My buddy got a windfall: cash for clunkers

[Questor]

He was about ready to buy a new car because his old one was nickel and diming him. He was looking at used cars, but the clunker program took some of your money and gave him a 25% discount on a new one, so he bought it.

[Questor]

By the way, he doesn't need the money. He's got a really great income, and has an extensive gun collection, a vacation home, travels extensively, shoots trap and skeet daily, his house has been paid off for 20 years, and his kids are grown. Hope that makes you feel better about your tax dollars going to this program.

[no guns here]

Shoot, I just WISH I could get in on it.  Don't have any clunkers to trade in except for my VW Golf and it's here in Germany with me so I can't trade it in... it sucks when I can't take all y'alls money and use it to pay my own bills...  Guess I'll just have to buy another car next year the old fashioned way.  I'll save the cash and buy a used car that I can pay cash for and then I'll drive it for three or four years until it dies.


NGh

[ironglow]

  It was on Fox News this morning ..there were many pretty good, driveable cars turned in on that program. ...But big brother says they must all be crushed..can't even part them out and sell them.
   Seems like some vans could be donated to senior centers, church organizations, Salvation Army, vet's clinics etc..but no go...

  Perhaps if a few mosques asked for some..Barack Hussein may change the rules.
     That would after all be an easy thing to do, since he would only have to give the word to his "auto czar"..

[Hooker]

By the way, he doesn't need the money. He's got a really great income, and has an extensive gun collection, a vacation home, travels extensively, shoots trap and skeet daily, his house has been paid off for 20 years, and his kids are grown. Hope that makes you feel better about your tax dollars going to this program.

I feel a lot better knowing that someone who has worked hard and paid his way got some of his stolen tax dollars back.
It's when those parasites who have never pulled their own weight get our money I get upset.
I will most likely buy another car for my little bride sometime this year but I will not be using this government sponsored con game when I do.

Pat

[Dee]

Kinda remind ya of the gun buy outs? Cash for any gun, working or not? And their smarter than us.

[mcwoodduck]

I still giggle at the gun buy backs.
they did one on Norfolk when I was in College for $50 a gun.
I bought 10 $35 ravens in .25 cal and walked in to get my grocery store vouchers.
Spent the 500 on Kegs for a rugby party.  and collected all of my $500 back.
Later they made the buy back illegal and had to return any guns that had an ID with them.
Sold the 10 guns back to the same pawn shop for $15 a peice. 
The $300 profit bought me a Marlin 882 rifle in 22 mag, a very nice scope, and a brick of ammo.
I wish they would do these more often I want a new 308 rifle.

[Dee]

I agree mcwoodduck. We NEED another government program to waste our tax dollars on.

[nomosendero]

Yes Dee we do!!

I recently gave in to my Wife & bought all new appliances, redone the Kitchen & all of that crap. It was overdue, the oven was down for a while, which was the deal breaker. She's all giddy now & baking a bunch of stuff, now I am going to have to exercise more, or she's trying to get me ready for the slaughter, I don't know? I have had the old stuff out in the yard like a redneck is supposed to do, until she blows up at least.
Then I got to thinking, hey we need a junk appliance for cash deal, a little late for the kitchen, but I could "turn um in" & get appliances for a cabin in the woods that me and my brothers have been thinking about. Better yet, how about a busted up riverrat johnboat for a new, bigger one with a bigger motor.
I am sure Pelosi would relate to that!     

This stuff is insane. I just heard this big fat Congresswoman from Michigan say that the program is great & people havn't been buying cars because of losing jobs. Then I wondered if those people buy, who will make the payments, but I am not up to her level I guess. 

[mcwoodduck]

Actually Dee mine was some goody goody group like Hand gun Control or DAMM that did it and because they did not have an FFL it was an illegal buy.  No Tax dollars were used.  They even had to hire the police to guard the turned in guns.
I want to take that ack I thing the State Trooper that returned the guns to me was on the state tax dime.

[skifastchad]

I just did the math on a possible trade in.

I have a jeep that gets 12mpg.  I could go buy a Honda civic that gets a combined 29mpg.
My jeep is paid for.   The honda would have a $292/month payment after a $4500 trade-in.
I drive an average of 35 miles per day.  The jeep uses 2.91 gallons per day, the honda would use 1.2.
At today's gas price of $2.59, I now spend $226 a month on gas.  The honda would cost me only $93 a month for fuel.
...but, add the loan payment and I'm looking at $385 a month.  For the extra $160 a month, I can buy plenty of parts to keep the jeep running.

Using the equation of gallons per month * price of gas + car payment, with gas price = x, I get
87.3x + 0 = 36x+292.
For me to break even, gas would have to cost $5.69 a gallon!

I'll keep my clunker, thanks.

[Questor]

You are very wise. I look at it that way too, but am surprised that so many people will buy a new car without considering the cost of owning it. In my situation, I've got a Ford Explorer and no payments. Keeping that car for at least a couple more years means two years of no payments. Gas would have to cost a lot to offset the value of buying another car before the old one wears out.

It reminds me of an old saying from the Nixon/Carter gas crisis when people were buying Toyotas and other small cars: If you want economy, you've got to pay!