Comments on: ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Out of Cash — But Not Quite Finished http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/07/31/cash-for-clunkers-out-of-cash-but-not-quite-finished/ Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jordan http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/07/31/cash-for-clunkers-out-of-cash-but-not-quite-finished/comment-page-1/#comment-91631 Jordan Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:41:07 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=20781#comment-91631 It doesn't matter if they dole more money. They problem is still the backlog. Read this article: The Real Reason for the "Cash for Clunkers" Suspension. The ex car salesman blog shares exactly why they stopped the program. Even reports that some sales managers are calling asking for the money back because they were denied the rebate when the final paperwork was submitted but their car was already ruined by dumping a solution in the engine. They now have no car. Scary. See: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ml9sdo" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/ml9sdo</a> It doesn’t matter if they dole more money. They problem is still the backlog. Read this article: The Real Reason for the “Cash for Clunkers” Suspension. The ex car salesman blog shares exactly why they stopped the program. Even reports that some sales managers are calling asking for the money back because they were denied the rebate when the final paperwork was submitted but their car was already ruined by dumping a solution in the engine. They now have no car. Scary. See: http://tinyurl.com/ml9sdo

]]> By: Daniel Nairn http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/07/31/cash-for-clunkers-out-of-cash-but-not-quite-finished/comment-page-1/#comment-91571 Daniel Nairn Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:55:20 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=20781#comment-91571 "maybe even too successful." How is success being evaluated? If the only goal is to put 250,000 new cars of the road, then, yes, let's declare victory. But if the goal is to reduce carbon emissions overall (which I thought it was), it may be better to hold off for a while before jumping to this conclusion. Are we taking into account the carbon emissions of <i>production</i> of these new vehicles? How many of the participants may have opted to use transit without the $3500 subsidy for a new car? Will the owners of more fuel efficient vehicles simply compensate by driving them more? Will auto manufacturers use these profits to continue to create more fuel-efficient vehicles or will they pour it back into more clunkers once the federal tap turns off? Do we even know the extent of the fuel-efficiency gains? Is this the most effective use of $1 billion dollars in terms of carbon reductions? I'd like some answers to these questions before evaluating success. “maybe even too successful.”

How is success being evaluated? If the only goal is to put 250,000 new cars of the road, then, yes, let’s declare victory. But if the goal is to reduce carbon emissions overall (which I thought it was), it may be better to hold off for a while before jumping to this conclusion.

Are we taking into account the carbon emissions of production of these new vehicles?
How many of the participants may have opted to use transit without the $3500 subsidy for a new car?
Will the owners of more fuel efficient vehicles simply compensate by driving them more?
Will auto manufacturers use these profits to continue to create more fuel-efficient vehicles or will they pour it back into more clunkers once the federal tap turns off?
Do we even know the extent of the fuel-efficiency gains?
Is this the most effective use of $1 billion dollars in terms of carbon reductions?

I’d like some answers to these questions before evaluating success.

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