Anyhow – regarding some of the horror stories, I think alot of it is confusion on part of the dealers and the sellers. I talked to alot of dealers when I was looking for a new vehicle – many of them were really not up to speed on the program. One of the reasons I chose the dealer I went with was he was following the program very closely.

When I went to sign all my paperwork I already had copies of my insurance policy and vehicle registration to prove coverage for the year. From talking to my dealer the past couple days, he said that many people have to scramble to get that documentation together.

So then people like me will be offered better incentives. When we don’t take those, they’ll institute emissions testing. You’ll either have to bring your car up to standards or junk it.

And then, for the people who still don’t give up their beaters, a government repo man will come and take it, leaving in its place a tin can “Smart Car.”

http://blog.heritage.org/2009/07/31/cash-for-clunkers-victims-of-their-own-success/

There’s a distinct difference between a successful government program and a good government program. In effect, cash for clunkers is a classic lesson in Economics 101: What Not to Do. It’s sadly reminiscent of Frederic Bastiat’s broken window fallacy, except that instead of breaking windows to “stimulate the economy,” we’re destroying perfectly good cars. Meanwhile, we’re asking consumers to purchase cars they might not be able to afford and incur more debt. While the program is ‘working’ in the sense that people are buying new cars, not only has the government had trouble dispersing the money, the program is full of unintended consequences, including dubious environmental benefits.

Because we need to have a serious chat before you strike again.

Instead of $10 it will be $10,000 and then $100,000 from every citizen.

(Thanks, Mom — it’ll work out once I pay off the federales. They get their cut off the top, always!)

Texas has really strict emissions requirements, and I happen to own a car that’s extremely expensive to repair — and one known for catalytic converter issues. Had I known then what I know now….. oh well, live and learn!

And I’ll pay cash to keep the banks from profiting from me, as well.

What’s wrong with the car I have? Nothing that a $2,500 catalytic converter job won’t fix, so it can pass TX emissions inspection and get registration renewed. Until then, it sits. No bailouts here.