Yahoo Autos Bringing Back Cash For Clunkers Would Be Disastrous
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We could be looking at a return of the failed government program, a fate we should all be fighting against...
While an older report from Automotive News said Ford Motor Co. has been pressuring the US government to create an automotive stimulus program similar to the Car Allowance Rebate System from 2009, also known as Cash for Clunkers, the idea has resurfaced recently and some automotive publications actually seem excited about the prospects. Despite what some media outlets try to claim, the old program wasn’t a huge hit. In fact, its effectiveness has been seriously called into question, plus allegations of outright fraud have been leveled. That’s why anyone who loves old cars as well as is weary of wanton government spending should be highly suspicious of this proposal.
Learn how movie car chases have changed over the years here.
According to Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president of US marketing, sales, and service, the proposed stimulus would help to spike car sales, which have recently plummeted. He argues more cars sold equals a boost for the economy. How can anyone argue against that?
LaNeve went on to praise the Obama-era Cash For Clunkers program, saying it was “very effective” at increasing car sales during a difficult financial crisis.
Under the Car Allowance Rebate System, people interested in getting a cash incentive toward buying a new vehicle were required to turn in a used “clunker” car. The vehicle had to be less than 25 years-old, have an EPA-rated fuel efficiency of less than 18 mpg, and be in drivable condition. In addition, the used car was supposedly scrapped in the name of environmentalism.
Being classic car enthusiasts, we shudder to think about the effects of this program. For one, it took out quite a few potentially rare, collectible vehicles. In the right hands those vehicles would have been properly cared for, sparingly driven, and fully restored. The collector car market is an important part of the US economy as well, but it was crushed in part to promote new vehicle sales.
During the program, enthusiast sites, forums, and groups on social media were full of posts of cool cars headed to the scrap heap. It was heartbreaking to see amazing vehicles that were running getting trashed in the name of a program that returned questionable if not downright shameful results.
