Tulsa World: 'Cash for Clunkers' leaves behind a graveyard of clunkers in OKC

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"Cash for Clunkers" leaves behind a graveyard of clunkers in OKC

By JENNIFER PALMER NewsOK.com
Published: 9/20/2009 9:15 AM
Last Modified: 9/20/2009 9:15 AM

Saying goodbye to an old car is often an emotional experience.

But add in the knowledge that the "clunker” will be stripped and crushed, reduced to a pile of parts and metal, and its no surprise the "Cash for Clunkers” program has tugged at the heartstrings of a few car lovers.

Like a Hudiburg Chevrolet customer, who traded in her old car for a new Impala, returning a few days later with a $4,500 check because no one was going to crush her "baby.” She kept the Impala, too.

Or Mike Fowler, owner of three metro-area auto dealerships, who almost bought a late-90s Cadillac Seville because he thought it was too nice to be a clunker.

Click here to read the complete article at NewsOK.com

By JENNIFER PALMER NewsOK.com

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	Report Comment Lance-a-lot, Tulsa (9/20/2009 9:41:22 AM) Well, I guess if you can buy the clunkers back, then that kind of defeats the purpose of the program doesn't it? What I never understood was this: Why did the clunker have to be LESS than 20 years old? I'm pretty sure the cars over 20 years old are just as bad, if not worse at spewing black smoke. Shouldn't they have gotten rid of those too? Nah, it makes too much sense.
	Report Comment jess, (9/20/2009 9:59:52 AM) According to CNW Marketing Research one in six customers who traded in their autos during the cash-for-clunkers program already regret their decision mainly because of the increased car payments and insurance costs. That's a 300% increase over the normal 6% of normal new car purchases who regret their new car purchases a month or two later. Also, it will be interesting to see their reaction when they find out that the $4,500 they received will be taxed as normal income by the Federal Government.
	Report Comment Popeye, T-Town (9/20/2009 10:45:25 AM) The Federal Government is WAY too involved in the our daily lives. This is not the role intended by the Constitution and is a recipe for failure.
	Report Comment just passing through, (9/20/2009 10:51:41 AM) Jess.. I don't know where you got your info on the $4500 being considered as income by the IRS, but according to the IRS it is not true. I would check with the IRS on this if you are unsure about it.
	Report Comment just passing through, (9/20/2009 10:53:28 AM) Who decided on the twenty-five year cut off date Inot twenty years)? That was the old car lobby. They were afraid too many classic cars might be traded in and it would reduce the amount of cars that would need parts for restoratoration.
	Report Comment Darkstar, (9/20/2009 10:55:34 AM) You think its bad now...just wait for the increase in repossessions.
	Report Comment just passing through, (9/20/2009 10:56:48 AM) If you can buy the clunkers back it defeats the purpose.... Nope, it is as if they were never traded in in the first place. It seems you should be glad about this since it reduces the cost of a government program. Some people are never happy.
	Report Comment just passing through, (9/20/2009 10:59:20 AM) If people are unhappy with their purchase of a car or anything else they should put it up for sale. Since they got a break of about 25% on the price they should be able to sell it and still make money on the deal now that the program is over. How unhappy would they be if they were able to drive a new car for a few months, sell it and then put a thousand dollars in the bank?
	Report Comment just passing through, (9/20/2009 11:01:46 AM) Darkstar... I have talked to a number of new car dealers about the repro problem. They tell me most of the customers under this program paid cash and the rest had credit scores higher than they had ever seen.
	Report Comment kyote, (9/20/2009 11:11:12 AM) Why take good running cars off of the road and put people in debt with NOW a car payment? Get everyone in debt so they can default on the loans, kinda like the housing, bank loans doesn't it?
	Report Comment just passing through, (9/20/2009 11:13:48 AM) kyote... In order to help get the economy moving. As a famous Republican, H. L. Hunt, once said, "Money is like manure. It dosen't do any good unless you spread it around."
	Report Comment just passing through, (9/20/2009 11:42:41 AM) I love all of these comments. The more questions asked about programs such as this the better the upcoming one will be since it is always better to study something like this for flaws than to just hope for the best. Years ago a fellow from Yemen told me that America was great because we always took action on our problems. I told him that was only partaily true. We took actions, but we were looking for solutions and we never stopped. And I hope we never do.
	Report Comment edelweiss, Tulsa (9/20/2009 12:40:47 PM) Maybe OKC's a clunker. Just kidding.
	Report Comment tfromtulsa, Tulsa (9/20/2009 1:50:47 PM) ObamaCare will also leave behind a graveyard, but it won't be for clunkers.
	Report Comment okie ridgerunner, Small Country Town State Line (9/20/2009 2:02:34 PM) The next cash for clunkers should start in our prisons. any one get the drift of this.
	Report Comment Beentheredonethat, Tulsa (9/20/2009 3:11:36 PM) The government didn't force people to trade their cars in for new cars.
	Report Comment Few Clothes, America (9/20/2009 7:45:56 PM) I kept my clunkers. I became to emotionally attached with them due to the great memories I've had while driving them.
	Report Comment Aggie, (9/20/2009 11:35:53 PM) Another government program that has unintended consequences. I can't believe people want these folks to run health care.
	Report Comment Centrist, the burbs (9/21/2009 3:03:58 AM) What a waste. There are so many people that cannot afford a used car and need help. They could have donated them to someone in real need so they could get to a job and support their family instead of living off the rest of us when they rather work but just don't have the wheels.
	Report Comment FinallyDebtFree, Broken Arrow (9/21/2009 3:43:15 AM) The next time you see a temporary dealer tag on a car, take a close look. I have never seen so many expired tags in my life. Why? Because most of the suckers that got pulled-in by C4C can't afford the excise on a new vehicle plus the hit by their insurance agent for comp and collision added to the new car payment. Granted, some of the cars traded-in for new ones were of low value, but most of the B-roll I watched on the news showed cars that had a trade-in value that was at or above $4,000. Most people that thought they were getting a deal could have done better if they waited until this month and just took the year-end discounts. Personally, I'm waiting for the half-price repos.
	Report Comment What in the World!, Tulsula (9/21/2009 8:22:54 AM) WOW! Another botched job of spending our money by BO!

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