma is a biotch.

The bigger question is how many vehicles were really sold, the progam was out of money in 4 days however I've heard reports that lots of requests haven't been processed yet, other dealers are having customers sign paper that says "if the gov't doesn't honor the deal then the customer returns the car or pays the 4500 difference"

This is a disaster. on our dime again... as usual

[S&WM&P40]

So they are intentionally blowing perfectly good engines? I thought I heard that they give you $4,000 for your clunker to use towards the purchase of a new car. That volvo had to be worth atleast twice as much. It looked to be in good condition. What is the purpose of intentionally "disabling" the engine? What good does that do? It's already hard enough to get parts for older vehicles and they are destroying what could be bought by someone who needs something like that. Pretty soon we will all be driving around in deathtraps the size of lunch boxes with their hideous styling but incredible gas mileage. I would rather drive an old suv that gets 2 miles to the gallon than drive a new small piece of shit death trap that can barely squeeze two people in but gets 500 miles to the gallon. At least I know if I am in an accident in the suv that I have a better chance of surviving than if I am in a vehicle that looks like it was constructed by the keebler elves. Sorry for the rant I just dispise the way the automotive industry is going. What happened to auto makers actually giving a shit what the vehicle looked like? 57 Cadillac, one of the beautifulest cars imo. It had all the attention to detail, chrome this chrome that, metal durable parts instead of plastic bezels and body parts. It seems like the goverment is trying to kickstart the enviromental friendly vehicle movement and this is their little way of giving people a nudge to buy eco friendly cars. Trade in your volvo that looks 4 years old and looks completely mint, we will give you 1/2 what its worth, completely destroy it so noone will ever be able to get anything usefull off it and we will put you behind the wheel of your very own toaster sitting on 10 inch wheels with blue tooth, navigation, satelitte, tracking bug which monitors how fast you drive, when the last time you got laid and by who and how your emotions are day to day. Some of these future cars make the older geo metros look like the coolest vehicle ever made. No thanks Obama I will continue to drive that gas guzzler while everyone else is out there buying toy cars that sound like a possesed blender during acceleration. I might as well start stocking up on extra parts for my truck right now. yea this stikes a bad nerve with me. I need a drink.

[BTA88]

Originally Posted by djturnz

Is what they are doing specifically required in the program instructions? I know the motor has to be destroyed, but is over reving it how it is supposed to be done?

As fo rgetting oil all over the lot, the dealer is just stupid not to have a tarp or something down.

the two prescribed methods of murdering the engines is 1: drilling a hole in the block or 2: replacing the oil with liquid glass and overrevving the engine.

I hate to see good cars go to waste. Do you know what a $2-3000 car is worth in most other countried in the world? $10-15k US easily.

I saw pictures of what appeared to be a pristine 86 RX-7 Sport in a dumpster...it made me sick.

Yes, everyone has the right to do with their cars as they wish, and I think this program actually is good for the economy (in the short term anyway, until people actually have to start paying for all these new cars that they can't afford), but I wish they could come up with something better than "seize the engine, crush the husk".

[camper]

Originally Posted by gold cup abuser

If these fine upstading leeches of MY tax money didn't get that car traded in on time then all I gotta say is..........karma is a biotch.

They're asking for more money. Another 2 or 4 billion or so. Maybe it was a trillion or quintillion. Maybe even zillion.

Doesn't matter, there's so many 0s at the end of whatever the .gov asks for money these days, and the way the .gov grants it to itself, it hardly means anything.

camper

[Dredly]

Originally Posted by S&WM&P40

So they are intentionally blowing perfectly good engines? I thought I heard that they give you $4,000 for your clunker to use towards the purchase of a new car. That volvo had to be worth atleast twice as much. It looked to be in good condition. What is the purpose of intentionally "disabling" the engine? What good does that do? It's already hard enough to get parts for older vehicles and they are destroying what could be bought by someone who needs something like that. Pretty soon we will all be driving around in deathtraps the size of lunch boxes with their hideous styling but incredible gas mileage. I would rather drive an old suv that gets 2 miles to the gallon than drive a new small piece of shit death trap that can barely squeeze two people in but gets 500 miles to the gallon. At least I know if I am in an accident in the suv that I have a better chance of surviving than if I am in a vehicle that looks like it was constructed by the keebler elves. Sorry for the rant I just dispise the way the automotive industry is going. What happened to auto makers actually giving a shit what the vehicle looked like? 57 Cadillac, one of the beautifulest cars imo. It had all the attention to detail, chrome this chrome that, metal durable parts instead of plastic bezels and body parts. It seems like the goverment is trying to kickstart the enviromental friendly vehicle movement and this is their little way of giving people a nudge to buy eco friendly cars. Trade in your volvo that looks 4 years old and looks completely mint, we will give you 1/2 what its worth, completely destroy it so noone will ever be able to get anything usefull off it and we will put you behind the wheel of your very own toaster sitting on 10 inch wheels with blue tooth, navigation, satelitte, tracking bug which monitors how fast you drive, when the last time you got laid and by who and how your emotions are day to day. Some of these future cars make the older geo metros look like the coolest vehicle ever made. No thanks Obama I will continue to drive that gas guzzler while everyone else is out there buying toy cars that sound like a possesed blender during acceleration. I might as well start stocking up on extra parts for my truck right now. yea this stikes a bad nerve with me. I need a drink.

You are completely off on this... the value of used cars drops so severely after 5 years old that 4500 is a GIFT for most of these vehicles. Most cars that cost less then 30k new in 2000 or before will be worth less then 3k now.

[Keystone.45]

In this vid you can actually see the goop they dump into the engine.

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/C...-to_698966.htm

Only the brain dead idiots in out government could come up with such an asinine waste of money.

[andrewjs18]

I'm all for people crushing their cars if they wish, but given them $4500 of TAX PAID dollars bothers me.

[S&WM&P40]

Originally Posted by Dredly

You are completely off on this... the value of used cars drops so severely after 5 years old that 4500 is a GIFT for most of these vehicles. Most cars that cost less then 30k new in 2000 or before will be worth less then 3k now.

I understand what you mean fully. I understand that the trade in value for that specific car is approximately $4,000 for excellent condition. That is all that will be given to the owner for a trade in at most car dealerships. I also know that is rediculous. Just saying the owner took the time to sell it to a private owner instead of to a dealer. They could expect to get more for the car expically depending on the condtion. This is all based on that the volvo is in excellent condition and had no major problems. Basically the owner got tired of having it and decided it was time for a new vehicle. The exterior paint and wheels from the video also appear to be in very good condition at least on the drivers side as you don't really see the passanger side. I could imagine that if the owner wanted to take the time to do it, the car could atleast be parted out and a decent profit could be obtained. I know most people don't want the hassle of that though. Bottom line, I don't see why the car ha to be destroyed. This will only make the ownership of an older vehicle harder than it already is because parts will be more scarce and I can guarentee that places that do still have older car parts will jack up their prices just because the demand is greater.

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by ALS

That is a 1999 Twin Turbo 2.9L S80.
Practically a worthless piece of crap.
Retailed at $38-$40K and is worth at the most in mint condition
about $3,700, in average condition $3,300.

It is a nice car that eats electronics and transmissions.
If you love giving money to your Volvo mechanic get one.

Most late-model Volvos are pieces of crap that eat electronics from the factory, but that doesn't mean it's worth $3,500 to $4,500 of my tax dollars to take one off the streets.

[CommonHighrise]

Wonder how many folks went out and just straight took advantage of this program. I know if I was buying a new car, and this program launched, I'd be running out to find some $300 POS F150 sitting in a field somewhere, and bring it in for my $4500 discount.

And as far as the comment about driving tiny deathtraps, I'm on the fence. I know I would feel a lot safer in my 2100lb Saturn coupe if there weren't so many latte sipping morons out there in 6800lb SUVs, and 'crossovers'. I have a love of small, light, quick cars, probably because I grew up watching sprints and UK road racing instead of NASCAR. 800+whp, 1200lb car, yeah baby.

The flip side is that the automakers are morons when it comes to making something safe and light. They use 'crush zones' instead of roll cages, 75 different airbags instead of a decent seat and belt setup. Cab forward layout, instead of just putting the engine in the back like any sane person .