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$$$$$ for clunkers passes

wa-loaf

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Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
15,109
Points
48
Location
Mordor
Wish I had a clunker. Got rid of a VW last year, but that got like 30 mpg ...
 

bvibert

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Messages
30,394
Points
38
Location
Torrington, CT
If we had the money for a new car I'd trade in my wife's shit box for that credit tomorrow!
 

drjeff

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
19,183
Points
113
Location
Brooklyn, CT
I will refrain from comment for fear that I'll cross the AZ cardinal rule of "no political discussions" really quickly
 

ctenidae

Active member
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
8,959
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Location
SW Connecticut
I like the idea on a lot of levels. It's expensive and all, but the longer-run cost savings (both in fuel and the environment) are huge. Transportation is one of, if not the, largest energy use sectors, and improving the efficiency (and safety/reliability/etc) of the on road fleet is a good thing, I think.
 

koreshot

New member
Joined
Aug 19, 2006
Messages
1,057
Points
0
Location
NJ
Да камрад, я понимаю

Длиной живут People' республика s Amerika

HAHAHA -- did you use one of those web translator thingies? The second sentence makes no sense.
 

Glenn

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Joined
Oct 1, 2008
Messages
7,691
Points
38
Location
CT & VT
It's lame. It's a government sponsored way to get new cars off the lot. I think the government has f'd with the free market/domestic makers hard enough since January; leave well enough alone. I'll have read the actual bill. But as it was proposed, you theoretically could go out and use the money to buy a newer pickup. The devil is in the details.

To me, this makes about as much sense as tearing down your house to built one that's more energy efficient. "Look! I'm going to save $500 a year on my utilities! Let's ignore the fact that I just used half a forest worth of trees and litteraly tons of other raw materials...I'm saving the planet!!!!1111"
 

mondeo

New member
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
4,431
Points
0
Location
E. Hartford, CT
Да камрад, я понимаю

Длиной живут People' республика s Amerika

No more speaking farking sputnik. I'm sure you guys are just talking about pirogies and snow and shit, but cut it out.




Name that movie?
Yes comrade, I [Ponima?]

Dlinoy fivoot People's respooblika s America.

I think. I don't speak Russian, but learned Cyrillic a while back, so I'm a bit rusty.
 

koreshot

New member
Joined
Aug 19, 2006
Messages
1,057
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0
Location
NJ
I like the idea on a lot of levels. It's expensive and all, but the longer-run cost savings (both in fuel and the environment) are huge. Transportation is one of, if not the, largest energy use sectors, and improving the efficiency (and safety/reliability/etc) of the on road fleet is a good thing, I think.

I wonder though, what the average delta in MPG will be. Maybe 10mpg best case? Will that be enough to offset the energy impact of folks trading in perfectly fine, but old, vehicles for newer ones?
 

Paul

New member
Joined
Mar 2, 2005
Messages
3,900
Points
0
Location
East Hampton, CT
it's lame. It's a government sponsored way to get new cars off the lot. I think the government has f'd with the free market/domestic makers hard enough since january; leave well enough alone. I'll have read the actual bill. But as it was proposed, you theoretically could go out and use the money to buy a newer pickup. The devil is in the details.

To me, this makes about as much sense as tearing down your house to built one that's more energy efficient. "look! I'm going to save $500 a year on my utilities! Let's ignore the fact that i just used half a forest worth of trees and litteraly tons of other raw materials...i'm saving the planet!!!!1111"

this
 

mondeo

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Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
4,431
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0
Location
E. Hartford, CT
Who cares about gas mileage? Shouldn't it be consumption that we care about?

Give everyone a tax credit equal to 8000 miles at whatever the current CAFE standard is and abolish the CAFE standard while reducing the tax credit year on year to be equivalent with the planned increases in CAFE. Don't reward people for getting a more efficient car that they still drive 30,000 miles per year.
 

ctenidae

Active member
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
8,959
Points
38
Location
SW Connecticut
It's lame. It's a government sponsored way to get new cars off the lot. I think the government has f'd with the free market/domestic makers hard enough since January; leave well enough alone. I'll have read the actual bill. But as it was proposed, you theoretically could go out and use the money to buy a newer pickup. The devil is in the details.

To me, this makes about as much sense as tearing down your house to built one that's more energy efficient. "Look! I'm going to save $500 a year on my utilities! Let's ignore the fact that I just used half a forest worth of trees and litteraly tons of other raw materials...I'm saving the planet!!!!1111"

Granted, this won't hurt manufacturers any, but if you start with the premise that we need to have a more efficient vehicle fleet (which I agree with), the only way to do it is replace older ineficient cars with newer more efficient ones. Getting the old cars off the road could be done by instituting stricter emmissions rules (with no grandfathering older cars past the regulations), but that would leave people who can't afford a new car stuck with no vehicles. At least with a clunker credit, it's possible for more people to update their cars. If tighter emmissions standards are then rolled in to make the incentive less of an option, then I think the impact would be greater.

I'm quite impressed by the steps GM is taking, really. My wife and I sat slack-jawed and amazed at one ad where they basically confessed to screwing up royally.
 

ctenidae

Active member
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
8,959
Points
38
Location
SW Connecticut
Who cares about gas mileage? Shouldn't it be consumption that we care about?

Give everyone a tax credit equal to 8000 miles at whatever the current CAFE standard is and abolish the CAFE standard while reducing the tax credit year on year to be equivalent with the planned increases in CAFE. Don't reward people for getting a more efficient car that they still drive 30,000 miles per year.

If we don't want people to drive, we have to give them an alternative. Try getting suburban NIMBYs and BANANAs to allow construction of a light rail line through their backyard.
 

drjeff

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
19,183
Points
113
Location
Brooklyn, CT
It's lame. It's a government sponsored way to get new cars off the lot. I think the government has f'd with the free market/domestic makers hard enough since January; leave well enough alone. I'll have read the actual bill. But as it was proposed, you theoretically could go out and use the money to buy a newer pickup. The devil is in the details.

To me, this makes about as much sense as tearing down your house to built one that's more energy efficient. "Look! I'm going to save $500 a year on my utilities! Let's ignore the fact that I just used half a forest worth of trees and litteraly tons of other raw materials...I'm saving the planet!!!!1111"

+10
 

campgottagopee

New member
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Messages
3,771
Points
0
Location
Virgil
Interesting responces, I find it a tad bit "over the top" but think it will spurr some sales during a very crucial time in the US auto industry.

Don't think we'll benefit from this too much around here---can't even remember the last "older than 1984" anything I took in on trade. Most of them have been scraped already.

Will be interesting to follow.
 
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