Cash for clunkers

brokemechanic3000 · Apr 22, 2014

I was poking around on You Tube and got into the Cash for Clunkers videos and came across this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F54tF54mi8o

I think I can safely assume that most of us here think that the program was a scam/wast of time/money. But it wasn't the sodium silicate the dealers had to put in that killed that engine. Most of the videos I saw where the vehicle lasted a long time were always old ford trucks, coincidence?

ab_slack · Apr 22, 2014

brokemechanic3000 said:
I think I can safely assume that most of us here think that the program was a scam/wast of time/money.

You can say that again.

The sheer economic waste for the billions spent, the waste of hardware, and environmental waste. It was a loser on all fronts.

The cost of something in dollars has a rough bearing on the total environmental footprint. A gallon of fuel that is pretty obvious it puts X amount of pollutants when burned. Something like buying a pound of steel may not be so obvious, but there is the fuel burned to mine it, the energy to refine it, shape it, transport it and to get it into your hands.

Every new vehicle purchased has a significant up front environmental footprint even before it has provided any service. Then there is the smaller incremental footprint involved when operating the vehicle.

The longer the vehicle is driven that up front footprint gets divided by the number of miles. You take a vehicle out early at 30K mils the environmental footprint per mile driven is much higher than one that is run for 200K miles. And even when the vehicle is off the road salvaged parts continue to spread that environmental footprint making the most of what it took in original manufacture.

To intentionally destroy engines, shorten vehicles on the road life any amount blocks getting the most return on the up front environmental impact. Even if replaced by a more fuel efficient, less polluting new vehicle, that new vehicle has its own up front environmental impact to spread out over its life and it will take a very long time if ever reached a net positive environmental benefit.

And if one of those new vehicles gets taken out of service early because of an accident, it is a big waste of environmental impact for little miles while if one of the clunkers were taken out of service, they already spread out their initial production environmental impact.

tmcalavy · Apr 22, 2014

It's all about removing any trace of what was...you know, products that last and can be serviced/maintained instead of thrown away or traded in for an upgraded, toy-laden plastic mobile. If you don't bury the past and its leftovers, it gets pretty smelly and people wonder what's going on...looking for answers instead of another toy that entertains.

wildbill23c · Apr 22, 2014

Hell I wish I had my B2 back in the cash for clunkers scam. I would have taken it in got my cash, then went on craigslist and found one in better condition. It would be considered trading up at that point LOL.

Seriously...that cash for clunkers program was a complete scam. Wonder how many of the vehicles that were sold due to that crap are actually still driven buy the person who bought it initially....AKA how many of those vehicles have been repossessed because the idiot traded in a vehicle because that "cash" sounded so great but forgot to realize that they couldn't afford a new vehicle in the first place which was why they were driving an older vehicle.

There are a few dealerships here that still do the push, pull, or drag gimmick to try and lure people in. They claim they'll pay $2,000 on any vehicle regardless of condition. Well if that was the case the scrap yards would be paying a lot more money to those who bring a vehicle in to scrap.

Ok, so now you have this cash for clunkers deal. Which nobody really knows how many of each make and model were really turned in, but I've seen stories of some damn nice classics be sacrificed for that scam. Pretty sad deal. Here I can't afford to do what I'd like to do with my B2, yet there were perfectly good rigs that were just crushed because of this scam. That many of us TRS members could have got many great parts off of, or hell even whole vehicles for that matter.

MastuhWaffles · Apr 22, 2014

Most trucks actually ran fine, but they throttled them to death. Some of the vehicles would have made good trucks, some just needed a simple fix. And they let these scum bags destroy them.

97RangerXLT · Apr 22, 2014

yeah, pisses me off too.

I could go on and on about the waste of taking a decent and affordable vehicle out of circulation so that people who could not afford a new car might get a deal for buying a used one.

The saddest thing that I ever saw was a 1994 Ranger with a 4.0 in the pull a part for cash for clunkers...with only 28,000 miles on the odometer. it looked like a brand new truck.

AJ

wildbill23c · Apr 22, 2014

97RangerXLT said:
yeah, pisses me off too.

I could go on and on about the waste of taking a decent and affordable vehicle out of circulation so that people who could not afford a new car might get a deal for buying a used one.

The saddest thing that I ever saw was a 1994 Ranger with a 4.0 in the pull a part for cash for clunkers...with only 28,000 miles on the odometer. it looked like a brand new truck.

AJ

Holy crap a brand new ranger that got destroyed...yep that don't surprise me. I know that the word Jeep here is a pretty sore word around here, however there were thousands of them that disappeared as well. Not happy about that either. Still miss my jeep, but the B2 serves it purpose as point a to point b transportation on the cheap. I think all in all I've got about $1500 dumped into my B2 that includes the tires, purchase price, title, taxes, etc. Overall I don't have much into it really just keep it running is my main concern. I'm going to drive it till the engine dies, tranny dies (it whines like crazy in overdrive), or the tires wear out whichever comes first. Then it will get scrapped due to the terrible body condition, and noticed some frame rust as well the other day. Then I'll probably look into another B2 or a Ranger.

Mark_88 · Apr 22, 2014

Yes, I was upset with the whole C4C program...and even more upset when the junkyards started crushing everything older than 1998. I was considering swapping my Ranger in that until I found out it only applied to new vehicles (in Canada) and I looked into how much that would cost in the long run...better to simply keep and upgrade what I had as long as possible and maybe consider walking when that option runs the course.

ab_slack · Apr 22, 2014

When you think about it, the folks who could buy new cars (financed or not) to take advantage of that program are not the sort of people who were driving really run down...clunkers. Sure they may have had some true clunker to trade in, sure maybe someone who never had a nice car was getting the opportunity finally to get a new one, but most who get brand new cars aren't driving trashy ones. They are often driving and trading in cars that many who can't afford a new car would love to get their hands on.

The who think I just find a waste and it just disgusts me.

veefer800canuck · Apr 22, 2014

Definetly not green to wreck a functioning automobile on purpose, just to buy another functioning automobile.

90longbed · Apr 23, 2014

yes there were a lot of good rigs scrapped in the CFC program.....the yards around here had a special section for them. in fact a few of my k5 buddies pillaged a k5 blazer that went to CFC.. there is a video on youtube of a ranger....that program was a joke..... all it did was thin out the heard of used cars and trucks on the market that hard working people buy.....I have drove old rigs my whole life.... many of them beaters( 77 nova,82 datsun 310,72 chev 3/4 ton, a 3 into 1 camaro project 2 79s and a 76,85 mazda rx7,80 toyota truck, 80 celica,91 chev lumina, 91 buick century and my current ranger) most of my rigs are put together with junkyard parts...

85_Ranger4x4 · Apr 24, 2014

I was trying to find a 302 when that was going on. It was sickening the number of low mile perfect running 302/351W's the local dealer blew up.

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