I completed the paperwork for a new Fit Sport and left my clunker with the dealer last Saturday. I still haven't taken delivery of it. I called the dealer yesterday and they told me that they chose "option B" of the cash for clunkers program, whereas customers have to leave their clunkers with the dealer, but aren't allowed to take the new car home until the gov't approves the deal.

I hate that I have to wait so long, especially when I'm hearing that everyone else has been able to take the new cars home with them on the spot. Waiting for the govt to approve it can take weeks.

 

I finished my deal with CARS and my dealership July 30th, but I didn't have to leave my clunker with them..I'm still driving it. Just finished a final last minute paper that they said they had to still get this Tuesday the 4th. They said I can take delivery when they get approval from the government, not when they actually receive the $4500. I'm hoping it is sometime this upcoming week....They told me it should take around 5 business days for the gov't to review/process/give approval for a CLUNKER.

 

Do you have any other dealers in the area? There is no "option B". They're covering their butt, but have left you without a car...the old one and the new one.

They can hold onto the old car on their lot and not euthanize it until the deal is approved by the government. But there's nothing that says anything about holding the new car.

Is the rest of the car financed and everything else?

There is a rock and hard place area, in that it states the title of the vehicle must be marked for the program before submitting the paperwork. After which the clunker is not driven, it's stored.

Obama should be signing the bill today.

 

This is interesting. I did not realize that dealerships were going to hold on to the new car.

That can really cause a problem for people if they only have ONE car.

I don't like this at all. Especially since not all dealers are doing it. Apparently some dealers are competent and confident enough that they have filled out all the paperwork correctly and have no problem releasing the vehicle.

Do the dealers provide a free rental car?

 

I don't know if they're just trying to cover their butts or not. I think maybe they were concerned that the program would run out of money before they got paid for all of them. I'm kind of hoping that since the extra $2 billion was passed, they may call me and just let me take the car. It's obvious now that it will be approved and they will get paid.

My salesman told me that they had a stack of about 20 deals worth of paperwork sitting there and only one of them has been approved so far. Very frustrating! I don't need the clunker so it's not a big deal. I'm just excited to get my new car!

 

Maybe they don't know what the heck they're doing!

While it's not exactly rocket surgery, there's been more than enough confusion with the program to throw everyone off.

Obama signed the bill today, $2B is on it's way to the program. So that shouldn't be an issue.

The only problem a dealership should have with not letting you have the car now, is if their own people are totally messing up on the paperwork, causing the deals to be declined.

If the forms aren't completed properly, they (the feds) will turn down the deal. No brainer there. For the same reason we can't cash someone's check who forgot to sign it. All the parts have to be completed.

Do you know if other local dealers are doing the same thing? Is there a way to change dealers so you can get your car?

 

Alaska 2006: The Lone Librarian Rides Again

 

The least exciting experience i've had with a dealer. They took the keys to my van, verified the VIN#, and I haven't heard a word about it since...didn't give a rat's ass that I had gutted the interior. Easy $4500.

It helped to do a little homework, and know what they needed....proof of insurance for a year, reg papers for this year and last, and of course the title.

 

I was tempted to do the same thing with my SUV. Planned on stopping at the junkyard the day before and get whatever I could for anything I wouldn't need for the car to still drive (roof rack, leather interior in great condition, radio/cd changer, arm rest/bin, etc). I figured they are going to junk it anyway so why not? I decided against it just in case because then I'd be left with no rebate and a stripped down clunker.

 

Hi Everyone,

We started our deal for a base Storm Silver M/T Fit on July 26th. The salesman told us that the dealership was swamped by all of the clunker applications that were being submitted. There were 30 applications that weekend alone. We finally took delivery this morning after dropping off our 99 Ford Ranger. The process was fairly painless except for running to the dealer with insurance cards for the Ford from the past year. The dealer had 16 Fits when we first went on July 26th. After picking ours up this morning, he had 8 left. I was sad to leave my trusty Ford behind but am looking forward to the experience that the Fit offers. I've already told my twin 5 year old sons that they'll most likely learn to drive in this car.

 

...and there's one of the reasons I bought a car like this at my age. My 12 yr old son will be on the roads soon enough. He went with me to narrow down my selection, and to test drive some other options...even though I knew it was gonna end-up being a Fit.

If all goes well, he'll be learning in this car when the time comes....but for now, I'm gonna enjoy it!

 

I figure by the time my eldest son is on the road I'd be better of having had given him lessons on how to survive the post-gas war wastelands of Mad Max than a car.

Now what does one give a future road warrior? Dog food, leg brace, last of the V8 interceptors...

 

I traded in my 1991 Acura Legend for a Tafetta White Sport Auto. They made me pay sticker price because i was trading in through cash for clunkers. Anyone else have the same experience? or did i get gipped -_-

 

I wouldn't say getting $3,500-$4,500 off MSRP on a Fit is gypped. Consumer Reports suggests starting like you are doing a regular deal, talking down the price if you can, and then doing the Clunker deal on top of the negotiated final price.

But I did say way back when that on the Fit, paying MSRP and then getting $4,500 off is probably what most deals will be. They don't make TONS of profit on MSRP. And the Fit is one of the BEST cars out there.

I got a couple hundred off MSRP (I think), and my old clunker was towed away and I got $75.00 scrap for it. Back in December. I thought that was a good enough deal. That was before Cash for Clunkers/CARS. I was fine with that. I still am. I have a great car. At a reasonable price.

NO ONE HERE got $4,500 off their Fit who wasn't in the CARS program. No one.

I don't know what it is about buying cars, but for some reason, many of us come away wondering if we paid too much. But the whole process is full of variables.

If you have a trade-in, how much will it be valued at? Depends on the vehicle and how well it's been taken care of and the miles and sometimes even the color or transmission or interior or engine.

If you're buying a new car, what car, and where are you? Some locations can command a premium for their vehicles (including dealer markup), or charge more because it's a newly designed model. So you PAY for the opportunity to be the first kid on the block to have the new model.

Other areas might try incentives or markdowns, because the same model is just not selling. Why? Maybe everybody needs trucks! You need to have a truck for farming and ranching and construction and landscaping. Or maybe most of the roads in the area are less than smooth, lots of dirt or gravel. It doesn't have to be everyone's road, it only has to be the road of the person looking to buy a car. They need to be able to get home. LOL!

Next, the real price that is paid for the vehicle includes financing. And down payment. Some folks have a bigger down payment. Some folks have established credit. Some might belong to credit unions that have special rates. People new to credit often have to pay higher interest rates.

Insurance is also a factor in most states. Add that to the price of the car. And that's a variable. Not just from your driving record, but you might get a multi-car discount, or a discount from having homeowner's insurance with the same company.

Gas prices, might be more or less. The labor hourly wage on service work might vary. Some people do a lot of their work. That's a savings I will never get.

That's a lot to consider, but it all has to do with the cost of ownership.

Congratulations on your new car!!!

 

...Little Debbie's Snack cakes and Diet Cola.

 

Luckily, the Fit has that "You must step on the brake pedal to put the car in gear" safety feature. You don't want the youngsters trying to start driving early. LOL!

Are you in a busy area? Thirty deals that first weekend? It still amazes me that the government originally thought 12 deals per dealership on average would last over 3 months.

And anyone who is still waiting to do their deal should probably still hurry in.

"The early bird gets the worm"

 

TY! nice post. i feel alot better about my car now haha.

 

Ha! well prior to trading in my C4C 91 Caddy Coupe , I stripped off the spoke rims, upgraded grill and whatever else and dropped the parts off at some ebay consignment store and they sold it for me. Then the day of trade in...i loaded up the trunk w/ alot of garbage that the trashmen wouldn't take (2 old microwaves, an old betamax, old computers and misc junk). Luckily all the dealer was concerned with was writing the mileage down for the title transfer!
I'm still happy with the deal i got with this whole C4C thing. The Fit is awesome!

 

It wasn't just the government; this was the prevailing wisdom as recently as 2 months ago. Here's a quote from a piece by Aaron Turpan, dated June 17, that was typical of the predictive capabilities of many political columnists this spring and summer (italics mine):

The title of Turpan's article? The Pending Cash for Clunkers Program: Failure From the Get-Go?

 

I drove from cleveland ohio to denver colorado then to mobile alabama and back to cleveland over Christmas of last year with my wife and 1 year old son, the fit did amazing! Great mileage, just added a lil more air in the tires and for the most part 30-32 mpg with the heater on blast and doing 75-80 when it wasnt snowing....