I heard somewhere that the government is offering incentives for people purchasing vehicles which are more fuel efficient than their current ones. Is this true?

yes

yes

 

What are they, exactly?

Not too sure but, I thought it was a 4500 for a High MPG car. Check out GM.com they might have the info.

It was proposed but I don't think it has passed. As the regulations are bs many are fighting the waste of money except the car companies themselves.

It passed and it is available (c'mon guys, you've got the internet, you can look shit up now! )

 

http://www.cars.gov/

 

* Your vehicle must be less than 25 years old on the trade-in date

* Only purchase or lease of new vehicles qualify

* Generally, trade-in vehicles must get 18 or less MPG (some very large pick-up trucks and cargo vans have different requirements)

* Trade-in vehicles must be registered and insured continuously for the full year preceding the trade-in

* You don't need a voucher, dealers will apply a credit at purchase

The law is total BS and a waste of money. a truck must get 2 mpg more than the older vehicle. So I trade in something that gets 14 mpg and get one that has a 16 mpg rating. This President is pissing money away at a healthy rate or better yet pouring it down the drain.

here is another site that provides a good deal of information:

http://www.cashforclunkersfacts.com/

 

I will personally be taking advantage of it. I've been looking for an effective means of getting rid of my '94 Jeep. It has no real value anymore, and the best I could think of was donating it. I personally have been looking for a means of transitioning to a more efficient vehicle, and here's my chance to easily qualify for the $4500 tax-free savings towards a new car (my car only gets 15mpg at best... probably around 12 mpg now. I've owned the car under my name for a couple years now, etc.). As soon as I hear that state dealerships are honoring it, I'm taking advantage of it.

Guys - be careful. There are a boat load of scams out there about this already. The bill is on Obama's desk but has not been signed yet. Believe me, my paint delaming 93 dakota with 242k miles is waiting impatiently for this to go through.

 

Here's the OFFICIAL GOV'T website

http://www.cars.gov/

(my car only gets 15mpg at best... probably around 12 mpg now. I've owned the car under my name for a couple years now, etc.)

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't matter what mpg your car gets now, but rather what the EPA combined mpg was when it was new.

 

Here's where to go to get the EPA numbers:

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

 

more info on the CARS program:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/cash4clunkers.shtml

(my car only gets 15mpg at best... probably around 12 mpg now. I've owned the car under my name for a couple years now, etc.)

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't matter what mpg your car gets now, but rather what the EPA combined mpg was when it was new.

 

Here's where to go to get the EPA numbers:

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

 

more info on the CARS program:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/cash4clunkers.shtml

From what I understand, they are basing it off the "Estimated new EPA MPG" listed on their fuel economy site (the standards were changed, and most MPGs were changed across the board):

 

"Go to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm and click on the model year of your vehicle, the make, and then the model. Under the words "ESTIMATED NEW EPA MPG" in the red banner, there is a red number with the word "COMBINED" under it. That is the new combined city/highway fuel economy for your vehicle. You may then enter the make, model, and model year of a new vehicle you may want to buy and see its combined MPG for comparison." [Cited http://www.cars.gov/faq.html]

 

My car, 1994 Jeep Cherokee 4WD 6cyl 4.0L Automatic, is listed at 15, and the vehicles I'm looking at average 28MPG+... so, it doesn't really matter.

 

As for scams, of course people have to be careful-- but that goes for ANYTHING. I'm personally going to wait until I see registered dealers on the official site, and then contact those dealerships to confirm.

I'm personally going to wait until I see registered dealers on the official site, and then contact those dealerships to confirm.

 

I actually went to a dealer yesterday and gave them my spiel along with my name and vitals and told them to contact me when they're registered. If they want to make a sale, they'll do it. If not, someone else will, for sure.

 

If you think about it, what else does a dealer do with a 93 dakota with a quarter million miles or a 94 jeep but send it to the Junkyard...

 

If this hadn't come along, I would have probably kept it as my Home Depot truck which is what it was originally bought for.

I agree, and will probably take the initiative and talk to the local dealerships to see what they have to say. And I think I read that all vehicles being traded in will be indeed be sent to the scrape yard. The cars.gov site is saying to expect changes come mid-July... so, time to do some in depth research :ugeek:

The skinny on "Cash for Clunkers"

 

http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/25/autos/clunkers_reality/index.htm?postversion=2009062507

The skinny on "Cash for Clunkers"

 

http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/25/autos/clunkers_reality/index.htm?postversion=2009062507

 

 

I don't really care about most car buyers - I just care about me. Isn't this the ME generation and isn't this the ME presidency?

 

(sarcasm off)