Auto recyclers hope to make profit; effects on market uncertain
Jim Biggs, yard supervisor at B&F Towing Co. in New Castle, Del., is getting ready to destroy a 1997 green Nissan Pathfinder SUV that looks in pretty good shape except for some wear and tear.
“They’re nicer than what we’re used to crushing,” said Biggs. He climbed into a front-end loader and drove over to the Pathfinder to take it on its final journey to a giant compactor known as a “car crusher.”
The government’s hugely popular “Cash for Clunkers” program is keeping B&F and other scrap yards across the country busy crushing roadworthy vehicles and sending them on for shredding.
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What a terrible waste!
ReplyDeleteThis program is going to hurt the very people that need the help the most. Good used cars being crushed rather than being available to those who could only afford them.
Cars to charities have been cancelled, costing the charities money. And, we taxpayers are subsidizing new car buyers, many of whom do not need the subsidy.
Thanks government for making it even more difficult to find replacement parts I may need for my vehicle at an afford price. I am a "Crazy Ray's" junky because I can get the parts I need for my vehicles at a decent price, but thanks to this program many of those parts will be destroyed. Which means the people like me that used our brains and decided to keep our vehicles rather than 4 yrs of payments will be left out for being responsible and using our heads. I guess it is hard for those officials to use their heads though since they are so far up their own behinds!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have one of the ones Ive seen on T.V. as my daughters first car. She would think I had give her a pot of gold. My first three daughters LOVED their first(used) cars, its going to be tight to Chels her first one. Doesnt some things just piss you off.
ReplyDeleteLow MPG is a p*sspoor excuse for wrecking perfectly usable vehicles.
ReplyDeleteA 1997 Pathfinder is not "scrap material". Alot of people would consider it a nice affordable 4wd truck.The subsidy truly only benefits those who can afford new car payments or those who think they can.
I wonder if the owner of the pathfinder traded it in so they could buy a suburban. YES the suburban was on the list of cars you could buy. Tell me THAT makes sense.
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when government goes into business. Social security, motgage banking,are a couple of the accomplishments that come to mind. The worse part is that the government is proud of what they are doing in the automobile business,(I told you we could sell some cars!).It's easy,we just borrow billions of dollars from our grandchildren and we can give all kinds of cars away.
ReplyDeleteMy son was driving a "clunker" - a '93 Toyota Corolla that has 160,00 miles on it. It needs body work, the air-conditioner doesn't work, the radio doesn't work, the power steering has something wrong with it, two of the doorhandles don't work and the power windows are "iffy". If this doesn't qualify as a "clunker" I don't know what does. He bought himself a nice '06 Cobalt that is a nice family car, but he got nothing for his "clunker" because a '93 Toyota was not on the list, even though he was getting about 15 mpg. Not much help for a young person and they are the ones that need help the most.
ReplyDeleteGeorge,
ReplyDeleteHe got "nothing" because he and/or the owner's before him apparently neglected the car. If somebody can't keep the body and general looks of the car up as you described then what makes you think that the motor is running well and efficiently? Any car can last forever if you take care of it. That Corolla should be getting no less than 23 MPG city and up to 34 MPG highway. And it's a Toyota-they make and have made the most fuel efficient vehicles on the market! The only two 'passenger cars' on the eligible "Clunkers List" are the 93-94 Camry and the 90-95 Supra. Go scope out what Chevy and Chysler have on the list! Its too many to list here! Regardless George, your son had a good car if it was taken car of. This program is aimed more to taking inefficient cars off the road, not "clunkers." My Full-size pickup qualifies for the program, but is it a clunker? HELL NO! That's the flaw with this program-people and the government are getting rid of perfectly good vehicles! In most cases, the government could be reselling these cars for good money instead of scrapping them.
If you ask me, I think that this is the STUPIDEST program EVER funded by the federal government! There's only one more that can top this and that would be the health care bill when and if it goes through. I hope all of you lazy, irresponsible, blood-sucking, government milking assholes out there enjoy your new car that I paid for!
Actually, I just came up with a great idea! Have all the people who used the cash for clunkers incentive proudly display a bumper sticker on their car thanking Obama for their new ride. At least that way we all know which cars are ours (the tax payers) and I know which cars to whack with my brush guard on my "clunker" of a truck worth about $22,000!