So...saw this online...Top 10 TV cars worthy of Cash for Clunkers..
TV Tango - Head Snaps - Top 10 TV Cars Worthy Of Cash For Clunkers

 

hahahahaha, that's great!

Now I have the urge to watch older TV shows! Especially Columbo!

 

It would cost me over 100$/month to water a small patch of grass. My yard is gravel. Hers probably is too.

The passport can tow itself. It has a hitch, but it doesnt have a lot to pull with. It stays because when the snow comes down in feet, which it will do every winter, usually multiple times, I can go anywhere in it.

Get rid of the beemers? What's the fun in that? The only one that depreciates anymore is the M3, and the fit depreciates more than that will. Life is too short...

 

why on Earth would you get rid of a crew of beautiful beemers for scooters!? the combined worth of those beemers would buy a few Ducati's anyway!

 

Why? Because I'm old and practical. Although I'd pass on the scooters and the watercraft too.

 

actually if you do any driving outside of the city scooters are pointless my workplace is only two and a half minutes from my house and i could only take my scooter if i worked weird hours because in order to get their i had to go 50 something only one scooter can do *the aprilia sr50r factory, the second scooter i owned*

 

i could drive a scooter to work, or ride a bike.

but, i love to drive. i'd cut my ass off before i'd ride a bike / scooter to work.

 

And there it is:

Bernie Saric has watched the U.S. government’s “cash for clunkers” program burn through more than $2 billion in car-purchase assistance. As the program enters its last weekend, she said she decided to grab her share. Saric, who works for an auto-parts maker, plans to trade in her 1996 Ford Explorer this morning for a 2010 Ford Edge, two days before the program expires Aug. 24.
“I definitely felt the pressure to make a decision and say, ‘If I felt good about a car I test-drive, I have to go for it,’ ” said Saric, of Howell, Michigan, who declined to give her age. “It’s like a mad dash to get a deal done now.”



And:


Ryan Gangadeen, a 28-year-old engineer, was able to get a deal, though he wasn’t able to get exactly the diesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta of his dreams when he traded in his ‘94 Acura. He wanted a black one, but had to settle for white. It didn’t have the fog lamps or body molding he desired.
“I didn’t have much of a choice. I had to take what I could get,” he said.
And picking it up meant driving an hour from his home in Brooklyn, New York.
“I had to go to New Jersey,” he said.



Car Buyers Make ?Mad Dash? to Dealers as Clunkers Program Ends - Bloomberg.com

 

I get it. It's like shoes.

Although after breaking my toe, my shoe perspective and collection radically changed.

And with my back problems, that really changed things. Now it's all about comfort, and it doesn't matter if my feet look like Clydesdale hooves.

I also used to love to drive. I loved twisting roads and going for enjoyable drives. Whether I was driving myself or was a passenger, I really enjoyed the auto experience.

Again with the back, just turning onto my street, with my own body roll from the corner, it causes all sorts of popping sounds in my back. Driving isn't what it used to be for me. And I forget sometimes about how much I used to LOVE to drive.

There's no way I'd want to deprive anyone else of that joy. Definitely enjoy it while you can. Everyone is an accident, illness, or injury away from temporary or permanent disability. Break a leg or arm and you won't be driving any stick shift, that's for sure. And if it ever comes to the point where just walking to the car can be a problem, then you might have an idea of how grumpy I get sometimes. Sorry about that.

 

So the program has reached its end and I along with many others are not only proud new FIT owners, but proud new car owners.

Now we'll have to listen to all the talking heads talk about a) how WONDERFUL this program was or b) how TERRIBLE this program was. I wonder which side Fox News will take...

Congrats to all of you who take advantage of the program, got clunkers off the road and keys to the Fit in your hand! Enjoy!!!

 

off topic kind of , but a good heads up:


Rebates for Refrigerators? Dollars for Dishwashers? Funds for Furnaces?
The government's so-called "Cash for Clunkers" program has been grabbing headlines, but it's not the only federal program putting money back into consumers' pockets. A new government program is poised to help appliance manufacturers the same way "Clunkers" gave a jump start to auto manufacturers.

A new washing machine can save consumers about $78 a year in energy and water costs.

As part of the Obama Administration's economic stimulus bill, nearly $300 million was set aside to fund a state-run rebate program for consumers purchases of Energy Star-qualified home appliances.
Like the "Clunkers" program, the plan takes aim at energy guzzlers. However, unlike in the popular auto program, consumers will not have to turn in their old appliances in order to buy a more efficient one and qualify for the rebate. However, the exact criteria remain unclear because states are still drafting their individual plans, with the hope of having the programs up and running by the end of this year.


It's expected that the rebates will range from $50 to as much as $200 per appliance. The Energy Department has given states the flexibility to determine which Energy Star appliances should be included in the program, but the Energy Department hopes states will focus on products that are used for heating and cooling such as air conditioners, water heaters and furnaces.

• Dollars for Dishwashers? Appliance Rebates on the Way - Consumer Nation - CNBC.com

States had until Aug. 15 to express their interest in participating in the program, and all 50 states are on board, according to an Energy Department spokeswoman. Now, the states will receive federal money to develop their program and draft the details by Oct. 15.

 

Definitely a good thing to look out for. I think one aspect of the CARS program that made it into a success was that there was no worry of what to do with the old car.

I didn't know myself what to do with my old car, which was one of the stumbling blocks in getting the new one.

And most big appliances will have to be delivered. One part of the program you provided the story for, it could be part of the program to pick up the old one, whatever the "old one" is. Many big appliances are plug and play.

The old ones get picked up. The scariest ones get parted out. There will be some better ones, that aren't as efficient, but work pretty good. Those could be resold.

Getting the old ones OUT is probably one of the best things that could be done with the programs.

We've had just about every major appliance and house hold furnishing dumped on our street over the years. There's still a transmission in the bushes. There was engine block just sitting in the road one day.

That's the last thing we need happening as a result of an improvement program.

The result can be just as dramatic for people who take advantage of the program. The money savings!

And it's just as good for the environment. Any reduction of energy usage means no NEW power plants are necessary. It has to happen with many people, of course. But it all helps.

 

I was an involuntary participant in an A/C upgrade this summer, after our 15-year old unit blew up in June. $200 rebate from GA Power eased the pain slightly, but the new dual-fuel heat pump is living up to expectations: my most recent electricity bill was $82, compared with $170 for the same time period a year ago. I'm hoping to see similar savings when heating season arrives. New appliances really are more energy efficient.

 

I've been following inventory at one Honda dealer in Atlanta (Curry Honda) since early July, when they had 30+ Fits in stock. By early August, their Fit inventory was 14, and as of August 24, they have ONE, a loaded Sport Nav with an "internet price" of $19,430 (includes $670 delivery charge).

 

That's probably with a few cars being delivered too. My closest dealer is owned by the same person/people/company as the dealer where I bought my car farther away. I think they have a few stores. So they could move some inventory around a bit, trade for other colors, or models.

The farther one has four, two Sport, two with Nav, all automatic. No base.
The closer one has no Fits. Still. Not a single new Fit on the lot. This is according to the online inventory.

You know how some news stories are saying that the buying of new cars will drop off? I don't think it will. For several reasons...

There are people in the market that did NOT have a trade-in clunker (as we have even seen on FitFreak). They didn't have any buying power when the dealers could sell at straight MSRP.

Those people will NOW be out looking for their deals, and probably getting a pretty good deal on any 2009 models that might be left. I think they will get a good deal because the dealers will be fat and sassy. By which I mean they won't be starving and struggling to get just one customer to try to pay their own bills. Once the dealers get their rebates from the government and the sales staff are paid, they may be willing to deal more.

There's also the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality. But thanks to the Clunkers program, it's not buying the jumbo SUV because of tax write offs for business...it's buying the fuel efficient car that is "trendy".

It's becoming that way, for fuel efficient smaller cars to be the "in" thing. Smart cars buzzing around like bees, Mini Coopers like little bulldogs, the Fit gobbling up not gas, but cargo or passengers with ease, transforming into whatever a person or couple or family needs to be.

It's a trend that makes sense. If people are looking to justify a new purchase, these fuel efficient beauties will quell any qualms (whoa...two q words in one sentence) they might have had about getting rid of the old gas guzzler that didn't quite qualify (4 q words).

All the reviews for the Fit totally rock. The price is good. The gas mpg is good (whether or not you use the AVE mpg readout, LOL). Dependable and reliable. Sporty and sleek. Fun AND sensible.

The word of mouth will spread the news and encourage more people to go for the Fit. Or other ones popular with buyers in the Clunker program, because MANY PEOPLE WILL HAVE THEM ALL AT ONCE.

2010 models will be coming too. Some people may have been waiting for the new year model (just as others were waiting for the end of the year for wheeling and dealing). So those will sell.

And there's a tax thing with the purchase of a new car this year. One more push to consider the new car this year rather than next year. The next several months should be fairly busy for the dealers.

Not cram packed like the first and last days of the CARS program, but a steady stream.

P.S. People, shop during the weekdays, in the morning, if you can. The lots are fairly easy to get into and sales people available to help you immediately.

I drove by my local auto row this weekend, and it looked pretty busy on all the lots. Mostly on the Honda lot, LOL! Customers probably had to wait for a salesperson to become available.

 

BIG difference! That's amazing. Saving over HALF on your bill. Pays for itself in, what, about 4 years?

 

selden, that's some savings on A/C !

 

Deadline for the paperwork extended a day (thank goodness):

Car dealers across the country said they had problems Monday afternoon submitting paperwork for reimbursements under the U.S. government's "Cash for Clunkers" trade-in program because the online system kept crashing.

• The Department of Transportation said late in the day that it would allow dealers to file applications until noon Tuesday because its system had jammed. But officials said dealers should still stop selling cars at 8 p.m. Monday.

'Clunkers' Deals Disrupted by Online Malfunction, Sellers Say - washingtonpost.com

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‘A Disgrace’
The computer system has been overloaded and not functioning for much of the day, Graff said. Some dealers are worried that they won’t be reimbursed for deals they completed because of their inability to make submissions.
“Their site is down all day today,” said Andrew Gill, the owner of Dallas Dodge Chrysler Jeep in suburban Atlanta. “We have been paid on one deal and have approximately 25 pending. This is a disgrace.”



http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=alcugqZEbv9k
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One thing I'm failing to understand here, are the dealers not submitting the paperwork as they make the deals, or what?



I thought the computer systems were up all night, wouldn't it have made sense to have night workers doing the paperwork?



The reason I ask is because of quotes like this:


"We've spent the better part of the last three days trying to hack our way into their computer program that has been down more than it's been up," said Alan Starling, who owns two General Motors dealerships in central Florida. His staff was still trying to submit all the paperwork for 75 deals through the clunkers program.


The Associated Press: Gov't extends deadline for clunkers paperwork

 

I'm sympathetic with the dealers on this one. Struggling with a slow, poorly executed online system can be a nightmare. The government has shown they can't keep up with reviewing the submissions from dealers, so why not give a the dealers a few days breathing room to get all the paperwork submitted? Employees at the dealers will work hard to meet this new deadline, and then the submissions will just sit in the queue until they can be reviewed.

 

"One thing I'm failing to understand here, are the dealers not submitting the paperwork as they make the deals, or what?
"

no, they weren't according to the washington post... and then again, they did so much of it wrong , they had to resubmit.

still the govt screwed up by not having multiple websites (say regionally based ones) to submit data.