lynn Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 (edited) I can't believe we purchased a brand new car for under $8500. Gotta love it. I am finally free of the van and have a fun little car to get around town in:D Edited August 19, 2009 by lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Nope, because the program doesn't work for a family of 8. lol We have a "clunker" according to their guidelines, but there isn't a single acceptable new vehicle on their list that seats 8. But I'm sure it's much better for the environment for us to use 2 slightly smaller vehicles... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 They tried to trade in their huge, old, 1/2 ton, extended cab, farm truck for a small Ranger to drive around the farm on light duty and run errands into town. They couldn't. The big truck they were trading in qualified. The Ranger they wanted to buy qualified. The trade didn't qualify, because the Ranger was too much smaller than the truck they were trading in. If they had wanted to buy another big truck, it would have qualified. So.... they kept the huge, gas-guzzling farm truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Our 12 year old 140K clunker didn't qualify. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Wow! Great deal for you! My car does not qualify! I couldn't believe it!! It's a 10 year old minivan. I guess I should be glad that I'm not driving an official clunker.:001_smile: But, even if it had qualified, I'm not sure I would've done it. We're enjoying not having a car payment. And, I hope that we will be able to get a couple more good years out of this van. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inactive Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 NOPE -- we don't believe in taking government money (actually tax-paying citizen's money) for something we should be providing for ourselves. We believe in "paying our own way"... Something I heard earlier this week: "Follow the money...with money comes control." Decide whether you want the government telling you what to do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Congratulations on your new car! We almost did, until we realized how much we LOVE not having a car payment. We came this close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 We thought about it but there are only 2 payments left on the van. I would like to not have a car payment for awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 Congratulations on your new car! We almost did, until we realized how much we LOVE not having a car payment. We came this close. We still don't have a car payment. We have been saving since we paid off our van 5 years ago so we could pay cash when we were ready to purchase a new car. This worked well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Woohoo! That's even better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 (edited) Wow! Great deal for you! My car does not qualify! I couldn't believe it!! It's a 10 year old minivan. I guess I should be glad that I'm not driving an official clunker.:001_smile: But, even if it had qualified, I'm not sure I would've done it. We're enjoying not having a car payment. And, I hope that we will be able to get a couple more good years out of this van. I was suprised to see how many non "official" clunkers we being turned in for the program. It's a shame some of the better vehicles can't be donated to those who may need them. My dh figured our truck was hitting 200,000 miles and we could not get but half of the $4500 cfc program gave us if we sold it on our own it was best to do it this way and purchase a car at this time. Our teens don't always want to come with us anymore so we no longer need room for 6 passengers and we figured we'd give the car to our son when he's off to college in 2 year. Edited August 19, 2009 by lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarmom4 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Happy new car! Always fun...especially when you're not in debt for it! In regards to cash for clunkers...did anybody else see Glenn Beck's discussion of this? I only caught a little bit of it...so I'm not sure of the accuracy...if you enrolled in this program, somehow you actually allow the government control of your computer or personal information? It sounds way out there...but if there is a smidgen of truth to it, it would scare me away from the program. Anybody know? (Didn't mean to hijack the thread....obviously I ought to go search on Beck's site and see if I can find out what he was talking about...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in FL Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Happy new car! Always fun...especially when you're not in debt for it! In regards to cash for clunkers...did anybody else see Glenn Beck's discussion of this? I only caught a little bit of it...so I'm not sure of the accuracy...if you enrolled in this program, somehow you actually allow the government control of your computer or personal information? It sounds way out there...but if there is a smidgen of truth to it, it would scare me away from the program. Anybody know? (Didn't mean to hijack the thread....obviously I ought to go search on Beck's site and see if I can find out what he was talking about...) Actually, it was the dealers side of the web site that allowed the government access of the computer and all the details on it. Soon after his show aired the powers that be changed the web site. So, getting info out there can change things! Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrumm4448 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I would have done it if I could get my husband to agree. Our truck qualified as a clunker and I wanted to buy a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The only problem is that there are none out there to buy! Because of the rebate they're sold out until the 2010s come out. So, the universe conspired against me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I want to see the movies of them being crunched! Or, maybe a field trip? That would be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 6packof fun..., did you see the Chevy Traverse? ( I think that is what is is called)..we just got back from test driving one, it can seat 8, tho we are looking at captain seats in the middle row, so we'd only seat 7. It's a cross-over and gets pretty good gas mileage, at least compared to my astro van! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmeraldGirl Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 We thought about it but in good conscience could not add to the public debt and use tax-payer money for something that we should pay for. Also, what a waste that perfectly good used cars have to be crushed and never used again. What are people who can't afford newer vehicles going to be able to purchase, or your homeschooled high schooler who can't afford a new car? Or how about salvage yards that keep those older vehicles to fix the body or your car when in an accident? Seems like trading one set of supposed problems (cleaner air/emissions) which hasn't exactly been proven, for another (landfill waste that won't ever decompose) plus public debt, personal debt, etc, etc. JMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 We're trying to, but not too successful so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 We thought about it but in good conscience could not add to the public debt and use tax-payer money for something that we should pay for. Also, what a waste that perfectly good used cars have to be crushed and never used again. What are people who can't afford newer vehicles going to be able to purchase, or your homeschooled high schooler who can't afford a new car? Or how about salvage yards that keep those older vehicles to fix the body or your car when in an accident? Seems like trading one set of supposed problems (cleaner air/emissions) which hasn't exactly been proven, for another (landfill waste that won't ever decompose) plus public debt, personal debt, etc, etc. JMHO. :iagree::iagree: I also am irritated that this program helps the car companies once again. Oh well. Still angers me, tho'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 (edited) :iagree::iagree: I also am irritated that this program helps the car companies once again. Oh well. Still angers me, tho'. OTOH, the dealers gave the discounts to the customers, but only a small percentage of the dealers have gotten any reimbursement from the government. And in cases where the govt decides the transaction didn't qualify after all, the dealer has no recourse. Some dealers were having customers sign an agreement that if the govt fails to pay, the customer will reimburse the dealer, but the govt decided the agreements are not allowed. Edited August 20, 2009 by LizzyBee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Also, what a waste that perfectly good used cars have to be crushed and never used again. What are people who can't afford newer vehicles going to be able to purchase, or your homeschooled high schooler who can't afford a new car? Or how about salvage yards that keep those older vehicles to fix the body or your car when in an accident? Seems like trading one set of supposed problems (cleaner air/emissions) which hasn't exactly been proven, for another (landfill waste that won't ever decompose) plus public debt, personal debt, etc, etc. JMHO. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilymax Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 We thought about it but in good conscience could not add to the public debt and use tax-payer money for something that we should pay for. Also, what a waste that perfectly good used cars have to be crushed and never used again. What are people who can't afford newer vehicles going to be able to purchase, or your homeschooled high schooler who can't afford a new car? Or how about salvage yards that keep those older vehicles to fix the body or your car when in an accident? Seems like trading one set of supposed problems (cleaner air/emissions) which hasn't exactly been proven, for another (landfill waste that won't ever decompose) plus public debt, personal debt, etc, etc. JMHO. Another :iagree:here. I just found out today that my minivan with nearly 150K miles has a leak in the radiator. I'd love to have something new to drive, but it just doesn't feel responsible to do that when it means saddling my kids and grandkids (and yours) with paying the bill for these cars for decades to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chpiper Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 We still don't have a car payment. We have been saving since we paid off our van 5 years ago so we could pay cash when we were ready to purchase a new car. This worked well for us. That's awesome! We have driven around for the past 2 days looking for a used vehicle for my niece, and it has been a real eye opener to see all the 'clunkers' filling up the car lots...finding a decent priced *used* car seems to be a problem since so many used ones are being eliminated...I don't know what to think about the program, but it is great that you got a good deal and have no payments!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 We thought about it but in good conscience could not add to the public debt and use tax-payer money for something that we should pay for. Also, what a waste that perfectly good used cars have to be crushed and never used again. What are people who can't afford newer vehicles going to be able to purchase, or your homeschooled high schooler who can't afford a new car? Or how about salvage yards that keep those older vehicles to fix the body or your car when in an accident? Seems like trading one set of supposed problems (cleaner air/emissions) which hasn't exactly been proven, for another (landfill waste that won't ever decompose) plus public debt, personal debt, etc, etc. JMHO. :iagree: I am glad you were able to obtain a new car and Yeah! for paying cash, but I had no clue they were crushing all the trade-ins, what a waste. My dh and I always buy used and usually buy what some might consider a clunker. Thankfully we have two fairly new vehicles that are paid for, but should we have been in the need for a car now a portion (no statistics) of our inventory to chose from has been eliminated. That makes me sad everyone who deals in that 2nd hand car market, from the high school kid wanting his first car to the small local dealer that would have been glad to have those vehicles. Not everyone wants a new car with a new car payment. I'm also concerned with the premise that may have "forced" people into now having a car payment that can't really afford it. I wonder what the repo percentage rates will be in six months to a year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmulcahy Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 NOPE -- we don't believe in taking government money (actually tax-paying citizen's money) for something we should be providing for ourselves. We believe in "paying our own way"... Something I heard earlier this week: "Follow the money...with money comes control." Decide whether you want the government telling you what to do... :iagree: T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHGrandma Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I thought about it, and went to the website to see if my pickup qualified. It is 18 years old and has 350,000 miles on it; it does qualify. But I wanted to replace it with the same make & model, and in 18 years they've only increased the MPG rating by 1! So, my desired trade does not qualify. I'm not sure I would have traded anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Our 13 year old "clunker" with over 150K didn't either.....but it gets almost 40mpg and runs perfectly so we aren't complaining (too much!) Dawn Our 12 year old 140K clunker didn't qualify. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I am not sure any of our cars qualified either. Our Sequoia might have, but it is our newest and nicest car! Oh, and it is paid for! We hope to never have to have a car payment again either. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepymommy Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Our 15yr old clunker didn't qualify:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtsmamtj Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 NOPE -- we don't believe in taking government money (actually tax-paying citizen's money) for something we should be providing for ourselves. We believe in "paying our own way"... Something I heard earlier this week: "Follow the money...with money comes control." Decide whether you want the government telling you what to do... :iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: - I also don't like the idea of burdending mine or your children/grandchildren!!! T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtroad Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 We thought about it but in good conscience could not add to the public debt and use tax-payer money for something that we should pay for. Also, what a waste that perfectly good used cars have to be crushed and never used again. What are people who can't afford newer vehicles going to be able to purchase, or your homeschooled high schooler who can't afford a new car? Or how about salvage yards that keep those older vehicles to fix the body or your car when in an accident? Seems like trading one set of supposed problems (cleaner air/emissions) which hasn't exactly been proven, for another (landfill waste that won't ever decompose) plus public debt, personal debt, etc, etc. JMHO. From a fellow tax payer... THANK YOU!!! I don't know how our society thinks we can afford to have it all & pay for it all. It is scary. Also the complete WASTE of those vehicles was very irresponsible. How many could have been used in other capacities... even if NOT a car... the engines had chemicals poured into them to completely destroy them. Selective scrapping of a vehicle offers more profit than just crushing the thing. The windshield may be worth more than the scrap metal from crushing.... but leave it to gov't to know more than the people who actually WORK in the industry. Now, NY is stopping the program & most dealers haven't seen a dime of the money they were promised as they sold these cars. Something like 2-4%! Not paying dealers is another example of the truth... there isnt' any money for it! They cant' just write a check & mail it over. So sad. So destructive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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