Cash for Clunkers makes me sick.

[kmoore]

[/quote]

Just let me make some popcorn before the GM versus Import scrap starts. Then I will go shine my Dodge in happiness. [/quote]


just pull that dodge next to my lincoln and shine it while your at it...

[Qingdao]

All I know is that if I see an MX-3 in a "to be crushed" pile. I am going to break down all the fences and that MX will get chained to my freinds Chevy and hauled to the back of my house.

But it is a shame. I don't write the president (I HATE FEDERAL TERORIST). I write my congressmen and governer.

[suprf1y]

Originally Posted by Reveeen

As a licensed mechanic ("A" "C" "M" and "H"), who has worked in the trade both here, and Europe, you will have to take it on trust, that we are being sold disposable vehicles, with a very limited "practical life expectancy".

How that is relevant, I don't know, but the reality is, cars have never been so well built as they are today.
They don't rust away in 5 years, 100,000-200,000 + miles on the odo is routine, and they are more reliable, and long lasting than ever.

[TurboT]

I would weigh in here and say while I'm not sure they are not built to last, but when they fail, they want them scrapped and not fixed.

I spent 13 years rebuilding car motors, and have seen the design changes right from the 60's style motors through to 2003. From about 1998 on the motors in all vehicles have become so labour intensive to rebuild and re and re, it is not worth it for the consumer to invest the money. When you get told your 5.4 Triton V8 Ford is going to be a $6000 rebuild, and another $4000 to remove and reinstall because the damn cab needs to come off the truck to get it in and out, Mr. consumer goes, "Woah, I'll just finance a new one.."

While they still may get you 200,000+ miles, there just isn't any going down to the engine or tranny shop and getting a $800 rebuild anymore.

There isn't enough 4.3, 302's, 305's, 350's and 454's around anymore to just strip down, put rings, pistons and bearings in them and let them go another 300,000. The car manufacturers, whether by design to turn over new vehicles, or by the need to become 'greener' with fuel efficiency and emmissions have ruined all hope of that.

It should be pointed out as well, that almost everything we 'threw out' in terms of unusable parts inside a motor were always recycled and could be in any types of new metal products today, yet there were never any 'green' incentives for us. Just a lot of demanding to know where the used oil and chemicals were going.. Strange world.

[Qingdao]

Originally Posted by TurboT

There isn't enough 4.3, 302's, 305's, 350's and 454's around anymore to just strip down, put rings, pistons and bearings in them and let them go another 300,000. The car manufacturers, whether by design to turn over new vehicles, or by the need to become 'greener' with fuel efficiency and emmissions have ruined all hope of that.

Here here!

I still don't know what is so wrong with the simplicity of L heads, push rods, carburation, and a good old fashioned small block. If you are just going to work why make it super complicated and prone to breakage? Save fuel injection, ECMs, MAFs, and all that junk for the track. Most people don't need to be going that fast anyway.

[TurboT]

Originally Posted by Qingdao

Here here!

I still don't know what is so wrong with the simplicity of L heads, push rods, carburation, and a good old fashioned small block. If you are just going to work why make it super complicated and prone to breakage? Save fuel injection, ECMs, MAFs, and all that junk for the track. Most people don't need to be going that fast anyway.

Well again, it is an emissions issue. All the electronic gizmo's and new technology in theory, burn cleaner and more economically. I take my Hemi Dodge for example. I had looked at a 2002 model, but it was the 5.9L tried, tested and true small block Dodge 360. Granted it was newer with fuel injection, but it still made 260hp at the wheels and got 10mpg.

The Hemi which came out in 2003 on the other hand, makes 345 HP and gets 12mpg. (Little better if you're easy on it) It's a bloody nightmare I am sure to rebuild, and probably worth more than what I paid for the truck if it needed to be done, but it's winning the HP/Economy/Emissions war which our policticans have enacted upon us.

It's the number one reason the cars of today are complicated, plus they want you to buy new ones in 5-10 years and not rebuild your old ones. Keep factories humming, robots and some people, working.

[AZ200cc]

Yup, Cars today are meant to last for 200,000 miles and that's it. Sure plenty last longer but that is not what the dealers and auto makers really want You to do. They want You to trade it in for a new one. Or else why would they be building the dang things every year anyways

[dsrt4]

Originally Posted by TurboT

The Hemi which came out in 2003 on the other hand, makes 345 HP and gets 12mpg. (Little better if you're easy on it) It's a bloody nightmare I am sure to rebuild, and probably worth more than what I paid for the truck if it needed to be done, but it's winning the HP/Economy/Emissions war which our policticans have enacted upon us.

.

On that note.......... My 2009 Dodge Ram with the Hemi is 390 HP and has 401 lbs of tourqe. It makes all this while getting 20+ mpg on the HWY.. They are getting better.

[lego1970]

That video was sickening. That truck looked like a good work truck. To purposely seize the engine, let antifreeze and gas drip run into the ground, not even take the tires off, etc, etc, etc. was about as anti-green as you can get.

[katoranger]

At least its over.

[TurboT]

Originally Posted by katoranger

At least its over.

The video or the program is over??

[katoranger]

program is. They spent all our money.

[warrior91]

Does it not make sense that the gov't is trying to sell more of IT'S cars....They want you to get rid of the older cars so the Gov't backed corps can sell you new ones that will not last as long...Gov't. is just looking after it's own "business".

I cannot justify getting rid of a good running vehicle, between the initial manufacture and then the premature recycling , I would think a lot more polution and environmental damage could result... smelting, resmelting, new iron, more plastic, more wire, more expensive electronics that fail to work in +40 or - 40 degrees.... Never mind the financing money...buying a new car keeps a salesman working, the owner of the dealership, the banker doing your paper work, the owner of the bank earning profit from your purchase, the call centre employee asking for the next payment, vehicle testers, parts manufactures, auto workers, and fat cats owning the factory... and finally tax money and increase in insurance cost...MUCH cheaper and greener...To Who?
Disposing of vehicles that 10% people think are old... while they are better than what 90% of us own...
Just what we need instead of regular maintenance on good running used vehicles...and available used parts to keep them running well.
Yay Greenies

[TeamCheap]

Electric cars are the way to go ..........wait ....hold it...... this just in......
they now realize that our grid can not support all the plannned electric cars they want to sell us. :roll:

What ticks me off the most about our so-called leaders is when their pie-in-the-sky plans/dreams/schemes fail they just throw their hands up, blame the guy next to them and walk away leaving the mess for others to clean up and then they have the nerve to come back and tell them how to clean it up.

Cash for clunkers was so well run and went so smoothly that I welcome the government taking over our healthcare and whatever else they want to run.........
NOT

[AZ200cc]

Paying four grand for nothing made me angry, To take it and just destroy it..No parts no nothing. It was a lose lose for the American Taxpayer. They say it worked well....Right...A lot of folks who can get free money, will. A nation of hands put far out waiting to have something put in it. But now instead of owning a car they arepaying on one....WHo really won? The banks got more loans the dealers sold more cars. So the already rich won...Again.