Clunkers for SUVS

Posted by Deuce Geary on August 2nd, 2009

If you thought that cash-for-clunkers cash pool was exhausted by a bunch of folks trading in their gas-guzzling SUVs for hybrids, think again (my emphasis):

Bunnin GM Supercenter salesman Michael Angelo Olinyk hands over keys to Doug Steiger of Orange County for his new SUV, a 2009 GMC Acadia. Steiger traded his 1998 GMC truck under the “cash for clunkers” program on Thursday at the Oxnard dealership.

I own a 1996 GMC truck, so I know the mileage sucks (14-15 MPG around town, maybe 20 MPG on a long road trip). But the Acadia? It’s EPA mileage estimate is 17 MPG city/24 MPG highway. And that’s the EPA estimate. I don’t think I’ve owned a single car that got mileage even close to its EPA estimated mileage, so I have no reason to think the Acadia’s actual mileage will approximate the estimate, either.

It’s bad enough to give away money to sell more unaffordable hybrids. Now they’re giving away the taxpayers’ money for marginal mileage increases. I don’t care what this guy from the story drives. I do care that he’s getting thousands in taxpayer money to drive it.

Robert L. www.neolibertarian.com

August 3rd, 2009 at 12:18 pm · Reply

There’s also the issue that a new Acadia invoices for $30,000 to $40,000. That means this guy had plenty of money for a smaller vehicle from the start so there’s a good chance the guy isn’t buying an Acadia instead of not buying a new car, he’s just buying a bigger, better car than he could have afforded without Cash For Clunkers. Ironically, it’s possible that the extra $4,500 let him buy a car that took more energy and resources to make, and which gets lower mileage, than a smaller SUV that he might have gotten without the benefit of other people’s money.

Read more from Robert L. http://www.neolibertarian.com

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