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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/30/2009 2:34:45 PM

willbeurdaddy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250

Funny, people remember cars from 30 years ago when many of them (were) crap but, that was 30 years ago! Today American cars are just as good and in many cases better than imports.

ROFL. You must be joking.

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/30/2009 3:06:53 PM

servantforuse

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I actually think that American made cars are much improved and in many cases just as good as imports. The US car companies have a lot of ground to make up though.

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/30/2009 5:56:14 PM

Ialdabaoth

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I own a 1993 Honda Del Sol 2-seater convertible coupe, purchased when it was six months old from an auction in California. It's approaching 300,000 miles. It needs roughly one oil change per year (back in the 90's, it only needed one every 2 years), and gets an average of 35 miles per gallon (back in the 90's, it got 40 miles per gallon).

I bought the car "like new" for $6,000. I have since sunk $750 worth of clutch and brake work into it over the past 15 years. I don't even take that good care of it, and the thing just runs and runs and runs.

I love my Del Sol.

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 3:02:10 AM

housesub4you

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quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250

Funny, people remember cars from 30 years ago when many of them (were) crap but, that was 30 years ago! Today American cars are just as good and in many cases better than imports.

I bought my Dodge in 2003, it lasted all of 250 miles before it burnt up because the AC unit froze up and started on fire. It took a lawyer to get Dodge to even return a phone call, the dealer was all,, well it's not our problem, you have to talk to HQ. I was not talking about 30 years ago.

Now my Daewoo, I bought in 1999, it had over 350,000 miles on it and never broke down, my Honda has over 230,000 on it and no problems yet. My Dodge 250 miles before it went up in flames, hmmmm...don't think I will buy American again

Plus, it's not just cars, Hell we don't build anything in this country anymore. Who was it who said. "If you control the means of production, you control wealth" Huh seems we sold the means of production a long time ago and now we are paying the price

< Message edited by housesub4you -- 7/31/2009 3:05:03 AM >

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 7:51:02 AM

Sanity

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quote:

Government Suspends 'Clunkers' Program

At Current Rate, Giving Out $3,500 Or $4,500 Per Vehicle Would Burn Through $1 Billion Allocated In No Time

NYC Car Dealers: How Could Obama Administration Mess This Up?

..."If they can't administer a program like this, I'd be a little concerned about my health insurance," car salesman Rob Bojaryn said.

http://wcbstv.com/consumer/cash.clunkers.success.2.1108544.html

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 7:57:59 AM

servantforuse

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The allotted money would be for approx. 12 cars per dealer in the country. Many have sold twice that many cars already. The dealers are now worried that they will be stuck with the $4500......

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 8:25:26 AM

rulemylife

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White House: "Cash For Clunkers" Still Running‎ - Consumer Affairs

July 31, 2009
The White House this morning quickly denied published reports that the wildly popular “Cash For Clunkers” program had broken down, within days of starting up.

White House economic advisor Christina Romer, interviewed on the business cable network CNBC, said she could confirm that the program remains viable and operating. She said the White House would support Congressional efforts to pump an additional $2 billion into the program.

Car dealers were thrown into a panic late Thursday when it looked like the program had run its course before many dealers got ramped up. National Automobile Dealers Association spokesman Bailey Wood said Thursday that the group had been told by Transportation Department officials of plans to suspend the program after just six days. But Congressional leaders have said they will propose tripling the number for the program and Romer said the White House supports that effort.

The clunkers program has been the most successful of the economic stimulus progams thus far -- and the one that's most likely to have an immediate effect on Main Street USA, observers noted. Sales of new cars not only pump money into dealers' pockets but also produce big tax proceeds for cash-strapped state and local governments.

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 8:53:09 AM

Sanity

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Yeah, no big deal.

Billions and billions more in free government money... its nothing.

quote:

Congress trying to rescue ‘cash for clunkers’

Lawmakers aim to pass $2 billion bill to keep rebate program alive

WASHINGTON - The House raced Friday to pass legislation pouring an additional $2 billion into the popular — but financially strapped — “cash for clunkers” car purchase program.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32228179/ns/business-autos

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 9:41:42 AM

rulemylife

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Isn't that the point of a stimulus package?

Your own links said the dealers and salespeople believe it is doing what was intended, stimulating sales.

< Message edited by rulemylife -- 7/31/2009 9:43:24 AM >

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 10:06:42 AM

servantforuse

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How is this helping Detroit ? It should have been limited to U S made cars only.

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 10:59:21 AM

rulemylife

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quote:

ORIGINAL: servantforuse

How is this helping Detroit ? It should have been limited to U S made cars only.

And how would that be defined since so many foreign brands are made here and so many of U.S. brands are made elsewhere and then actually shipped back for sale here.

The idea was to stimulate the economy as a whole and this was only one small part of it.

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 11:03:55 AM

popeye1250

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quote:

ORIGINAL: willbeurdaddy

quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250

Funny, people remember cars from 30 years ago when many of them (were) crap but, that was 30 years ago! Today American cars are just as good and in many cases better than imports.

ROFL. You must be joking.

Willbeur, no I'm not kidding.
Go buy yourself a Lexus and then be prepared to empty your bank account when it goes off warranty!

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 11:07:28 AM

Sanity

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The stimulus package was supposedly a set amount, this is billions more.

And the "stimulus" was more about pork and buying votes than stimulating the economy.

More about seeing how deeply we could bury our grandkids in debt...

The point was to find out how much money Democrats could possibly spend, in a bill that no one was allowed to even read before it was signed into law...

quote:

ORIGINAL: rulemylife

Isn't that the point of a stimulus package?

Your own links said the dealers and salespeople believe it is doing what was intended, stimulating sales.

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 11:19:48 AM

rulemylife

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And again, your own links applauded the program and only complained that it might end.

< Message edited by rulemylife -- 7/31/2009 11:24:25 AM >

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 11:51:01 AM

Mercnbeth

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quote:

ORIGINAL: rulemylife

And again, your own links applauded the program and only complained that it might end.

This is a GREAT problem. My daughter is turning in her old piece of shit - GM car and picking up her new Cooper Mini later today!

Thank you for your tax dollars helping with the trade-in.

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 11:56:08 AM

Sanity

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My link asked how Obama could possibly screw something as simple as that up - and wondered how we could trust Democrats with health care if they're too inept to plan a basic program such as this.

quote:

ORIGINAL: rulemylife

And again, your own links applauded the program and only complained that it might end.

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 7/31/2009 1:59:22 PM

rulemylife

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Mercnbeth

quote:

ORIGINAL: rulemylife

And again, your own links applauded the program and only complained that it might end.

This is a GREAT problem. My daughter is turning in her old piece of shit - GM car and picking up her new Cooper Mini later today!

Thank you for your tax dollars helping with the trade-in.

Don't mention it.

Just doing my part.

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 8/13/2009 3:51:32 AM

Sanity

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quote:

SPIN METER: $3 billion buys not-so-green vehicles

WASHINGTON – Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the nation's top car salesman in recent weeks, has cited the Obama administration's best-seller list of mostly smaller, fuel-saving cars like the Ford Focus to describe the success of the Cash for Clunkers rebate program.

But what LaHood and other administration officials usually don't mention is that some trucks and sport-utility vehicles that get less than 20 miles per gallon, like the Ford F-150 truck and one version of the Cadillac SRX Crossover, also are being purchased with the new government subsidies. Both are bulky vehicles weighing more than 6,000 pounds when loaded that boast at least 248 horsepower.

Just how many consumers used the federal rebates to buy these larger, not-so-green vehicles is unclear. The Obama administration has declined so far to release detailed records of purchases under the program being compiled by the Transportation Department, listing every clunker deal requesting rebates. The Associated Press requested the data July 31.

The Transportation Department distributes regular summaries of sales from the clunkers program and has used the electronic sales information from dealers to bolster arguments that Americans are dumping gas guzzlers for gas savers. But its failure to release detailed records means the public can't verify those claims.

"Today almost 200,000 new fuel-efficient automobiles averaging 25 miles per gallon are on the road instead of gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs," LaHood wrote on his official blog just before Congress voted to spend $2 billion more for the government rebates last week.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090813/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_clunkers_not_so_green_5

But they refuse to release the data!

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 9/20/2009 7:05:51 PM

FirmhandKY

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FR:

Car showrooms quiet after clunkers clamor ends
Boston Globe
By Megan Woolhouse
Globe Staff / September 19, 2009

It has been nearly a month since the car-buying frenzy of the Cash for Clunkers program ended, and many area auto dealers are longing for the good old days of July and August.

...

But once the federal money dried up, so did the sales rally. Now, customers at dealerships like Silko Honda in Raynham are few and far between, and inventory is once again accumulating.

Manager Adam Silverleib said business was “pretty intense’’ as a result of the federal stimulus program, with the dealership hustling to accommodate customers and handle the piles of paperwork required for them to receive reimbursement on vouchers. “Now we’re kind of back to where we were in the spring,’’ he said.

...

Nationwide, customers snatched up 700,000 new cars, most of them foreign-made, and the government ended up paying out nearly $3 billion toward the purchases. But from the start, analysts predicted that Cash for Clunkers would not boost sales for the year. September’s sales swoon seems to be making their case. Car sales are usually slow after Labor Day, but because of the recession consumers this year are especially reluctant to say yes to major purchases. To make matters worse for dealers, most are still waiting for voucher reimbursements.

“It was probably, in the end, a complete waste of taxpayer money,’’ said John Wolkonowicz, a senior auto analyst at IHS Global Insight, Lexington forecasting firm. “The dealers, who were supposed to be the primary beneficiaries, many were forced into cash flow problems because the government didn’t pay them in a timely fashion.’’

From the outset, there were problems with the Car Allowance Rebate System. It was supposed to start July 1 but was delayed until July 24. The rules were complicated, and the list of qualifying vehicles and other requirements changed repeatedly. And in addition to the formidable paperwork, the government website set up to process the deals kept crashing, creating a backlog.

...

“This program was very good at getting product off the lot, but there haven’t been long-term benefits,’’ he said. “Dealers are reporting that showrooms are pretty dead right now.’’

Wolkonowicz said the fall slowdown may have been worsened by the program because many buyers came out early to take advantage of the program instead of waiting until now to shop.

***

Another "great" Federal "stimulus" program ...

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RE: The Politics of Car Buying ... - 9/20/2009 7:16:32 PM

DarkSteven

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WTF is an American car? It seem to be defined by where the management is, not where the workers, the suppliers, or the dealers are. I'd much rather buy a Japanese car made in America than an American car made in Mexico from Japanese parts.

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