My opinion is I'm pretty sure congress will get more money for this. If anything, one of the key aspects of our govt and judicial system is that there needs to be a sense of fairness.

Remember that they delayed the digital TV switchover, with just the delay costing hundreds of millions just so the last joe sixpack could get their act together and get a $40 converter box, after having MONTHS of time and warning about it.

 

Assurances from the White House has at least one dealer doing deals today:

Bower was in the middle of buying a 2009 Ford Escape on Thursday night when word came that the federal government was suspending its cash-for-clunkers program, which provides vouchers ranging from $3,500 to $4,500 toward the purchase of a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle.

Bower said she was frustrated, but understanding – until she found out this morning that the suspension only began at midnight Thursday – and that a deal is brewing to put additional funding into the program.

“I know how the laws go – they go through and they don’t have the processes in place to handle them,” said Bower, who works for the Social Security Administration.

This morning, the dealership called to say it would honor the deal – if it is completed today.

Conflicting information frustrates customers, dealers | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

 

yes......another 2 billion dollars pumped into the program......

 

Botched processing fault of hired contractor Citigroup:

Mr. LaHood said the chaos in the clunkers program late last week was due to processing errors at the outside contractor hired by the Department of Transportation to administer the plan, Citigroup Inc.

'Clunker' Sales Honored Through Tuesday, LaHood Says - WSJ.com
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From the same article, Clunkers good through Tuesday:

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the Obama administration would honor any "Cash for Clunkers" car sales through Tuesday, but warned that unless the Senate approves a $2 billion funding extension this week, the administration would be forced to pull the plug on the popular program.

 

My brother was about to get an 09 Fit Sport Nav this weekend with the trade in of his 98 Isuzu Trooper until he heard that the program had "run out" of money. If it's extended until Tuesday then he better go get that Fit tomorrow!

 

It's been nuts, with all the confusing information. The sooner your brother gets down to the dealership, the better.

He can visit the official site which states it's still up and running:
CARS.gov - Car Allowance Rebate System - Home - Formerly Referred to as “Cash for Clunkers”

 

I bet that Ford's Chief Economist gets paid a lot more than I do, but we came up with about the same numbers. She probably cheated and reads FitFreak at work.

The program provided a small but significant step in the U.S. journey to energy independence.

Emily Kolinski Morris, Ford's chief economist, said the average fuel-efficiency improvement of 9.6 m.p.g. between the vehicles traded in and purchased under cash-for-clunkers equaled an average savings of 300 gallons of gas per year, or 3.5 billion barrels of oil annually for the country, about 0.025% of annual national consumption.

July sales up on clunker vouchers | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

 

Numbers on gas saved from White House spokesman Robert Gibbs (won't let me copy/paste):
Is Cash for Clunkers a Waste of Money? - ABC News

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Program now extended through Friday. Confirmed 85,000 sales. Ford Focus number one purchased vehicle in the program.

UPDATE 2-Senate seeks clunker remedy,W.House warns of shutdown | Industries | Consumer Goods & Retail | Reuters

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And a feel good story about WHY it's important to get the lower mileage cars off the road:

William Cornejo did the math: He was spending $100 a week in gas and $200 a month in repairs. The government was offering a $4,500 one-time payout.
It added up yesterday to a new car for the 44-year-old Queens man.
"The only reason I was going to get a car was because of the program, or else I would wait a couple of years," Cornejo said after making a deal on a Toyota RAV4 SUV.
Cornejo, accompanied by his wife, Guisela, and their two children, traded in his 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Read more: Hit and miss at dealerships: Owners try staking claim to 'cash for clunkers'

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3.5 billion barrels a year must be a typo, although 3.5 million is believable. Saudi Arabia's produces about 3.5 billion barrels a year (~10 million bbl/day).

 

I came up with like 37 million gallons of gas. How much is that in barrels?

Also, why aren't we running this program?

 

Here's an interesting article on what was traded in...
The Top Ten Cash for Clunkers Trade-Ins:

1. 1998 Ford Explorer

2. 1997 Ford Explorer

3. 1996 Ford Explorer

4. 1999 Ford Explorer

5. Jeep Grand Cherokee

6. Jeep Cherokee

7. 1995 Ford Explorer

8. 1994 Ford Explorer

9. 1997 Ford Windstar

10. 1999 Dodge Caravan

The Top Ten Cash for Clunkers New Cars:

1. Ford Focus

2. Honda Civic

3. Toyota Corolla

4. Toyota Prius

5. Ford Escape

6. Toyota Camry

7. Dodge Caliber

8. Hyundai Elantra

9. Honda Fit

10. Chevy Cobalt



It all seems like good news so far. I just hope they don't end up raising the price of the Fit due to demand picking up. While it's good that Fit's are selling, I just hope it doesn't become the next Civic with roads flooded with them. I like that it's a bit more unique on the road.

 

Thank you Vanct!

It's a fairly competitive market, that of the 4 door + hatch. I think just about all the manufacturers have one. Even Mercedes Benz...


They have similar styling cues, while not be identical to each other.

There will be more Fits on the road over time. Because the Honda Fit is well regarded in terms of reliability, it becomes a no-brainer choice for so many.

Instead of a sea of SUVs, you'll be seeing a lot more 4 door+hatch vehicles on the road. They won't all Fits. But it would be kind of cool if they were. Ha!

 

Yeah, I would definitely like to see us going from a gas-guzzlingly huge SUV culture to a fuel efficient one. If everyone had smaller cars, there may be less deadly accidents from all these large vehicles practically crushing small cars every time. It's even worse on cars that are lowered.

 

There are even more benefits from driving a smaller car, that just aren't really thought about (other than by weird people like me, LOL).

Which is longer:
1. A line of ten people standing
2. A line of ten semi-trucks with double trailers

That's a no-brainer. Right? Those are the extremes. Short line, no gas. Long line, lots of gas.

Ten people standing can easily fit into a parallel parking spot. One semi with trailers cannot.

You're closer to your destination in a shorter line. Shorter cars = shorter line.

This can lead to less apparent congestion on the roads. This can lead to more parking available on non-marked spots.

It's not that the NUMBER of vehicles have been reduced, but the SIZE of the vehicles have been reduced.

The more small vehicles there are, the less likely there are to be those minor door dings, right? Or bumping bumpers in the parking lots backing out. Or having your visibility obstructed by taller, longer, wider vehicles.

There's more room in your home garage, if you have one. With a smaller car, you can have a bit of a workshop or cabinets. Big vehicles take up the whole thing. Especially in areas where the garages are small anyway.

 

News updates:

Senator Feinstein won't object:

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein had a change of heart on cash for clunkers in a late news conference yesterday with Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., where she called the program "good public policy." Her blessing removes the last source of serious resistance to a $2 billion extension of the program.---------

Good judgment:

“The statistics are much better than anybody dreamt they would be,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, who, with Senator Susan M. Collins, Republican of Maine, was the author of an early version of a “cash for clunkers” bill that would have required bigger improvements. The actual mileage gain seen so far, she said was not due to the details of the law but “the good judgment of the American people.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/bu...lunkers&st=cse

also mentioned here:
Will Cash for Clunkers Exceed Environmental Expectations? - Fresh Greens (usnews.com)
-------

Some critics proven wrong:

While critics had feared that car shoppers would use the program mostly to buy trucks, 83 percent of the vehicles traded in have been trucks and SUVs while 60 percent of vehicles purchased were passenger cars, according to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

and

The average fuel economy of new vehicles being purchased under Cash for Clunkers is 25.4 mpg, LaHood said, and the average fuel economy increase from the old vehicle to the new is about 61 percent.


"It's crazy, but we're seeing trucks -- full-size pick-up trucks -- traded in for compact cars," said Mike Jackson, chief executive of AutoNation, the country's largest auto dealer chain, in interview late last week.


Cash for Clunkers cars: Small wins big - CNN.com
------------


Dealers running low:


Dealers say they're running low on some models, especially small ones sought after in the clunkers program. The brightening economy and automakers' production cuts also have kept inventories tight.


"I'd buy another 300 Civics tonight," says Brian Benstock, general manager of Paragon Honda and Acura in Woodside, N.Y. Dealer Adam Lee says he would normally have 150 new cars on the lot at his family's Lee Toyota in Topsham, Maine. On Tuesday, he had 14.


Cash-for-clunkers leaves car lots looking markedly empty - USATODAY.com
---------

 

News:

Senators have been hearing from all of you!:

Support for the extra $2 billion has widened to include several senators who were reluctant earlier this week.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.), Susan Collins (R., Maine), and Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) now say they favor providing the extra funds, after some initial concerns over how much more fuel-efficient and environmentally beneficial the vehicles newly purchased under Cash for Clunkers were.
Reid's counterpart, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), had voiced similar concerns but predicted yesterday that his party would not block a vote and "the matter will be completed."
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he, too, was confident the new funding would be in place to keep the program running at least through September.
"Members of the Senate are hearing from automobile dealers, automobile salesmen, from their constituents who like this program and who want to buy a new car," LaHood said in a statement.


Dealers, Senate agree: Keep Cash for Clunkers rolling | Philadelphia Inquirer | 08/05/2009
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Good job, everyone!

 

Are you referring to Citigroup running the reimbursement program instead of DOT? While I'm no fan of Citigroup, it makes more sense than having the DOT take this on. I think a change of law would be required for the IRS to handle it, which leaves the banking/commercial sector. Seems like the least bad solution to the problem of processing a large number of transactions relatively quickly.

 

Agreement reached, CARS program to be voted on Thursday:

6:16 PM PDT, August 5, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Senators have reached a deal on saving the dwindling "cash for clunkers" program, agreeing to vote Thursday on adding $2 billion to the popular rebate plan.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced the vote after lengthy negotiations between Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Wednesday. Reid has said Democrats have enough votes to pass the bill, meaning consumers could take advantage of the rebates of up to $4,500 until Labor Day

Senate reaches deal on $2B 'clunkers' refill - Los Angeles Times

 

Today's "Out with the old, in with the new" stats:

Top trade-ins:

1. Ford Explorer 4WD

2. Ford F150 Pickup 2WD

3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD

4. Jeep Cherokee 4WD

5. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD

6. Ford Explorer 2WD

7. Chevrolet Blazer 4WD

8. Ford F150 Pickup 4WD

9. Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD

10. Ford Windstar

Top sellers:

1. Toyota Corolla

2. Ford Focus

3. Honda Civic

4. Toyota Prius

5. Toyota Camry

6. Hyundai Elantra

7. Ford Escape

8. Dodge Caliber

9. Honda Fit

10. Chevrolet Cobalt.

Top manufacturers:

General Motors: 18.7%

Toyota: 17.9%

Ford: 16.0%.

In 'clunkers' program, Toyota Corolla overtakes Ford Focus - Los Angeles Times

 

So much for "Buy American"!