Most Cashed-In Clunkers...

[Aaron Coffee]

So, I could trade my 67 DodgeDart Gt Convertible and get $4500 back. Got thinking about it this weekednd and I figured out that I am against cash for clunkers due to the fact that it takes future classic cars and destroys them and destorys the spare parts that would have someday been used in their restoration.

[caseydog]

So, I could trade my 67 DodgeDart Gt Convertible and get $4500 back. Got thinking about it this weekednd and I figured out that I am against cash for clunkers due to the fact that it takes future classic cars and destroys them and destorys the spare parts that would have someday been used in their restoration.

I believe the car has to be less than 25 years old. I'm not sure why, but it looks like the old Dart will be spared.

And, I am hard pressed to think of any cars made in the last 20 or so years that are likely to become collectable classics -- other than some limited production cars or exotics. I certainly don't see the Explorer becoming a future Hemi Cuda.

CD

[rebapuck]

But you can find a car club full of lovers of just about any car ever made. Who'd a thunk VWs would ever be classics? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Elumia]

well, it just makes those "classics" more valuable or more expensive later....

It is one of those dilemmas. I have a 94 Audi cabriolet. 175K miles Heater core is bad, AC is not working now, gauge cluster works intermittently, leather is tearing on the seats. That's the bad. The good, relatively new top, decent paint and they only brought 1700 of them to the US.

If I could afford to participate in the program, I would be hard pressed because the car is paid for and still fun to drive. It will cost more than it is worth to fix all it's problems. Is it a "classic", probably not but I like it. And as they say, if the top goes down, the price goes up!

[chorizon]

And, I am hard pressed to think of any cars made in the last 20 or so years that are likely to become collectable classics -- other than some limited production cars or exotics. I certainly don't see the Explorer becoming a future Hemi Cuda.
CD

A buddy of mine in HS was privileged enough to be the son of a Chrysler dealer. This was during the "boom years" of the late 80s. He had a Chrysler Lebaron turbo convertible that would truly qualify as a classic nowadays I'm sure. I believe the car was originally owned by John Voigt...

Seriously though, I'm very glad to see American machines offered that truly represent the good old hot-rod days, yet also afford a more "fuel-consienscious" means of day-to-day driving.

Case in point (and I'm defintitely not in the know, but it seems cool to me), a buddy of mine I work with has a new Challenger R/T with a 6-speed manual transmission that embodies power, speed, and fuel economy when necessary. Its truly a beautiful automobile.

Speaking from personal experience, my current 2004 Family Dodge has a peppy 350HP engine, yet still gets around 17 mpg on the hwy. The old 1983 Family Dodge had the same power, but with its 3-Speed Auto, I was pretty lucky to get 13.5 on the hwy.

Oh yeah and the new Dodge weighs 2500# more!

No real point other than I like the nowadays power/fuel economy vehicles!

[Micro469]

I've got a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and I don't give a dang what the government.... yours or mine will offer me to trade it in. I love the car and am keeping it.. Sure the mileage isn't great.... But the POWER....... Now That's What I'm Talkin About!!!!!

[Laredo]

Well, not to rub salt in the wounds, but that '97 Dodge truck in my avatar's also, you know, PAID FOR -- so even when I have to spend money on fixing it, I'm saving money the months there's no payment.

Did I mention the insurance is way cheaper too?

[Mightydog]

I'm two payments away from paying off my 03 Vitara.


It's not a clunker.
It doesn't have a lot of power.

It does get 20+ MPG with or without the trailer, though.

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

I'm not buying into the part about getting all the gas guzzlers off the road nonsense... It's just a ploy for the auto industry to boost new car sales after being given all that bailout money.

[bg]

Just for the fun of it, I ran the numbers to get 'my gas guzzling clunker' (95 Ford E150) off the road.

Currently pay $50/month for insurance, $75/month for gas, as well as $40/yr inspection and $60/yr registration. Net cost of about $1600/yr plus maintenance.

Even with the $4500 credit and good credit, I'd spend at least $400 a month between a car payment and insurance, never mind gas.

I think I'll stick with $75 for a tank of gas - that's far less painful than a $300 car payment.

[Laredo]

bg: that '97 Dodge with the 5.2 gets 18 mpg for me. I've only ever spent over $70 for gas once. That was last year, and I was buying midgrade at $3.89. (It's a 22 gallon tank). I developed a habit back in my public health/ CERT-Team days of never running the truck lower than 1/4 tank of gas, period. On a road trip last year I got below 1/8 tank. Sticker shock set in fast, and after that I've kept at least 1/2 tank in the truck.

[starleen2]

I'm Glad they're trading in all them Jeeps - makes mine more valuable!

[High Desert]

the whole thing is just academic for us. All of ours are too old to qualify

That is by design, we prefer older cars. They all get mileage in the high 20s, easy to maintain myself, it works for us.

[Gaston]

MY wife suggested I trade off my 93 f250 "clunker" 460v8 (9mpg towing on a good day down hill) till I reminded her a new truck that could tow my 5thwheel would cost 40 to 50K and comes with payments that look like the national debt!
I'm going to keep the old gas guzzler and pay whatever it costs to keep it alive and reliable.
besides I enjoy passing the "econo trucks on most every grade with raw gas dripping out both my pipes and power to spare. if you want to play, be prepared to pay

[bg]

bg: that '97 Dodge with the 5.2 gets 18 mpg for me. I've only ever spent over $70 for gas once. That was last year, and I was buying midgrade at $3.89. (It's a 22 gallon tank). I developed a habit back in my public health/ CERT-Team days of never running the truck lower than 1/4 tank of gas, period. On a road trip last year I got below 1/8 tank. Sticker shock set in fast, and after that I've kept at least 1/2 tank in the truck.

Fortunately I wasn't driving the van much last year when gas hit $4.00.

The van has a 35 gallon tank (I've broken the $100 barrier more than once) - I usually fill up around the 1/4 tank mark, but I've gotten bad about letting it go all the way to the E - doesn't help that my daily commute is a tad over 6 miles round trip.