06-12-2009 09:07 AM

Well that was quick. The national Cash for Clunkers bill just passed Senate largely in tact, except senators chose to cut the funding from 4 billion dollars to one billion. Now it moves to Obama’s desk, where he will probably sign it into law.[Detroit News, Jalopnik]

{feed:content:encoded.}

More...

Edmonds.com has compiled a list of vehicles that qualify to be crushed.

http://www.edmunds.com/industry-car-news/cash-for-clunkers.html

(Follow the first "here" link to a PDF file.)

As I feared, the list includes several of my "fantasy" used car finds!

(The one I want most, the BMW 8 series makes the crusher list.)

There are also a number of Nissan products, like the Infinity Q35 and the 300ZX!!!!!

Tell me again how this is a good thing...

I don't think there's anything good about it. I know dealers can't be happy with this knowing they have to scrap these trade-ins as opposed to reselling them. Hopefully, not too many "classic" type cars get traded in, ie the 300ZX. This is just too much government creeping into our personal lives, thats all I got to say....

I don't think there's anything good about it. I know dealers can't be happy with this knowing they have to scrap these trade-ins as opposed to reselling them. Hopefully, not too many "classic" type cars get traded in, ie the 300ZX. This is just too much government creeping into our personal lives, thats all I got to say....

I completely agree with that statement. If they got the cars off the road and put in a wrecking yard where you could get parts then it wouldn't be a terrible thing, but mandating that they have to be crushed is bad for all the people hunting down parts like us Z lovers.....

Greg

P.S. Here's a link to the list of cars.....quite a few 300ZX's, VW Corrado, and the '91 Maxda RX7 are three cool ones. http://www.edmunds.com/media/cashforclunkers/vehicles_under_4500.pdf

Edited June 13, 200915 yr by soundmasterg

Surprises me that the Infiniti J30 is also on the list. I can understand the Q45 being there. We've owned both and the Q45 was somewhat of a gas guzzler but the J30 exceded 18 mpg.

The "list" is for cars that have a market value of $4,500.00 or less.. there is no consideration of average gas mileage...

Carl B

Didn't I see that figure (18mpg) mentioned as some type of cutoff point during one of the discussions of this bill?

I can see this bill going over like a lead balloon. As everyone on here is probably aware, people get attached to their cars. I know I wouldn't want to trade in any car I've ever had knowing it would be immediately crushed. Now, if they made it where the dealers could turn around and resell these cars, that would be different. But, of course, you can't expect the government to use any actual common sense....

The "list" is for cars that have a market value of $4,500.00 or less.. there is no consideration of average gas mileage...

Carl B

No, that isn't what Edmonds claimes:

"We compiled this list by searching the Edmonds.com vehicle database for models that have an average fuel economy of 18 mpg or less and for which at least one of the styles of that vehicle has a current national average trade-in True Market Value price (assuming clean vehicle condition and average mileage) of $4,500 or less."

Careful reading indicates that perhaps only ONE variant of the model listed has an average mpg of less than 18, and again perhaps only ONE variant may have a trade-in value of less than $4,500. Which indicates many styles of a given model might not meet both criteria.

I have no idea what the average fuel mileage of the 300ZX was, but I assume that the 300ZX NA version got better mileage that the 300ZX twin turbo. And remember, while most people REMEMBER the posted highway mileage number, the criteria being used is the much lower AVERAGE mpg. (What was originally called the "CITY" mileage.)

Even today, relatively few sports cars have a posted average fuel mileage higher than 18 mpg. (The 370Z for example is listed at 18)

hi Walter:

The Cash for Clunkers program uses the "new" EPA Average Fuel Mileage numbers - even for older cars. So City Plus Highway/2 = average.

The 370Z is listed as 18 City and 26 Highway - so 22 is the average.

My 88 Chevy Pickup is Old = 15 and 21, the New Method says 14 City and 19 Highway - 16 average. So to get the full $4,500.00 credit I have to buy a new car that has an averge of 26 or better... or a new truck with 21 or better.

You can look the cars/trucks up here:

http://fueleconomy.gov

Direct URL: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

You can see the original window sticker numbers - and the "new" numbers there as well.

To be useful - they should have used cars worth $2500.00. Then you would actually be getting more than the car was worth as an incentive to trade it in.

FWIW,

Carl B.

Edited June 14, 200915 yr by Carl Beck