Classic Clunkers
August 10, 2009mike 1 Comment »In case you’re living under a rock… the US Government is giving you $4500 (or $3500) if you trade in your “clunker” for a new and improved “fuel efficient” ride. (See also http://www.cars.gov part of the Stimulus Package) Now that you have come out from under that rock and onto the internet, welcome, we have so much to talk about. But the main thing is, what are the negative side effects of this program (diarrhea, nausea, indigestion?). Well for one, how are the cars being disposed of? By many accounts, the engines are being destroyed in order to render the cars useless. Problems with that are what about the person who didn’t trade in their 1984 Ford Tempo and now they need an engine part for it, how many of the vehicles with that part were taken off the road? The other problem is one we often overlook, what about the classic cars, yes it is my understanding that cars before 1984 are not eligible for the rebate, but do you mean to tell me there were no classics made between 1984 and 2009? What about a 2002 Pontiac Aztec? Ok, maybe not that, but who knows! I hope we didn’t just destroy 25 years of automobiles to spend some taxpayer money and gain an average of 5 mpg, that would be a real shame. Sometimes it’s not the car we think will be a classic that is desired or intriguing in the next generation, but the one we least expected. I hope enough unlikely classics survive this destructions so that we don’t look at this initiative as the 2009 equivalent of a book burning!
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:56 am
There is a special type of people who keep their old junky cars. They live in places like Tennessee and Kentucky, The real boonies, gypsies, and other riverfolk, You can find the cars parked on their lawns and in their lots.
If you care so much about these modern day classics, why don’t you go pick up a yardfull of those?