Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
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IMO you could shutdown the DC to NYC trains and you would hardly notice a volume difference on the roads between DC and NYC.
The Clunker Bump is estimated to be 5%, at least in NJ:
N.J. car sales could rise 5 percent under 'cash-for-clunkers' program (NJ.com)
And the date has been set:
Cash for Clunkers Kickoff Slated for July 23 (Edmunds Daily)
"Although the CARS bill initially stated that vehicle purchases made after July 1 would be eligible for a credit, NHTSA is recommending that both dealers and consumers wait until the July 23 rollout date, when all the CARS resources have been put in place."
Another factor is that in terms of Fuel Used Per Person, nothing on earth beats a train for efficiency as a people mover.
Unfortunately, since America junked most of its intercity and intracity rail networks nationwide, it is now prohibitively expensive (if not impossible due to land costs) to replace them.
so yeah, C4C is a good idea to stimulate car sales, but as a "green" idea, it's pretty much a dead end.
Our unemployment numbers are also white lies at best, deceptions in reality.
Efficient mass transit in densely populated areas is a quality of life benefit, and a sign of true development.
I predict C4C will have a negligible effect on the automotive market in general. There's more hype to it than anything - so many exclusions, and no endless amounts of consumers who can afford a new car right now.
Just got back from buying a 2010. $125 over invoice, I keep dealer 500 rebate and 12,250 for the Torrent. Also, no doc fees at this dealer, plus managed to work 3 free oil changes in the deal.
I think this bill may have some unintended benefits if the car manufacturers take advantage of more people looking at cars simply to see if their car qualifies. July-October is "normally" when manufacturers are trying to clear the current year models to prepare for the new model year in October. Also the time when you see more rebates and incentives. It may be possible for a consumer to get $4500 C4C voucher and $2k-$3k rebate. $6500 off a new car (not including the discounted price) might entice some clunker drivers.
Website says:
Program Being Developed Target for Program Implementation Late July, 2009
http://www.cars.gov/index.php/rollout
For Cash for Clunkers they are going to advance their dealers money to cover the voucher payments until the feds catch up.
Hyundai advances cash to car dealers for 'clunkers' program (LA Times)
Oh, cars.gov already says foreign cars are ok to purchase.
So what would happen if by the time the RULES are announced on July 23rd, more than the allocation is gone? Big month for aggressive dealers and automakers could leave some dealers on the hook for $4500. If the interest is as high as some of our sales people claim.
Sales as of July 1 may be eligible for credits under the clunkers program, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last week. Still, dealers that make sales before the rules are finalized "bear the risks" of later showing that the sales qualify, the agency said on the program's website.
The National Automobile Dealers Assn. recommends that dealers wait for the rules to come out before acting, said John McEleney, chairman of the McLean, Va.-based group.
"I just hate to see someone get burned," he said. Dealers could be fined $15,000 per sale for violating the rules, NHTSA has said.
So it is a big gamble, who wins the throw of the dice?
1: register dealer
2: set procedures for verification of eligability.
3: set rules to pay dealers.
They can't specify domestic autos only because of free trade aggrements.
The rules have been set, now it's just getting the administrative procedures in place. By Hyundai Corp funding the cash, individual dealers don't have to worry about how long it will take for government reimbursement.
All in all, brilliant marketing!
Can't is a mighty big word for this administration. The current stimulus bill is filled with violations of our free trade agreements. We are fighting with both Canada and Mexico over our violations as we speak. Foreign does not have to mean foreign built. They could specify foreign nameplates assembled in the USA. Which makes more sense than supporting foreign manufacturers.
Did you expect that congress, itself, was going to run this program :confuse: .
Every law that is passed is implemented by some agency or other in the exective branch, developing administrative rules that interpret the law and develop the details that the law requires. For example, this law says:
For each eligible trade-in vehicle surrendered to a dealer under the Program, the dealer shall certify to the Secretary, in such manner as the Secretary shall prescribe by rule,...
Why rush? Not much is going to change in 3 weeks. Those that are smart will just plan to finalize everything on or after July 23rd. As I've noted I have 3 or now maybe 4 potential buyers that want to take advantage of the program but I've just told them 'As soon as the rules are known, then we can complete everything. Not sooner.'
You're looking for ways to game the system or to find pitfalls for the unsuspecting. There are none for the prudent.
I think that is what I said also. Anyone selling a vehicle hoping to get it all right are taking a chance. That is why the reference to rolling the dice hoping you win. In the case of Hyundai dealers the manufacturer is taking the risk.
Why incentivise someone for making a bad decision of buying a gass guzzler when rest of the country pays for it. I don't understand the logic. The government should simply give incentives for good behaviour. The higher the mileage of the car, higher is the rebate. And this should be open to anyone who wants to buy a new car.
For those who have been wise & conservative to buy a fuel efficient cars until now - here's my advise. The government pays for bad behavior, so go ahead & buy gas guzzlers instead. Its a great incentive to be bad.
So we're clunker shopping.
There have been unintended consequences with the program:
June auto sales fall short as buyers await 'clunkers' cash (Detroit News)
http://www.buyatoyota.com/cars.aspx?siteid=tcom_C4C_bat_rebate%20calc
It tells me I can get a $4500 rebate for a 3.5L AWD Rav4. The AWD Rav4 is listed on various sites as getting 21 mpg combined. Since this is only 3 mpg better that what I'm trading in shouldn't it be only $3500?
I thought that it had to be a 5 mpg better than my trade in to get the $4500? Am I missing something?
Why not go directly to the Cash for Clunkers website and key in your data? Much more accurate.
It may do the same in July. At least till the last week after the NHTSA puts out the official RULES. Looks like Subaru, Kia & Ford are gaining market share in this market. Also VW is doing well selling their diesel Jettas. Chrysler, GM and Toyota are the BIG losers this year. Ford may end up on top this year. Ford got their act together with the best midsized hybrid and its non hybrid stable mate. Those should be big sellers in the clunker trade business.
Half way through the year and only 4.8 million sold. How is the C4C with only 250,000 additional sales going to make an impact in the market. You are going to probably frustrate more buyers than you satisfy. The guy with a legitimate clunker that cannot get financing drives home in his old beater. Another thinks his vehicle should qualify and it does not with the same result.
Look at the sales for June. 859K total sales, off from last year by 27.7%. 250,000 more cars sold in a single month would not equal last years poor sales. Cracking 10 million sales this year will be a tough sell, even with this lame C4C bill.
I agree with Koshti, this is more socialism. Reward those that make bad decisions with money from those that do not.
Have a wonderful 4th of July.....
Though I qualify, I agree that this program, like the auto bailouts, is socialism. The government has no business interfering with the private sector like this, but they keep electing Socialists so what does anyone expect?
I'll stop there.
If they really wanted to get the worst polluters off the road, they'd make it a rolling 15-25 year old window. If you have a vehicle that's 15-25 years old, it pollutes dozens of times more than even a 5 year old one. Mine burns a quart of oil a month at nearly 275K on the engine. Yet it barely passes smog. Squeeks by at just under 300ppm, which is really stupidly high compared to anything new.
..a) the local government of San Diego
..b) the state government in Sacramento
..c) the Congress
..d) the President
..e) the SCOTUS
..f) the EPA
..g) CARB
( did I miss any? )
...is getting old and frankly boring.
It's beautiful and sunny today...no rain..my grass is suffering...it's Congress' fault.
I've got to work today...the EPA's fault
The auto industry wrote a bill for their benefit..it's the President's fault
The auto industry designed this legislation to benefit themselves. It's their bill they created it. Now it has to play out.
BTW, in all your rants against everything you've been wrong nearly all the time; the first one from several years ago was the Great Battery Debate. How can you be so consistently on the wrong side of every subject?
Strange how perceptions change depending our personal involvements.
Ford Fusion Hybrid buyers and Jetta TDI buyers today are the continuing beneficiaries of the previous socialist administration. But the curmudgeon from San Diego is in favor of that type of socialism. Curious how these similar situations are viewed positively and negatively simply when viewed through different political lenses.
Or it can just be childish rantings ( see prior post ).
Cars sales go up, PROGRAM GOOD. Car sales don't go up, PROGRAM BAD.
Limited goals, seems to me, is the nature of C4C
Like that
One thing it's done is given a lot of people car fever. Even if they don't drive a clunker, a lot of people are looking up the rules to see if they qualify for C4C. Then they spend a couple of hours at Edmunds dreaming of a new car. They may not buy this month but the pent-up demand is growing.
I'm not totally convinced that it's going to make car sales go up. Pull sales forward, yes. But the only thing that's going to make car sales go up is an improved economy.
The bailouts given to the automakers don't seem to have made them produce better, more competitive autos either. If there is no reward for good behavior, don't expect change. Spitting in the wind comes back at you. We are being funded to trade in our American made gas guzzlers for foreign gas savers, while we throw money at American auto companies to make more gas guzzlers.
Someone mentioned Ford - they've rolled out their own clunker identification website.
Saw the Ford website yesterday and it seems more accurate than the Toyota site.
Yeah, like anything, there has to be a balance somewhere in the middle. But, what's that old cliche, the market doth love its extremes?
It will be at most a 10% boost in actual sales but most likely a 5% net boost ( some people would have bought vehicles anyway ). The key benefit is simply to get buyers out of their houses and get them shopping and buying vehicles. It's a stimulus, nothing more.
I hope so - we're in a similar situation as Vettech but we're all over the map on what to buy. The way we shop, it could be a few months. And going to a 2010 has a nicer ring to it than getting a 2009.
Now we're thinking of moving up a level from the sub-compacts we've been shopping. The Fit is nice but we ruled it out (for a while anyway, lol).
Can you put a canoe on a Prius? :shades:
Those who want to endlessly wail and knash their teeth over government spending and programs really should find something more significant to be incensed over.