Anyone trading in their clunker?

[FORDMAN41291]

The clunkers that need to be in the program are those japanese cars.. those are disposable

 

[Agnem]

The top 10 lists came out the other day. 7 of the top ten being traded in are all different years of Fords, mostly Explorers and Windstars. The other 3 were Jeeps. NO Chevy's NO foreign! The top 10 being sold... well, at least there are 2 Fords in the list. The ****** (#1), and the the Escape hybrid (around #7 I think). One Chevy model, the Cobalt (#10). The rest ALL IMPORTS! So this means that 70% or so of our tax money used for this program is is being pumped into foreign companies and leaving our shores! Someone explain to me how this helps OUR economy?

 

[FORDMAN41291]

who the hell decided to make this thing anyways Global Warming is not real !!!! and if it is it is happening naturally.....

 

[Agnem]

I think at this point even the government and media have conceeded that it is no longer a green initiative. That smoke screen is so thin even the environmentalists can see through it.

 

[FORDMAN41291]

you know why environmentalist are so stupid? they been breathing in all the Carbon Monoxide too long

 

[david85]

I've been reading an online blog for the last few evenings called "climate audit"

It was set up by canadian fellow named Steve McIntyre after folks from the alarmist camp (like RealClimate.org) started attacking him because he asked to see the source data that went into much of the united nations climate reports. He wasn't accusing anyone of anything, he simply wanted to see the info. RealClimate.org is closely affiliated with the UNIPCC and algore as well as environmental media (think of them like a broadcaster for groups like greenpeace).

Simply put he his essentially auditing the climate change science and some of the stuff he found is down right shocking. Many of the reports don't even have a source data record to back up things like the "hockey stick" graph. Either the data wasn't kept or its under lock and key. How can this be peer reviewed science if there is no source data to look at?

The reading is heavy, but I highly recommend it. Its no small wonder he was blogger of the year for 2007 and a finalist for 2008. He has also been called before the US congruss to explain these inconsistencies, and they agreed with his findings (2006).

I'm not sure if some of you heard that NASA was recently forced to revise its temperature record to reflect 1939 as the hottest year on record instead of 1998 in the united states. That mistake was originally found by this guy and only after he reported it, was the correction made. Jim Hansen was NOT happy . Needless to say, we can write off NASA as an impartial player in the climate debate.....

He has since tried to get source data for many other "peer reviewed" papers that are used to promote climate alarmism (mostly published by the UN), and is now getting stone-walled (BIG SURPRISE!!!). Its all well documented and he has fellow bloggers and readers all over the world that are contributing to the climate audit.

 

[FORDMAN41291]

ok even if every freakin vehicle does go green, the earth will come to an end one day.... Revelations something something something NIV

 

[Shadetreemechanic]

The top 10 lists came out the other day. 7 of the top ten being traded in are all different years of Fords, mostly Explorers and Windstars. The other 3 were Jeeps. NO Chevy's NO foreign! The top 10 being sold... well, at least there are 2 Fords in the list. The ****** (#1), and the the Escape hybrid (around #7 I think). One Chevy model, the Cobalt (#10). The rest ALL IMPORTS! So this means that 70% or so of our tax money used for this program is is being pumped into foreign companies and leaving our shores! Someone explain to me how this helps OUR economy?

If you look at that list again and look at the cars made in the US it comes out alot better. Honda, Toyota, and Nissan all make alot of their cars here. I have a friend who couldn't resist and traded his truck for a Corolla, It is made in Canada.
I still don't like the program, but there is a Nissian plant in my county that I feel like I should take up for.

 

[160k87F250]

We have stopped destroying engines until the owner gets paid from the government. Guess he is getting a little bit nervous.
John

 

[geno8769]

We have stopped destroying engines until the owner gets paid from the government. Guess he is getting a little bit nervous.
John

Cant believe anyone would worry about the government not coming through for them !

 

[Diesel JD]

I also noticed the no diesels on the list. I wonder what the deal is with that. Can anyone confirm they are not eligible? That would limit the blow to us but still does not negate the wastefulness and stupidity of this program. I really don't trust any of these people running the country, not just the democrats all of them with a few notable and refreshing exceptions are control freaks and slick self-promoters.

 

[Compu Doc]

If you look at that list again and look at the cars made in the US it comes out alot better. Honda, Toyota, and Nissan all make alot of their cars here. I have a friend who couldn't resist and traded his truck for a Corolla, It is made in Canada.
I still don't like the program, but there is a Nissian plant in my county that I feel like I should take up for.

Oerhaps some of those lines are assembled here but I am willing to be that the parts to build the cars are shipped here from their foreign countries. The only thing is Hyuandi is making there bodies here from rolls of sheet metal and even at that most of the car is put together by robots. That's not saying that the drive train components are being made here and the rest of the car. So that means that the money is leaving the US. That program should have done two things.

1. Do not destroy the engines on the trade in's because not everyone can afford a new car.

2. The program should have been that you could only trade in a clunker on any car made by Ford, GM or Chrysler and cannot be used to buy any other brand.

I bet that is the program had been run that way there would be a lot less people opposed to it.

Now last night I left a message saying that I was going to write my senator about not voting for him when his term is up. I written him VIA the website and also called and left a message with my number saying if your really concerned you would call back. Well guess what?. Yup you guessed it. No one called so do these politicians really care? I think you already know the answer.

To tell you how much they care previous to this senator I emailed the last senator in reference to me getting a ticket for no inspection. He sent a latter by USPS saying his secretary is looking into the matter and will be getting back to me. I have not heard from him yet and thankfully I was able to chase down the information I needed myself and the case was dismissed by the prosecutor.

Although the prosecutor was a bit bewildered he asked since when does Ford put a diesel in a van and I replied since about 1986 ;p The ticket i received was issued last year so the prosecutor is a little behind the times.

 

[OLDBULL8]

I can tell you one thing, all the dealers in my town are so frustrated with this cash-for-clunkers they are about insane. Ford dealer was around today apologizing to the people that couldn't be waited on last weekend. He hired two people just to sit at the phone trying to get thru to the DOT, took 3 hrs. on averages. As of yet no sign of any reimbursement from Dot. Lot's of money in the system, said his cash flow is shot in the $$s. Said he was not going to do any deal's if it is started again it's so frustrating.

 

[Agnem]

I say there is a difference between American built and American Made. To me, it's only made here, if the money STAYS here. All those foreign companies built those plants here to try and make you think they are really American companies, but they are not. The board of Toyota is all Japanese. Not a single American. That company has zero American content, and only a facade of presence in media and physical plant. Why did the government keep insisting that the "big 3" lower their rate of pay to what the (non-union) "transplants" as they call them have? This in effect lowers the American standard, while raising the foreigners to be the "standard by which all are measured". That's just wrong if you ask me. More and more it seems to me that our government is catering to everyone BUT the American people and this nation in general. That's why the cash for clunkers was allowed to work to buy foreign cars. That's just asanine for a program designed to "save" the American auto industry, which to you and me should mean the big 3, but appearantly our government thinks it should save the whole planet, and not just the U.S.A. Oh, and that's by using all of your money, and my money. Not the money of Japanese, Korean, or Chinese people. Let alone, Germans, French... yadayada....

 

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

Mel, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that.
It's good but it's bad.
Good for the fact that the foreign auto plants here in the U.S. are able to keep people working but bad because that money doesn't stay here.


Here's the top 10 most sought after cars on this program as od 87 Aug 2009.

1. Toyota Corolla

2. Ford Focus FWD

3. Honda Civic

4. Toyota Prius

5. Toyota Camry

6. Hyundai Elantra

7. Ford Escape FWD

8. Dodge Caliber

9. Honda Fit

10. Chevrolet Cobalt

Now I could be wrong, but it sure doesn't look like the struggling American automakers are getting very much help from this program.

It is good to see that Ford has 2 in the top ten tho.