Is Legislation a Clunker Itself?

The “Cash for Clunkers” legislation is to take effect this summer, but Edmunds.com has some reservations about it.

Edmunds says there are certain aspects of the legislative effort to keep in mind. Such as:

“If you can get more than $4,500 for your vehicle, you're better off selling it or trading it in without taking advantage of the Cash for Clunkers rebate,” says Edmunds.com Editor In Chief Karl Brauer.

Edmunds has compiled a list of vehicles whose owners would benefit from pursuing the rebate. Those vehicles include:

“This legislation attempts to offer a benefit for the environment and to spur vehicle sales, but the reality is that it does neither very well,” says Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl.

“In terms of vehicle sales, the only consumers who will be interested are those willing to take no more than $4,500 for their current car and yet be financially able to buy a new one — quite a narrow profile.”

He says the one-year ownership requirement is ill-considered. “If the goal is to remove old cars from the road, why should it matter who owns them and for how long?” Anwyl says. He notes that deleting this requirement could really stimulate the economy by prompting as many as three car sales per participant. The three sales would be:

In some states, this will even generate sales tax on all three sales, Anwyl says.

He also suggests the scrappage requirement be eliminated so that a larger population can benefit from the program. “If owners of newer, less fuel-efficient vehicles could get above a fair value for their trade-ins rather than just the government allowance, more people would likely participate and car sales might truly be reignited,” Anwyl says.

The environmental benefits of the program in its current form are not expected to be significant either, says Edmunds' Green Car Advisor Editor John O'Dell.