Fallout from cash for clunkers

[slim 1,530]

$6,600 for an '01 Sebring? No wonder she has financial problems!

[SMOKE 1,426]

When you say "many" what percentage and what do you base this on?

it'd be impossible to put a % on it, most of it is off the books. i work in the auto mechanical & collision repair business. i know of several salvage yards that have & will sell engines, transmissions, & transfer cases......'cash only/no receipt'

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

$6,600 for an '01 Sebring? No wonder she has financial problems!

Yep,

While I don't agree with how these "Buy her, pay here" lots operate and believe the states should crack down on them you seriously can't legislate intelligence.

Maybe we should stop trying to put laws in place to protect everyone who's too stupid or lazy to take care of them-self.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I've never owned a new car (or even a car made in this century) and I have no plans to change that. I like owning my car outright and knowing I have an asset that is incontrovertibly mine to dispose of as I wish. When my '93 Mustang was totalled in August (by an uninsured driver in a brand new Range Rover), I took the insurance money and bought a '96 Volvo 850. It's built like a tank, gets decent fuel economy, is comfy and it cost $2900 including taxes. I took the rest of the insurance money and have allowed myself a few small extravagances. I couldn't be happier, frankly.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Did a quick search on cars.com for vehicles within 30mi of my zip code and found dozens of vehicles for $2K or less.

We bought a used car well after cash for clunkers too! Must be a LWN special ability?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

We bought a used car well after cash for clunkers too! Must be a LWN special ability?

Must be. I bought a used vehicle post cfc: a 4 year old Sonata Ltd w/ 40K miles on it for 9K. Could have had one a little older (2004) with slightly more miles for 5K but I preferred the newer one. There are tons of affordable used vehicles out there. If someone overpays for their used vehicle, it sure isn't because of cfc. It's because that someone didn't know how to shop for a used vehicle.

Funny thing that happened. When this cfc deal came out, I thought about ditching my old Nissan but it did not qualify for the program. So I thought I hang on to it for a little longer. Next thing I know, some old guy runs into me totaling the car. His insurance paid more for it than I would ever have gotten trading it in w/ the extra cfc cash. So I took that money, topped it off a little (~3K) and got me car 7 years newer with 140K less miles on it. Best car swap ever.

[slim 1,530]

some old guy runs into me totaling the car. His insurance paid more for it than I would ever have gotten trading it in w/ the extra cfc cash. So I took that money, topped it off a little (~3K) and got me car 7 years newer with 140K less miles on it. Best car swap ever.

You did all that without the government's help?

How?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

You did all that without the government's help?

How?

Because I happen to have a decent job. To be fair, I might not have that job had it not been for government help at various stages. Government - not the US government but the one back in Germany - afforded me the opportunity to get a great education without my having to burden myself with a huge pile of debt. Government - this here government - also kept the company I work for afloat a few years back. Government also happens to pave the roads that I use to commute to work. And government was instrumental in developing the electronic communication that allows me to work in my current position out of the location of my choice which happens to translate into me living in a less costly area thus increasing my disposable income.

[slim 1,530]

Because I happen to have a decent job. To be fair, I might not have that job had it not been for government help at various stages. Government - not the US government but the one back in Germany - afforded me the opportunity to get a great education without my having to burden myself with a huge pile of debt. Government - this here government - also kept the company I work for afloat a few years back. Government also happens to pave the roads that I use to commute to work. And government was instrumental in developing the electronic communication that allows me to work in my current position out of the location of my choice which happens to translate into me living in a less costly area thus increasing my disposable income.

It wouldn't have been possible to do that without government?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

It wouldn't have been possible to do that without government?

What? Have a publicly financed education? Not really.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

It wouldn't have been possible to do that without government?

Do pave your own roads?

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

I'm a car guy, meaning I'm not right in my head as I have more cars than underwear. Literally.

Being spoiled by the mild weather we have here in Southern California where cars just don't rust, no matter what, I drive my old clunkers almost every day. That could be a 1911 Ford Model T Torpedo one day, my 1962 Volvo PV544 another day, and then again a 1950s pickup truck for the rest of the week.

The newest car I own is not even mine: I gave into my wife's whining and bought her a used 2002 MINI with only 48K miles on the clock, less than a year ago. Really nice, crisp car, and she'll have to drive this until at least 2020. My youngest personal car is the family hauler, a 1995 Mercedes Diesel that will hit 200K miles before year's end. I bought it in 2004, and it has not given me any problems to this day. When using it on a recent trip to Northern California, we got an honest 41.6 miles to the gallon. Who wants a Prius when you can get the same mileage without headaches?

I have never owned a new car in my life, and I never desired a new car in my life. I don't like new cars because they are rolling computers on wheels, filled with black boxes that can't be fixed. I can repair any of my cars at any time, easily, but nobody can repair Y2K cars without going belly up.

My daughter is now 22. She got her first car at age 18. It was a 1978 Mercedes 240D I bought from a girl at Starbucks who got it from her mom. It wouldn't start, so when I indicated that I wasn't really interested in a non-running car, she dropped the price from $1,000 to $100. One starter and some minor fetling later, that old war horse was working like a charm, brought her from Ventura to Santa Barbara, where she went to college for over 2 years. I sold it for $2,400 to a guy who wanted it badly. Next car, the one she still drives, was a 1992 Mercedes 190E. Bought it from the owner of the repair shop that services my "normal" cars. Paid $1,000 for it, have about $1,600 in it today, 2+ years later. Still nice original paint, no problems. If I want to sell it, and I might eventually, I probably get all of my money back.

Only suckers by 10 year old Chrysler Sebrings for $6K. I wouldn't touch such a car with a 10-foot pole, not even for $600. The brother of one of our employees is a deputy. He impounds cars of illegal aliens who get caught driving without a license. They never pick up their cars, but he does. He has Mazdas, Infinitys, all kinds of decent cars for $500 to $1,000. That's the way to get a set of cheap wheels when money is tight. The deals are out there, but you won't find them by going to a car dealer and asking for financing. That's a sure fire recipe for getting taken for a ride.