Cash for Clunkers Euthanasia: BMW 530iM 5MT
TTAC Commentator JG sent us this link, and the following thought for the day:
I was thinking that the government should really be censoring these videos. If they can stand the test of time, in 50 years people will watch the videos and it will seem remarkable how utterly stupid some people are at this time. You probably don’t have time to watch this, but my favorite lines are @ 2:10: “Whatever dumbass traded this in probably bought a piece of shit that’s far worse than this thing . . . some Kia or some crap . . . such a waste.”
More by Robert Farago
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More debt? You say this like the owner of that BMW was stil l making payments on that heap. Hes probably saving money just on the repairs he no longer has to male to keep that frankencar alive
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You wannabe Keynesians are missing the point! The outrage people feel about seeing a car like this needlessly destroyed is based on pure human emotion, not some convoluted academic argument over aggregate demand and debt neutrality. Many people, myself included, are BMW enthusiasts who love these cars and hate to see one that is still in working condition destroyed. People have the ability to develop strong emotions for their automobiles because they are so intricately woven into the fabric of our daily existence. An individual can bond with a car in a way they simply cannot with a computer or a DVD player or an iPod. Yes, that BMW was just a machine and machines wear out, become inefficient, and eventually obsolete. Still that logic doesn't take the human emotion and attachment away from the car. Besides, many automobile enthusiasts love older cars for purely subjective reasons that have nothing to do with fuel efficiency or net real output. I love BMWs and I cannot bear to watch that video. I suspect most other enthusiasts are the same way. However, I can't bear to watch any of the videos showing the destruction of functional vehicles, regardless of the make. I like to fix cars up not destroy them. Those are the reasons why people are upset about this. The economics behind the CFC program, which are not definitively valid, don't tell the whole story.
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Sorry to be so very, very late to the party. The author of the video works for a Volvo dealer - Don Beyer Volvo is the name written in one of the employee's shirt - The BMW owner must have got the $ 3,500 bonus and traded the 530i in for a C30 perhaps? Who knows... but... the Bimmer seemed in good shape and that's what really bothers me. This program took a lot of clunkers out of the roads, but sadly some good working cars were killed as well.
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The BMW 530i in the video above had 120.507 miles on the odometer and it was traded for a Volvo V50 FWD 2.4 Automatic: http://www.faqs.org/cars/sales/Don-Beyer-Motors-Inc/Volvo-1.html
General Motors Death Watch 47: Happy Days