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I Traded My Clunker For $3500/$4500, and Bought A...

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Comments

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    your explorer must have been hurting, if it only got 14 mpg on a 30 one way commute.
    congrats on your new Sonata. there are people at work that replacing their previous hyundai's with new ones (before C4C for the new ones).
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • cjs811cjs811 Member Posts: 4
    I traded in my 1985 Cadillac that had tons of issues for a beautiful Apple Green Hyundai Accent hatchback. I am very happy with my new car.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Not too many people would trade a Cadillac, even an old one, for a Hyundai Accent, but congratulations.
  • maxbetamaxbeta Member Posts: 12
    "......Nissan offered a $3250 rebate + $4500 for C4C + $2350 tax credit + sales tax is deductible + got it for below invoice......"

    I know that the sales tax can be deducted from my income tax, but what is is the $2350 tax credit you refer to?
    Thanks.
  • alain_changeralain_changer Member Posts: 25
    stephen987-

    You can try to educate people as I have about this silly "Buy American" hypocrisy, however there are many that choose to remain ignorant for some reason. I think the main reason is delusion

    -Alain Changer
  • stephen987stephen987 Member Posts: 1,994
    Yeah, I know. But what can I do--I teach for a living, and I can't turn it off. ;)
  • mitchfloridamitchflorida Member Posts: 420
    Some people have a third vehicle that they just keep for occasional use or because they aren't worth more than $2000, and it isn't worthwhile to sell it.

    I am curious how many people are trading in their main car to replace it with a more fuel efficient model, and how many are just trading in their extra vehicle, that really wasn't used much anyway.
  • smilinjackrosssmilinjackross Member Posts: 37
    I know that the sales tax can be deducted from my income tax, but what is is the $2350 tax credit you refer to?

    Many hybrid vehicles qualify for a tax credit. The tax credit gets phased out once 60,000 of the vehicles are sold. For example, the Prius no longer qualifies for this credit. However, many hybrids do qualify, including the Nissan Altima. See the link below for more information.

    Federal New Energy Tax Credit
  • gcamorianogcamoriano Member Posts: 1
    I traded my van for a Mazda5. Dealer called yesterday and said to bring the car back. Government denied my claim - they said because I was late renewing my tags that I do not qualify. I am the registered owner and have been for 3 years. This is more than outrageous. My daughter (in her creativity and with the dealers permission) cut the seatbelt from our old van - He said go ahead were going to crush it anyway. Now I have no new or old vehicle

    Even Edmonds site says "Has been registered in your name and insured consistent with state law continuously for at least one year, immediately prior to the trade-in date" The state of Missouri considers me registered for the full year! And there is no one to help me - a stay at home mom, with school about to start!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The state of Missouri considers me registered for the full year!

    If Missouri considers that you have been the continuously registered owner for a year, you should try to get a statement from them to that effect and provide that to CARS. Someone in your local congressional delegation may be able to grease the process for you.

    Good luck! (and seatbelts can be replaced - the Mazda dealer should do this for you since they told you daughter to cut it and it's a safety issue).
  • g0thamiteg0thamite Member Posts: 4
    I got 4500 credit and eventually wound up taking possession of the MINI July 31st at 6:00PM - last day before the CARS program went into hiding for a week and the day before NY Sales tax went up by half a percent. It's a long story - the dealers in our area were freaked out about the CARS program being discontinued but eventually the braver ones went for it. I'm really happy with my MINI - my first new car in 15 years (I usually buy pre-owned). On the other hand, I now have my first car payment in 15 years. Overall, we are thrilled, however.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Congratulations on your MINI. What did you trade in?
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    check the title of the post.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • cjs811cjs811 Member Posts: 4
    The Cadillac had too many problems--windows that didn't work, doors that wouldn't open, 1 windshield wiper, leaking radiator, only 3 brake lines working plus something was wrong with the steering--the front end often locked up trying to turn a corner. It also would stall at least once a day as I drove along. So I am extremely happy with my Accent. :D
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Which Cadillac was it? I can see trading in one of those awful truncated FWD models for an Accent. The fact that you'd get one of them to run this long is a miracle. Cadillac was at its lowest point by 1985.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Careful, that "awful' 85 truncated FWD Cadillac shares its platform with your '88 Park Avenue. Since you know this, I imagine that adjective refers to the 4.1 V8, in which case I'd agree.
  • cjs811cjs811 Member Posts: 4
    It was the DeVille FWD--4.1 8 cylinder--just as you thought. I only had it for 2 years but that was long enough--we had to put new gas lines on and a water pump and serpentine belt--all in a short amount of time.
  • otoluvaotoluva Member Posts: 196
    I'm going to miss the soft ride of my Ford, it runs strong with only 139000 miles but has a few issues, windows dont roll down, oil leak, power steering leak, air not too cold, paint peeling off... it is sad knowing it's going to get crushed but the bright side is getting a nice brand new fuel efficient vehicle, here is the deal:
    MSRP $ 18650
    Honda rebate+dealer discount $ 1850
    CARS rebate $ 4500
    Net cost before tax, title, doc. fee $ 12300
    I signed the papers and got the loan on AUG. 4th but still dont have my new car yet!
  • turtleannturtleann Member Posts: 1
    We just bought an $18430, 2009 Ford Focus SE 5-speed with Sync, Driver's Group, antilock brakes, and cruise. We traded in our 2001 Ford Windstar, which I paid $5300 for used 5 years ago and got $4500 C4C+ $2000 rebate+ $500 Ford financing rebate+ $500 Ford loyalty for trading in a Ford+ $500 college student rebate for a total of $8000 in savings and they are tinting the windows and free oil changes.Paid $10,530 out the door. Got 7.99% financing for 48 months payment is only $219 a month. Plus you only have to keep ford credit for 3 months, then you can go to your bank, which we can do for 5.5% financing. Bringing our payment down even more. We pick the car up Monday. The only question I have is should we purchase an extended warranty?
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    not a C4C deal, but we refinanced our 09 escape after taking the $500 financing rebate.
    as far as the warranty goes, you have a while to buy it, so i would put it off.
    try fordwarrantys.com or another similar site to see how much the extended warranty costs.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • glennj6556glennj6556 Member Posts: 1
    I am a man, 6'6", 400 lbs, and have to have a vehicle that fits me. I was going to do C4C trading in a 98 Tahoe (with major issues: 180,000 mi and needing rebuild transfer case) on a '09 Traverse. Plenty of room, loved the telescoping steering wheel. Sticker at $32K - $4500 - $2250. In the end, I found that after discounts, I did not want the monthly payment on $26K. I ended up taking less than $1K for trade on a 06 Buick Lucerne w/35K mi for $16,000. Love the car; I am getting 28 mi/gal average now. The Tahoe was 17 average.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Sounds like a wise move. I know two people with the Acadia, same as Traverse. They do like the room. But not the mileage. Tough to get better than 16 MPG combined. Unless you need room for 8 people the Lucerne is probably a better vehicle. Plus you help the used car market.
  • rgould22rgould22 Member Posts: 21
    I traded my Ford F250HD clunker for $3500, and bought a GMC Sierra hybrid. The new truck isn't exactly equipped the way I would like but ordering one and still being able to get a deal was out of the question. The dealer knocked on $1800 and then there was a $3500 GM rebate. The $3500 CFC money was factored in the same way the value for a trade-in is calculated. The new truck is getting 18.5 mpg (not the 20 listed) but it's still better than the 8 mpg the ford was getting.

    As for the political point I consider the $3500 as a tax rebate for all the taxes I have been paying for years.

    PS. The Hybrid is for saving gas not because of the global warming scam.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    We are looking to analyze the various ways dealerships are writing up sales/term sheets on new cars when cash for clunkers are involved. If you are willing to talk with us and potentially allow us to look at your paperwork (personal info blacked out,of course), please email dgreene@edmunds.com.
  • sidearms2sidearms2 Member Posts: 7
    Got a new Hyundai Elantra GLS w/sunroof pkg (2650+carpet96+mat80)

    18,665 msrp
    -3000 discount
    -4500 uncle sam
    -50 ( 1/2 of $100 scrap metal for 95 isuzu rodeo w/220K 3.2L 4wd) (will mail2me)
    $11115
    out the door in 3% NC + fees
    12,089

    first time buyer w/hyundai credit 5.39% for 60mos.
    230.62/mo

    edmunds tmv says $16,294
    truecar.com says avg paid 15,459 (good)
    i got 15665

    here's where i got my spankin.

    18665 msrp
    17665 (1000 discount)
    -4500 (uncle sams downpayment)
    13165 subtotal
    394.95 nc 3% tax
    50 title
    55 license fee
    425 doc fee (profit)
    14089.95 sub-total again
    -2000 hyundai rebate (good till 8/31)
    12089.95 final total (we really do love democrats :) )
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    A reporter is looking to speak to consumers who recently purchased a vehicle using the Cash for Clunkers program. Please send your daytime phone number and the vehicle you purchased and what you traded-in to ctalati@edmunds.com by Friday, August 21.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "The Obama Administration will end the $3 billion "cash for clunkers" program at 8 p.m. EDT Monday -- giving dealers and consumers one final weekend to junk a vehicle and buy a new, greener one.

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today the expiration day was determined by using conservative sales estimates, to ensure that there is enough incentive money left in the pot to cover what's expected to be brisk sales this final weekend.

    "This program has been a lifeline to the automobile industry, jump-starting a major sector of the economy and putting people back to work," LaHood said.

    Advertisement

    "At the same time, we've been able to take old, polluting cars off the road and help consumers purchase fuel efficient vehicles."

    As of today, the Car Allowance Rebate System, as the program is officially known, has resulted in 457,476 vehicle deals worth $1.91 billion in rebates."

    'Clunkers' program ends Monday night (Detroit News)
  • statz63statz63 Member Posts: 1
    Just traded my 98 F150 for a Honda Fit Sport. The Honda dealer took off the $4500 at the very end, after all taxes and fees.
  • dodgeman07dodgeman07 Member Posts: 574
    You did well - congrats!

    The Hyundai loan at 5.39% is good. I would consider paying ahead on it unless you can get better than 5.39% on your money. An extra $50/month will get you paid off in 48 months.

    Good Luck! :D
  • rgould22rgould22 Member Posts: 21
    gcamoriano
    how late were you in renewing you tags? Days or months?
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    The warranty will give your dealer a chance to make up much of the money he has given away to you. The best dealer's warranties only pay about fifty cents on the dollar back, third parties even less. That's why they pressure you to buy.

    Having said that, the only warranty I ever bought paid off nicely on a 1985 Tempo-- truly horrible car in which everything broke once-- Ford at that time had a lifetime warranty on repairs. I'm sure the new Focus is much much more reliable and the warrranty will be money mostly wasted.
  • johnny2162johnny2162 Member Posts: 1
    I traded a 1994 chevy 2500 flatbed with 350 V8 automatic, that was probably the ugliest car in my area, for a 2010 Hyudai Sonata GLS with 4cylinder engine and a 5 speed automatic transmission. The sticker price was $20,800 but after the $4500 C4C rebate, $1,000 Hyundai rebate, $500 previous Hyundai owner rebate/incentive, and a $600 negotiation on my part I walked out the door paying $15,500 (taxes 3.5% in VA / titling $58 / and processing fee $449, included). I probably could have squeezed a little more money out of the dealer but they offered free oil changes for the life of the car and other service incentives to new car buyers. So I felt that I did okay.

    I think I finally got one over on the Man (even though I'm sure he'll stick it to me somewhere else several times over).

    Oh yeah, almost forgot, the chevy had over 250,000 miles on it. and almost no paint left. I had it listed on craigslist for a month and the highest offer I got was $600 (which is what I paid for it last June). Not to mention that the master cylinder just went out and three of the four tires were almost completely dryrotted. It was just a truck I used to get mulch and other crap back and forth from Home Depot and Lowes. I probably put all of about 400 miles on it since I bought it.

    It sickened me though when I was shooting the small talk with the sales associate and he told me a story about a trade-in earlier in the week. He said an elderly female had a '96 Isuzu Trooper with only 32K miles and she told him that it ran okay, but it kept shutting off on her. She wanted a new one because she was scared it would cost toom much to repair. The guy told me after she dropped close to $16K on a new Hyundai they took her Trooper in and found the only thing wrong with it was the battery and cable needed to be replaced. The clerk said the car was pristine inside and out. Makes me wonder how many of those stories are out there.
  • davesutondavesuton Member Posts: 5
    I traded in an Infinity QX that almost got 13 MPG once. That was when it was running. It only had 22k miles on it, but it ate transmissions and brake rotors like a crack addict. I was going to sell it, but my I wouldn't feel good knowing someone else would be getting that lemon. I bought a Jeep Patriot. I paid aout $13500 out the door and its pretty much loaded. I already know I'm going to enjoy it more than sitting at the Nissan dealer waiting for some idiot flunky, to fix my truck the right way.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...but a co-worker traded her 1995 Mercury Villager minivan for a Toyota RAV4. She got the full $4,500 trade-in amount.
  • mcmaxmcmax Member Posts: 14
    Traded in a '97 Dodge Caravan for an '09 Scion xD. The van had been a good vehicle but needed some body work and had some suspension issues. Transmission hadn't gone out at the usual 80K; we were way beyond that point and were "expecting" that to happen anytime. Got the full $4500, taken off before taxes. A bit over $13K otd. (KInda felt bad about the van...it had taken us safely from one coast to another and a lot in between...lots of memories.) Getting 30 mpg average mixed city/highway so far almost makes up for it.
  • carsumercarsumer Member Posts: 2
    1995 Work van needed,tires, brakes, etc. List was 25075 for the Honda. minus 4500 before tax. Paid 17046 plus tax. Costco deal.

    CARS website states buyer also gets scrap price minus $50 for the dealer. Did anyone get this? Not me. When I mentioned this the dealer said $50 was all they got. Seems fishy but whatya gonna Do?
  • metsknicksfanmetsknicksfan Member Posts: 3
    Traded 1991 Infiniti Q45 (17mpg) with 140,000 miles for $3,500 clunker cash AFTER taxes (NJ) and $2,000 BELOW invoice 2009 Audi Q5 Prestige (20 mpg) . Definitely would have purchased a CPO vehicle, not new. Cash for Clunkers got me in the new ride.
  • rgould22rgould22 Member Posts: 21
    I didn't hear about this part and didn't get it. But then again the clunker I traded in was probably only worth about $50 in scrap.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    my clunker is a 1990 BMW 325i (18 mpg) that I'm trading in for a 2010 Acura TSX! I'm super excited!

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Congratulations on the new TSX! Can you tell us about the 325i you traded (mileage, condition, repairs needed)?
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    YOu have missed the Saga of the 325i over on the sales front line thread. It was junk barely running with no brakes.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Sorry for missing something that's probably obvious, but what/where is the "sales front line thread?"

    The reason I'm interested is that one of my old cars is the same generation 325 as the one that was clunked.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f09ff51/45343!keywords=#MSG45343

    There is more then that that is just the last post in Carguys profile on the subject.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Thanks, b_r.
  • ohio_gregohio_greg Member Posts: 1
    I traded a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria (with 214K miles) for a 2009 Pontiac G5 XFE. The G5 MSRP was just over $18,000. With significant Pontiac incentives and the $4500 clunker trade, I bought the car for a whopping $7900 (before taxes). That's 57% UNDER the sticker price!!!

    I did my research in late June and had all the paperwork prepared in advance. I made the deal the first weekend Cash for Clunkers was operating...before dealers had figured out that this program was like shooting fish in a barrel (and prices went up).

    This car is saving me $100/month in gas...which covers more than half of the 4 year monthly payment of $179.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    A reporter is looking to interview participants in the Cash for Clunkers program one year later. Please drop a note to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Friday, August 20, 2010 if you care to be interviewed about your experience.
This discussion has been closed.