WASHINGTON -- The most common deals under the government's $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program replaced old Ford or Chevrolet pickups with new ones that got only marginally better gas mileage.
That's according to an analysis of new federal data by The Associated Press.
The program was aimed at putting more fuel-efficient cars on the road. But the single most common swap involved Ford 150 pickup owners who traded their old trucks for new Ford 150s. They were 17 times more likely to buy a new F150 than, say, a Toyota Prius.
The fuel economy for the new trucks ranged from 15 mpg to 17 mpg based on engine size and other factors, an improvement of just 1 mpg to 3 mpg over the clunkers.
A driver in West, Texas, earned $4,500 in July in exchange for a 1989 Chevrolet Suburban SUV that got 14 miles per gallon. He bought a 2009 Suburban that weighed 5,900 pounds and got 16 mpg. Across Texas, seven of the 10 most common transactions involved drivers trading old pickups for new ones.
4commonsense said on November 4, 2009 at 10:29 PM
THAT'S WHY THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STOP PLAYING WITH THE ECONOMY AND LET WE THE PEOPLE BUY WHAT WE NEED AND NOT WASTE MONEY. . . EVEN A CHILD CAN TELL YOU THAT YOU DON'T SPEND MONEY THAT YOU DON'T HAVE - WHY CAN'T THE POLITICIANS FIGURE THAT OUT?!?!?!
bornhere said on November 5, 2009 at 7:07 AM
You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When people get the idea that they do not have to work because the government is going to take care of them, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
genius said on November 5, 2009 at 8:29 AM
Well, duh. Did they really think people were going to trade in their big vehicles for a Prius?
itsme said on November 5, 2009 at 9:30 AM
A Prius is a Yuppie's car, not a Texan's pickup. What can you haul in a Prius? Maybe 2 cats or 1 dog, certainly not if there are children in the family.