Comments on: Cash for Clunkers Bill

By: LV

LV — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Mike:

Your comment and the language in the Title XIII-Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save law differ, so I am confused…

The ruling posted on the government website specifically states “The Act’s one year insurance requirement is satisfied so long as the trade-in vehicle is insured, irrespective of the identity of the person holding the insurance policy.”

http://www.cars.gov/files/TheRule.pdf

I have scanned the 100 something page document of rules and procedures and couldn’t find anything the states the car is required to be insured by the owner for the preceeding year…while registration does have that requirement.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

PT:

Youradvice to Becky was not correct. I sell cars, and have been doing Clunker Deals since the first week of this month. The vehicle being traded in MUST have been continuously insured and registered in the name of the person trading in the vehicle. The Feds are very specific about that.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

I am a car salesman and our dealership has about 45 pending deals on this, pretty amazing how all of these people have come out of the woodwork to find a new car.

By: Ben Watson

Ben Watson — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

My questions are

Can I turn in a clunker truck toward a passenger car?

How do I get the best deal if the dealer knows I have an extra 4500 bucks to work with?

Nothing on cars.gov makes the truck to car issue clear.

By: Patsy Rivera

Patsy Rivera — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Hello PT,

Your recent coverage of Cash for Clunkers legislation was spot on. I thought you might be interested in more info on vehicle donation alternatives to Cash for Clunkers for the many people who don’t qualify for that government payout. You could help charities a lot by adding a link to our informational page on Cash for Clunkers versus charitable car donation – donatecarusa.com/cashforclunkers.

So many charities benefit from the donated vehicles. If you place a link to our site, please let us know. Thanks.

By: PT

PT — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

@Beckie – I think it might be eligible. The CARS faq state, “be continuously insured and registered to the same owner for the full year preceding the trade-in”. As long as it’s been insured by someone for a year you’re ok. The one owner thing applies to the registration.

By: Beckie

Beckie — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

My mother in law’s car is a total clunker. It’s registered in my brother in law’s name and insured in her name. Does anyone know if we could still qualify for the program? The program says you need to show proof of insurance and title for the past year…which we have, but they’re not all in one person’s name. I’m upset because I don’t think we’ll qualify for this.

By: Brad D.

Brad D. — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

The feds will give the money straight to the selling dealership, that gave the consumer the break. Its basically a rebate form the government just like a factory rebate.

The sad thing is, they are GIVING the cars FREE to junk yards, who are in turn pissed because they cannot sell the drivetrain… PISSED? they get FREE inventory and they are pissed…

The cars must be destroyed which will make it even harder for poor people who depend on buying those cars for transportation.

By: PT Money

PT Money — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

@Brad – I agree. Not many people will fit the bill (pun).

Still, where’s the $1 Billion going to go? Who will get those funds?

By: Brad D.

Brad D. — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

How many people do you know that drives a car worth LESS than 3500, who can afford or will buy a brand new car? There is a reason they drive a car that cheap in the first place.

PLUS, most CARS will not qualify as the new car will not meet the threshold for upgrading in MPG.. now if you have an 1985 pickup that is ragged (cause if its in good shape, its prob worth about 4k….) and you are trading in on a brand new cavalier, its a great deal…

Otherwise, its politico grandstanding… “Look what we did for you!”