[V8] Cash for Clunkers

[urq]

I have to admit that I now own a 2009 MY vehicle ... my first new 4 wheeled
vehicle since I bought the GTI Fox new back in 1978 ... no, it isn't and
Audi. While in the past I have espoused many of the same thoughts I read
here, I have to say that it is kinda nice to hop in and go without thinking
about the outstanding issues awaiting my attention.  Since it is a light
duty truck, insurance is less of an issue, but there are the payments ...
for now.  

It is interesting to see how the governments spin these "cash for clunkers"
programs as helping the environment ... the people who create these programs
know full well that they are government funded means to prop up the
automobile manufacturing industry and through this the economy as a whole.  

I don't know if it is still the case, but when I spent some time in Japan a
long time ago I learned that extremely strict emissions testing requirements
guaranteed that most cars would fail after a few years, which would then
prompt the owner to replace the car.  The funny thing about this was that it
created a market here in the US, where relatively low mileage engines were
shipped here from Japan to be used in similar models to keep the older cars
running ... those rejected engines meeting the emissions requirements here.

Steve Buchholz

-----Original Message-----

> I then looked at the other cars in the same price range and all came up
lacking, including the toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, and a Honda who's make I
forgot . No Gas non hybrid SUV would qualify and even some of the hybrid's
wouldn't qualify either. All of these cars essentially felt like tin cans
with wheels.
>
> Then I considered that once I drove off the lot that car would instantly
been devalued by at least the amount of the Cash for clunkers program would
offer meaning the trade in was essentially useless.
>
> Then I researched the amount of pollution, resources, and energy it would
take to manufacture a new car versus keep the V8's on the road and the V8
came ahead on this as well. 
>
>   

True words, indeed!

We've the same programs running currently in all over Europe, 
camouflaged as "help for the environment". Yawn.