Comments on: Clunker Plan Enters Regulatory Hell

By: Robert Schwartz

Robert Schwartz — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:04:41 +0000

I would definitely pay money for a chance to shoot up a clunker with an M2.

By: akitadog

akitadog — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:47:03 +0000

Her legs are definitely going to peel tomorrow.

By: bevo

bevo — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:55:58 +0000

Any delay means it’s you who’ll pay. (Hey that’s catchy!)

+1 cocktail to you, sir.

I like the National Guard idea, but let’s extend it to civilians. Who among us would pay to fire off a 105mm gun into the side of some clunker?

Okay, maybe it’s just me but still…

By: vww12

vww12 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:54:50 +0000

«Maybe the government ought to out source this to Toyota»

+++ Good one.

By: 50merc

50merc — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:23:20 +0000

The devil is always in the details. We’ll have to wait for the regulations to find clever yet legal ways for drivers, dealers and salvages to take even more advantage of C4C.

I have two daily drivers that in the government’s eye (but probably no one else’s) qualify as clunkers. I’d certainly not turn them in before swapping good batteries, tires, aluminum wheels, etc. for junk parts. Parts I didn’t re-use myself could be sold.

Or, another possibility: dealers allow salvagers to pay clunker drivers on the spot for usable parts, then strip off everything (e.g., front clips) that would still leave the car technically “drivable.”

Look for the emergence of a new trade: Clunker Subsidy Maximization Specialist.

By: cnpota

cnpota — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:32:29 +0000

Kurt wrote: “They are just figuring out how they (and thier friends) can make money off the deal.”

Too right. Pork & Paybacks. Look no further than the TARP and subsequent bailouts…

Any delay means it’s you who’ll pay. (Hey that’s catchy!)

By: commando1

commando1 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:13:45 +0000

One word:
eBay

By: George B

George B — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:09:08 +0000

I’d prefer that the CARS vehicles get disassembled to recover useful parts vs. just crushing them. In the end the law is so narrowly written that only the most worn out examples of the SUV excesses of the 90s really qualify. At least here in the no road salt territory, most used pickup trucks are worth something close to $3500 if they can still haul stuff and pass inspection.

I wonder how much of a vehicle taken off the road under CARS can be legally reused, especially off-road? Could a Ford 5.0 V8 with GT40 P heads from a crushed Explorer find its way into a Mustang drag race car?

By: Billy Bobb 2

Billy Bobb 2 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:41:36 +0000

The Firestone Explorer Tires recall worked really well-for the enterprising types who went into the used tire business. Zero cost supply chain logistics.

By: dejal1

dejal1 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:01:28 +0000

Toyota has had junk yards cutting up pickup trucks for a few years now. Haven’t heard of anyone playing the system. I believe the yard sends the VIN plate to Toyota. Maybe the government ought to out source this to Toyota.

By: Kurt.

Kurt. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:15:42 +0000

Bertel, Bertel, Bertel,…

Silly German…this is the US Government we are talking about. They know what they are doing. They don’t need the help of the (uck) Europeans!

Actually, that is not far off the truth. They are just figuring out how they (and thier friends) can make money off the deal.

By: Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:51:26 +0000

They should call the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. They could stick their heads together with the Germans. They went through implementation hell with their program and had to revise rules and procedures several times. Now their program, which processes 2m units instead of the paltry 300K ceiling of the U.S., is pretty much as bullet-proof as it can get.

By: ragtopman

ragtopman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:01:40 +0000

“What could possibly go wrong?”
Trust them. This is your government at work.