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Cash for clunkers


Buck531

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depressing. I think this massive clusterfuck of fail program deserves a monument erected in DC so future generations never forget.

 

Cash for clunkers. LOL

 

This.

 

The local junkyard had a row of cars that were all clunker cars. I would say on average most of the cars junked would retail between the 3-5k dollar range and absolutely no reason to destroy them.

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I'm not going to miss seeing it on the road. It's the classics and exotics that got destroyed that's sad to see. The program did stimulate car sales (for Asian manufacturers) and improved average fuel economy. Was it great, no, was it terrible...I'm not sure.

 

It led to a gain in market share for Japanese and Korean manufacturers at the expense of American car makers, with only Ford not taking a significant hit.
The Department of Transportation also reported that the average fuel efficiency of trade-ins was 15.8 mpg (miles per gallon), compared to 24.9 mpg for the new cars purchased to replace them, translating to a 58% fuel efficiency improvement.
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Guess I don't understand. What's the point? Did the program mandate the engines be purposely locked up?

 

They just had to dismantle them and recycle the materials, and not sell them as parts. So they could "dismantle" them any way they wanted to since it's just going to get melted down anyway.

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This was a requirement by the guvment?

 

Seizing the motor was a requirement. The 2 dealerships I worked at had special liquid glass sent to them to destroy the motor.

 

I know some just drained the fluids and ran it.

 

Some of the techs at toyota dumped in a cup of metal shavings from the brake lathe.

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Destroying the cars was meant to raise the average overall fuel efficiency of all the cars in the US. Kind of a trickle-down plan:

 

1-The drive-able car itself is taken out of the pool.

2-The parts are taken out, slightly limiting the usable life of other models of that car still on the road.

3-People buying used cars are likely to choose something newer or with better fuel efficiency, as the pool of old and fuel inefficient cars were diminished by the program.

 

Overall, it did totally dick the population that doesn't buy brand new cars, and those businesses in the used car sector. Even people that buy 1-owner, 2-5 year old cars are still affected as the entire supply of used cars decreased, driving up the price of all used cars.

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They were allowed to sell body parts for 30 days then it had to be crushed

 

180 days till crush..

 

In order to receive federal reimbursement for the subsidy consumers get for trading in their cars, dealers must first destroy the engine. One common method is to drain the car's oil and flood the engine with sodium silicate, or liquid glass. Dealers then turn the car on and rev the engine to let the solution harden. In just a few minutes, the car becomes inoperable.

 

Once the engine is dead, a recycling lot can take possession of the car. From that time, it has 180 days to sell the pieces of the car that retain some value. Even though the engine's a lost cause, everything from the scrap metal to the hubcaps is available to buyers. When the resale period is up, any leftover parts must be destroyed, and the government is notified that the car is gone for good.

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