Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames.
Copyright © 2010 CarDealerSale.com
Automotive News | Automotive SEO | Automotive Advertising | Car Dealer Advertising | Automotive Microsites
Copyright © 2010 CarDealerSale.com
Automotive News | Automotive SEO | Automotive Advertising | Car Dealer Advertising | Automotive Microsites
I had a wonderful experience with the Cash for Clunkers Program. I educated myself with the law, searched web sites and dealerships for cars which would qualify as well as the knowledge of what my 2000 Ford Explorer estimated mpg. I made a few visits to dealerships; Nissan and Toyota. I wanted to be sure to get the full $4,500 rebate so I purchased a 2009 Nissan Altima on July 27th from Hertrich Nissan in Dover, Delaware. The dealership was wonderful. I told them what I wanted (color, interior, options, etc)they found the car and held it for me until the program went into affect on 7/24/2009. I had all the paperwork I needed for the program ready to give to the dealership. Good bye Ford Explorer; thanks for a great 9 years and a trade that was by far greater than blue book value. I love my Nissan Altima!
I had a wonderful experience with the Cash for Clunkers Program. I educated myself with the law, searched web sites and dealerships for cars which would qualify as well as the knowledge of what my 2000 Ford Explorer estimated mpg. I made a few visits to dealerships; Nissan and Toyota. I wanted to be sure to get the full $4,500 rebate so I purchased a 2009 Nissan Altima on July 27th from Hertrich Nissan in Dover, Delaware. The dealership was wonderful. I told them what I wanted (color, interior, options, etc)they found the car and held it for me until the program went into affect on 7/24/2009. I had all the paperwork I needed for the program ready to give to the dealership. Good bye Ford Explorer; thanks for a great 9 years and a trade that was by far greater than blue book value. I love my Nissan Altima! Happy customer in Queenstown, Maryland.
I purchased a Ford Focus, it averages about 30 mpg city and on a recent freeway trip it averaged 39 mpg at 70 mph. This is more than double the MPG of the car I turned in. The Focus has exceeded my expectations.
Ummm, the CARS “cash for clunkers” program should’ve been mandated to only allow purchases of U.S. auto makers’ cars eligible within the program. Why should American taxpayers line the coffers of former WWII enemy countries car companies? Absurd.
We had a great experience. We traded in a 1989 Chevy Silverado truck for a Nissan Altima. We made the transaction on July 20 with South Point Nissan in Austin, TX and drove out with the new car the next day, July 21. Our dealer was allowing customers to take possession of the new vehicles while the dealer waited on the government for their cash. We got $1500 off the price of the car plus we got $1500 taken off for a ‘manufacturer’s rebate’. We had been following your website and the cars.gov site so we were prepared with the documentation and we knew what type of vehicle to look for. One of the deciding factors for us on which vehicle to choose was the confidence we had with the various dealers about their knowledge of the program; for example, the Ford dealer knew on July 20 that we would be 60th on their list and the Honda dealer was ‘taking deposits’ until the final rules came out, Nissan would let us take the car that day. We had figured that $1B was going to last about a week, with an average of 10 cars per dealership, so we made our decision and went for it. We couldn’t have asked for a smoother operation.
Ive had a postive experience with the toyota dealer in north austin. they were willing to honor the program deal even on the next day morning. I tried other dealers before and there was no one else willing to do that, inspite of me checking on available deals (www.clunkersprogram.us) and calling them based on that information in the ustoday links.
I think Toyota deserves to be No1 based on this.
I had an awesome experience. Armed myself with print outs of the law, info on my vehicle, 1997 KIA Sportage 4×4 – 18mpg and the vehicle I wanted to buy, 2010 KIA Soul. I did all the research the second I heard of the program. The dealer was dumbfounded with the knowledge I had being a single female. It took the 4 days to find the exact vehicle I was looking for but I managed a great deal. Got the full $4500 and payments I can afford. I was the first C4C deal this dealer had made and they actually delivered the car to me on July 16th before the C4C was in motion. They took a chance with it and I made it clear that I would wait to be sure it all went well, but they insisted to get me in the car. So I went on Vacation to the Outerbanks NC for a week in my new ride. LOVE it, sooo fun to drive and the milage is excellent. Thank you CARS PROGRAM!
Other than a wait for a couple of weeks (frustrating somewhat but shorter that many others), our experience was okay. We worked a pretty decent deal considering the reluctance some buyers experienced with getting dealers off the MSRP. Ultimately, the government made this a lot more difficult than it had to be with the typical bureaucracy.
I had a very positive experience at FH Dailey Chevrolet in San Leandro, CA. I was their first C4C customer, and worked jointly with the salesman and the general manager to ensure I had all the proper paperwork. The general manager himself was reviewing the paperwork and attempting to input it into the C4C system. I traded in a 91 toyota previa for a 2010 Equinox, qualifying for the 4500 rebate. I also had a second trade in, non-C4C, as part of this transaction. The new car was delivered the same day (July 28) and I have been enjoying it ever since. I even received a refund of $416 from the dealership for excess sales tax paid. It was a very good experience, I felt treated like family, and I intend to give them my future business. I highly recommend this dealership to folks in the SF Bay Area.
I would be curious if commenters know if their vouchers have been approved, and how long it took. I’m current at 30 calendar days “under review.” Have had possession of the new car the whole time, though.
Hi, I guess this was a positive experience.
I started researching the C4C program the minute it was first publicized because i was sure we would qualify. We did and traded in our 1988 Mitsubishi Montero Sport (14-16 MPG) for a new Honda Fit. We had all our documentation (or so I thought) and had test driven and decided on our vehicle. The dealership seemed very together although they said they were overwhelmed by the strain the C4C paperwork was putting on their work force. On 7/24 we were ready to go and hubby stated that he could not find the title. it was packed away somewhere due to a recent move. We called the dealership and they said no problem, we will get the title for you. We went over right away and signed all the documents, got financing, paid a down payment. 6 days later later we got a call to come pick up our vehicle. On the way over the dealership calls and says where’s the title? The sales associate had forgotten to file for it; a fact to which she later admitted. To make a long story short, we were delayed three days hours because we had to obtain the title ourselves, something the dealer did not know one could do so easily in NY State, via the NYS DMV website. This was at the moment the C4C program was getting an extension from Congress. It was a very stressful couple of days. We let the dealer know that we felt they had really screwed up and they were apologetic. We finally concluded our deal and brought our vehicle home on 8/5. The dealership was very nice and very contrite about the mistake they made concerning the title. They also assured us that our C4C paperwork would be processed in the following 24 hours. Never the less they did have us sign a waiver to refund our C4C money if the government doesn’t pay them. We were uncomfortable about this and have since learned that this was illegal. This and the fact that we can’t get over how they misinformed us about obtaining our title, made our transaction less than perfect. Generally speaking though, we feel we were fairly treated and we are in possession of our vehicle. It has really improved our day to day life and made it possible to drive distances with out fear of breaking down.
C4C’d my 1996 Mercury Villager GS with 153k on it. I originally had no intention to buy a new car in the next 5 years. I already have two nice new cars: 2003 VW Passat 5-Speed Variant Wagon (44k) and a 2006 Honda Odyssey (30k). The Villager was my “beater” 3rd car. Went to DMV and Ins Co to get official copies of all Registration and Insurance. Scoured the CARS website so I knew how the deal should go down.
Went to the local Mazda dealer in my town: No Mazda5′s, no deals. Discussed about getting in a car from another dealer.. again no deals. Also no clue on CARS. I had to tell the personnel there about the rules. Why do I know more about their business than they?
Emailed around the area: Found a dealer willing to deal, but didn’t have the car. Located one within 24 hours. Agreed to price over the phone, gave a $500 deposit over the phone on 7/23. I got the call that my car arrived from a dealer swap, drove on down with the Villager and did the swap. Did not sign any contingency paperwork. Drove out of there late Friday 7/24 with my 2009 Mazda 5 SP.
Total OTD cost not including tax as $12.4k. Dealer gave a fair $150 scrap value. Retail was $20355. No haggling with the dealer or F&I guy. Cash deal.
I am very happy and lucky, and feel for those who missed out. My timing was perfect.. Before the big rush on cars. Now I hear there are no Mazda5′s within a 150mi radius of me.
I was always told that the best time to buy a car is when you don’t need a car.
I miss the old Villager. It was a good car with nothing wrong. EPA says 18MPG, but I always computed around 22MPG. The van had at least another 50k left in her, and could have been used by a family in need of a cheap car.
As Tom Petty put it… “The waiting is(was) the hardest part!”
I C4Ced my 2000 Jeep Cherokee($4500)with 185,000 miles on it for a 2009 Jeep Compass(+$3500 Chrysler rebate). Add to that my company’s Affiliate Reward that gets me the vehicle at 1% below dealer invoice. $21,500 car for just under $13,000 before tax title…etc. We signed the paper-work on July 29 and it was submitted into “the system” just before midnight on July 30. We finally picked up our new car on August 22. 22 days of frustration that turned out to be unwarranted because, in the end, I found out that my dealer had my best interests (and a few of his own) in mind the entire time…
-Our dealer told us that we were going to be able to pick up our new car within days of signing. This obviously didn’t happen as things quickly spiralled out of control at NHTSA’s end of this bargain.
-Our car was delivered by the dealer (as far as the manufacturer was concerned) on Monday, August 3 to preserve our $3500 rebate that expired at midnight of the 3rd. That is why we were receiving survey calls from Chrysler the following Saturday asking how we liked the new vehicle that we did not possess.
***Much frustration for consumers AND dealers between August 1 and August 19 caused by rule changes and clarifications for both dealers and consumers… clear as mud!!!***
-On Wednesday, August 19, Chrysler told dealers that they were fronting HALF of the clunker amount for 30 days for every vehicle the dealer had in the system. (After 30 days, the manufacturer would take the money back regardless of whether the dealer was reimbursed by the government or not)
-We received a call from the dealer on Thursday, August 20 telling us to bring our clunker in on Saturday, the 22nd and to pick up our new car. Our financing was processed on Friday, August 21.
We picked up our new car, did not sign any contingency paperwork that would put us on the hook for a C4C rejection, and our first car payment is not due til October!
Love my Compass!!! (and my Commander
))
We did our “clunker” deal on July 24th, trading in a 1990 Astro Van worth no more than $250. At the time, Dodge was offering $5000 factory incentives. We managed $500 from the dealer, plus $3500 trade from the CARS rebate. So we saved $9000 off a car with an MSRP of $19000. Although our deal with the first clunker trade for the dealer, everything went very smoothly.
If there was any problem with our deal, it was that I couldn’t purchase the exact car I desired. If the inventories were better, I could have saved an additional $2000 by getting a slightly higher fuel mileage new car, earning me the full $4500 rebate; plus I would have saved $1000 by not buying an automatic transmission.
Still, we were able to get a really nice vehicle for right at $11250 including tax and registration. We were able to have first pick of what was on the dealer’s lot, and received very generous factory rebates. We paid cash for the purchase and have no financing costs. We will drive our new car for at least 15-20 years (we had bought the Astro Van new in 1990). I was very satisfied with the whole experience.
ROFL,
The first day I read about the cash-for-clunkers program I told my wife to get the required documents and paperwork collected and in order. On the day the legislation was signed we faxed every dealer in the area with the specifics of the desired vehicle and an offer to buy immediately. Five days later we got a call from a dealer willing to write an early deal before the final rule was issued. We immediately traded in our clunker, got the new Honda within two hours, and had it on the road three weeks before the program’s final rule and official start-up.
At that time we told friends, neighbors, relatives, and this forum that anyone wanting to take advantage of the CARS program should act without delay as clearly the money was going to run out.
Now we get to read the hilarious and sometimes lunatic complaints here that someone missed out because (1) they didn’t read and meet the requirements, or (2) they waited until the last day to buy, or (3) they think the dealers should be forced to make any and every deal that is offered to them, or (4) they allowed the dealers to screw them after which they came here to complain.
Hang on to your hats because this entire situation is going to get worse before it gets better. There will be deals broken because customers lied, deals broken because dealers screwed up, and deals broken because the feds can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. There will be lawsuits, angry recriminations, and lots of whining complaints on this forum (where they do little or no good). What a show.
(Incidentally, about a week after the program’s official start and a month after we had gotten our car, the dealer came to us with some additional paperwork to sign which would have made us responsible if the deal had fallen through for any reason. We laughed, refused, and showed them the door. We did our part honestly and in good faith. Now they get to do the same.)
Armed myself with all the required paperwork. Printed out the C4C law, read it thoroughly, and earmarked all the necessary issues.
Negotiated an exteamely great deal, then said surprise, I’d like you to take this 1992 chevy pickup with 300,000 miles on it and rebate me another $4500.
Dealer was dumbfounded that I got a great deal, AND had to educate him on how to handle the C4C process. Awesome experience. Now I’m driving a 2009 Hybrid pickup for much much less than I would have thought about offering otherwise.
I wanted to use my 1994 Ford Explorer (clunker) to buy a new Toyota Prius. Spent 3 hours at Toyota of Northwest Arkansas on Saturday, 7/26. Negotiated a deal and left with new Prius. Returned on Tuesday, 7/28, with my paperwork and check for difference. The dealer helped me get through one or two rough spots with documentation, but the paperwork was accepted for a $4500 allowance. The dealer did hold the paperwork needed for me to register the new Prius (MSO) until last Thursday, 8/20. By that time I had almost 500 miles on the original tank of gas.
I did a lot of research for a new car prior to even knowing about the clunkers deal and even had a voucher for up to $3000 from the Texas Air Check program going into the C4C deal. Traded in a 98 Explorer and got a Nissan Rogue for invoice, both the Air Check and C4C rebates, and dealer incentive. Only problem I encountered was the dealer selling the car I had picked out days before the deal was to close. They found another similar car and I ended up with a $28000+ vehicle with for total price of $17000. Their comment on the deal was that I got the “deal of the year.” The dealer was very conservative about the program but I had all my paperwork together for the Air Check program and otherwise had no problems.
I bought a Toyota Corolla 2010, traded in a Dodge Durango 1998 on July 30. Everything went fine. $ 4,500 rebate. 4 hours spent at the dealer, place was busy but it worth it the wait.
Bought a new car using the CFC program. Got on line before purchase, read & understood the rules, acquired the necessary paperwork, and had a qualifying trade in. Went to Ferguson Superstore in Broken Arrow, OK., and bought a new car without any problems at all. Great folks to deal with, no runaround, no price gouging, an example of a fine government program that works exactly as it is supposed to if all parties involved follow the rules, and do their homework. I am now driving a much safer, 6 airbag, traction, stability, & antilock brake controlled vehicle, that also gets twice the mpg.
An excellent buying experience.
We had a great experience. We drove our 1998 Windstar onto the dealer lot on July 11th and drove off with a new Elantra 2 hours later. No problems, no hassles. Cudos to West Broad Hyundai in Richmond Va. Friendly, honest folks. And we really like our new Hyundai and the excellent gas milage.
A great program for the people who pay taxes.
The program was great (this is the only money I’ll ever see from the trillions we are in debt). I traded my 1991 Explorer 4X4 which I paid $1000 for 2-years ago. It had 221,000 miles on it was was starting to leak from every pore. I got a 2009 For Ranger XLT Extended Cab. The Dealer gave me $1500 off sticker, Ford gave me a $4000 rebate and the tax payers gave me $4500 for my Explorer. This was a total savings of $10,000.00 – not a bad deal at all. I basically got a new truck with 5 miles on it for half price!
We walked into dealership on Tuesday 7-20. We traded in our 2002 Ford Winstar with 132,000 miles and major damage on both sliding doors. Car was worth $500. We worked out everyting in advance during the week into the weekend. We drove off the lot the first day you could at 11:00m on 7-27. We had $4500 and $2500 Ford rebate. So we paid about $15,000 for a brand new fully loaded Ford Escape. It was great. No problems!!! It sounds like the earlier you did it the better.
I traded in my 2001 Ford Explorer Sport 4×4 for a 2009 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. I received $3500 for my trade-in that another dealer didn’t even want at first, then broke down saying they’d give me $300 for it. I did have to pay off my trade-in before receiving Cash for Clunkers money, but the transaction process at the dealership was VERY smooth. I’ve had the new car for 3 weeks and it’s amazing!
I traded my 1990 Lexus LS 400 for a 2009 Hyundai Accent. I got $4500 (Cash for Clunkers) plus another $1500 cash from Hyundai. The Hyundai is automatic, air conditioned but no power windows or locks and no radio/cd (all set to receive radio/cd – speakers, wiring, antenna). Hyundai wants $1,100 for a radio/cd and I am having one installed at Pep Boys for $129 (including installation). I put down $2,400 and have payments of $140/month for 5 years (4.39% interest). What a great deal!
I turned in my 20th century Nissan Pathfinder with nearly a 1/4 of a million miles on its clock for a little Nissan Altima with a huge 3.5 liter V6 engine. (Yes, it qualified at 22 MPG combined.) The new car totally rocks! I paid invoice for the Altima, got $3500 for the old truck, and then got another $1500 rebate from Nissan. The rest of the transaction was very straight-forward and I was able to take delivery right away. The only regret I have is that the Clunkers program required trade-ins to be destroyed. That truck had its quirks but it was in pretty good shape and a mechanically-inclined owner could have easily gotten another 100,000 miles out of it.
Traded a 92 Cherokee clunker with over 230,000 miles for a Nissan Altima. Great car that is fun to drive and the transaction went very smooth. Paid 13,900 after the rebates and 4,500 clunker. Finally, a stimulus program for the middle class, although I know we will eventually pay for it.
purchase a Elantra GLS from cardinalo corona hyundai. The sales (internet sales) are very helpfull and try hard to sell me the elantra, even thought his manager doesn’t want to sell me a elantra under MSRP. I spent about 2.5hr there, got my elantra, left my ford there, and paid great price for it. Not sure if they got the money from gov’t yet, I hope they do, because they are very nice people. I tried to deal with other dealers but they won’t even try to give me a $1 discount from MSRP and like “take it or leave it” attitude.
Positive experience with Gary West at Dennis Hyundai in Columbus. Timing and planning (start early and be prepared) were major factors to making the process easy.
Great experience with Toyota of Vancouver, Washington. Reserved the Tacoma I wanted about July 16. No deposit required – Flynn Bernardi held the vehicle for me on good faith from only internet contact. No games from this dealership. Local dealer in Eugene, Oregon was not flexible.
If a person had everything in order, knew what they wanted, and made dealer contact early (the program was well advertised) I would guess that things should have gone well. I picked up the Tacoma on Sunday July 26.
I would like to commend Bender Honda/Nissan in Clovis, NM. After having a terrible experience with another dealer in Las Cruces, NM, I found this particular dealer and bought a Honda CR-V. They were nothing short of fantastic to work with. I would buy from them again and would recommend them to anybody in the region. GREAT JOB Bender!!!
I did my my testing driving the first week in July. Made my deal the next week and got $9000 off the MSRP (price paid was invoice minus $2500 in manufacturers rebates minus $4500 for my clunker)
Try to get that after July 27th!!!
I had to wait until last week (8/20) to get the car even though it was sitting on the lot.
Well worth the wait.
I started following the C4C legislation when I first heard about it in June. When the legislation passed, none of my local dealers would do a deal until the 24th when the program became active. On July 10th, I test drove a bunch of cars and eventually settled on a Honda Fit Sport. I told the dealer I woud be using the C4C program and would buy on July 24th. I wanted a blue car that they didn’t have on the lot but said they would be able to get one by the 24th. Unfortunately, they were not able to get one for me. The salesmen I was working with (Sean McGuire at Burne Honda in Scranton, PA) gave me the deal in writing, even though he knew he wasn’t going to be able to get me the car (thanks again Sean). I used this to go to another dealer (Lehigh Valley Honda in Emaus, PA) that had a $100 price match guarantee. They agreed to beat the deal I had from Burne Honda plus the $100.
I had all my papework in order and faxed to the dealer before going in. Since Lehigh Valley Honda was about an hour and a half drive, I did everything over the phone/internet and had agreed on the price and that they would allow me to take the car as soon as I signed the paperwork. I drove down in my clunker (1999 Ford Ranger XLT 4X4 with body damage and a missing mufler that fell off the week before), and signed all the paperwork. This was on July 31st, right when it was announced that the goverment might be halting the program. Lehigh Valley Honda made me wait until the paperwork was submitted through the Gov’t website (took about an hour) and then I left with my car. Very good salseman and even the F&I guy didn’t pressure me on buying extended warranties and other stuff after I refused the first time. They were able to beat the finance deal I had through Bank of America by a 1/4% (4.25% vs 4.5%).
I’m very glad I didn’t go to a closer dealer who told me I would have to wait until they got paid to take the car (Motorworld in Wilkes-Barre, PA). I told them that the legislation said I could take the car after the deal was submitted and if they weren’t willing to let me take the care I would, and did, go elsewhere.
I can’t say what hassle’s the dealer has had since, but I found the program very simple and easy and it was no more difficult negotating this deal than it has been with any of the other cars I have purchased. (In fact, it was easier as I know more now and the internet just keeps making more information available).
In the end, I got the car for $500 under invoice (before the clunkers rebate) and they threw in the carpeted floor mats as well. Had this program not come about, I would have fixed and continued to drive my Ranger, as I knew it would be worth nothing on trade and was going to try to wring every last cent out of it.
Started shopping on Tuesday July 28th. Signed a purchase offer with a dealer on Thursday July 30th. Picked up new vehicle/dropped off clunker on Friday July 31st. Less than four days start to finish.
My experience was great. My purchase was made on July 7th, weeks before the official start date. I purchased a Hyundai Santa Fe. I did research on safety of vehicles and Hyundai was at the top of the list. Another one of my reasons for purchasing a Hyundai was their decision to start the program early. I knew it was going to get crazy once all the dealers and manufacturers got into the game. I basically purchased the vehicle over the internet with 2 emails. They were very eager to make a deal. At invoice plus a $2000 Hyundai rebate plus the $3500 C4C rebate. Over 30% under MSRP. I was the first C4C customer they had. Took about 2 hours because it was a new deal for them. I had a 1995 Isuzu Trooper worth about the tank of gas that was in it. Drove away with my new Santa Fe that afternoon. Because the rules for the program were not available at the time, I am waiting for my salvage money.
My experience was a very positive one and I believe that was for two main reasons. First I understood all the requirements of the program and had all my documentation in order. Secondly the dealership, Bergstrom Imports in Appleton WI as well as sales consultant John Froelich, were also as thorough in their preparation for handling the paperwork. I was able to get a $4,500 credit for a van that was 19 years old and worth $500. Without the program I’d still be driving the same vehicle and not an Audi Q5.
I concur, Now please pay the dealerships!
This is a great once in a lifetime deal! I would never of gotten the money I received for my car through the Cash for Clunkers program if this program wasn’t around. I was pretty last minute on this because I was unsure if I was going to get a raise or not.
I went for it anyways! I was able to get the Mazda 3 that I’ve been wanting for 2 years now! I got it out the door for 16K with everything I wanted! I couldn’t have been happier!!!
I made sure I had all the paperwork when I went to the dealership, so there was no hassle with the DMV or my insurance. I saw some people get turned away because they didn’t have the requested check listed items. It was a waste of time for them and the car salesmen. The paperwork we had to fill out wasn’t bad at all! I went to one dealership and they whined about all the paperwork they had to fill out, I think I filled out 3 pages? Not bad! So some salesmen are just lazy. Hence why I left that dealership! John Hine Mazda in San Diego has the nicest staff! I highly suggest buying from them!
Thank you President Obama! Now please pay the dealerships!
I had a very postive experience and feel fortunate that I had an old clunker that qualified. My clunker deal was the very first one done at Wyatt-Johnson in Clarksville Tenn. The dealership was virtually empty of customers at the time. The management was very negotiable and eager to make a deal. I think this was a once in a life time deal for a new car and am very pleased.
I went to my Chevy dealer on July 3rd and picked out my HHR. I put a thousand down on it and he held the car until July 24th.
During that three weeks, I got all my paperwork from my insurance company and the DMV in order and got it to the dealer. On Friday, July 24th, he called me at work and said to come and get the car. since we had already done the preliminaries, the time at the dealer didn’t take much more time with C4C than it normally does when buying a new car.
I did get a nice suprise though. We had already agreed on a price, including the $4500 got my Explorere. When I got to the dealer to pick up the car, they told me I had a suprise for waiting. Chevrolet had come out with a 1000 rebate for cars that had been on the lot unsold for a certain perios of time. Mine was one of them, and I got anothr grand off the car. Let me ask you, how many dealers would have even told me about this rebate? Not many I would guess.
We never discussed the scrap value of my old car. It would not have been much nad I was ver satisfied with my deal. With all the factory rebates, C4C, Gm card rebate, and dealer discount, I got my 20,000 dollar HHR for 9800 dollars.
A plug for my dealer, Mike Hellack Chevrolet in Davis Oklahoma, I don’t know if you get the absolute bottom dollar deal from them, but I would bet they are close. You won’t leave therer feling like you have been taken as with a lot of other dealers.
Without C4C I would have driven my old 92 Explorer till it dies. It was worth about 500 dollars, so C4c ws great for me.
In general, I had a positive experience with the “Clunkers” program. Actually, with the Clunkers side of the deal, I had a very good experience. It’s on the dealership’s business side that I had problems, which had nothing to do with the “Clunkers” program.
The dealership I used really seemed to be up to speed on the “clunkers” program leading up the original start date of 7/24. Prior to that date, I had brought up all the paper work, which they started working on the week before. This included double checking with my insurance carrier that my insurance had been order the full prior year.
The dealer had pulled the car I was going to get off the sales row and placed it in the back until the 24th.
I went up on the 24th, eventually paid for the car, and was gone. It was while I was with the “business manager” that things weren’t so rosy, but even without the “clunker” program, I would have still had the same issues with the “business manager”.
My dealer did not, at least at that early date, require me to sign any paper saying I would be on the hook for the $3500 “clunker” money should the government pull a fast one. I’ve been driving it since day one, now have 800+ miles on it.
I do have one “clunkers” issue outstanding though. I received nothing from the scrap value. We did sign the estimate of the scrap value that was required by the Clunkers program. But I got no money from it.
A week afterwards, after reading the Clunkers site set up by Brian, to inquire about the net scrap value cash. This is what the Gen Manager said to me. The number that we signed as having seen was just an “estimate”. After the dealer got the actual dollars from the scrap sale, I would be getting a separate check from the dealer. That is where that stands right now. Sometime next week, I plan to drop by the dealer to find out where the scrap value money is.
I will either be happy and count my money, or I will be talking to Dearborn customer relations people. I’m guessing my relative who works at Ford HQ can find me the number of the “right” person to speak to.
Prior to making my purchase I had all relevant documentation pulled together. During the shopping process, from the end of July until Mid-August, dealer reaction to the C4C deal was mixed. Inventories of cars in my selection pool were limited, but when I did find the desired car the dealer (Conyers Nissan) was prepared to handle the transaction.
Normal car deals take a few minutes to complete once all the negotiation is completed. However, being a C4C deal extra time was spent at the dealer completing all the necessary paperwork to ensure what I had was eligible. It was, so the extra time was just a slight incovenience and the deal proceeded as normal through the financing part. My new car was delivered the same day I closed the deal.
For me, C4C worked for the following reasons:
1. There was no income limit–I make more than $100k per year and feared the program would be limited to a lower amount.
2. I was prepared–from what I hear, many consumers show up without documentation or complete facts on what is eligible/required.
3. I was patient/firm with the dealer. They are taking on an additional risk waiting for the rebate.
My suggestions for any future program:
1. As a taxpayer, the amounts were way too generous and exhausted the supply of funds allocated quickly. A more reasonable incentive would be in the $1,000-$1,500 range. That large of an incentive worked against many deals as dealers tried to expand their profit margins.
2. Provide a way to pre-qualify consumers and perhaps use a voucher that could be revealed after the deal was made. This would place the burden of proof on the consumer early in the game, and reduce the risk for the dealership(s). It would also prevent some of the profit gouging that may have occurred. I have nothing wrong with profit in our society, but the dealers quickly forgot how slow business was prior to the program.
3. The website was very easy for me to understand, but dealers had problems with their processing. More capacity for handling those transactions would help dealer confidence.
Hello again,
I felt compelled to write a review of my experience with cash for clunkers(C4C). June 20, 2009 was my first run in with the C4C. That was the date that I first read the bill introduced and later passed and signed on June 24, 2009, by Barry Husein Obama. I personally have not been a fan of any of the stimulus package to date but as many have said before finally something tangible that i can see and feel.
After reviewing the original rules and seeing that my 1990 Ford Bronco was eligible, I began my shopping to find fuel efficient trucks. Unfortunately this is where i had the troubles. I am a die hard American car/truck man, but ford, chevy, gmc, etc. did not have vehicles that would be able to tow, be fuel effecient, and be affordable(30,000 or less). Luckily a friend told me about the new look Kia’s. I searched and found a first year production truck Kia Borrego. The truck was fuel efficient, powerfull, loaded with features, able to tow 5000 to 7500lbs and affordable.
So my search begins for this truck. For some reason Kia has held back on these trucks. Dealers where having trouble keeping them in stock. But I found a dealer in NJ that actually stated they had several of them and that they would be participating in C4C. Finally the break i needed, or so i thought. This dealer lured me into thier showroom under the pretenses that they would offer as the government stated they could, sales starting on July 1, instead of waiting till July 24. This dealer was on RT. 22 global auto mall. Well July 1, i was at there showroom at 12pm. at 4 pm i left the dealership with no car. They made false statements(they did not have any trucks), changed the rules, and were horrible sneaky people. So the journey ends I thought. I figured I would just wait till July 24 when everything was settled, so down rt 22 I went. As I was driving i saw a KIa sign off in the distance. I figured what the hell might as well try. As i turned into the lot i pulled into a space and right next to a Kia Borrego!!
This is where the story turns for the better. The location was Garden state auto plaza in Hillside, NJ. They were under new ownership and making changes. But i was excied to see the truck. i was greated by a sales person who really didn’t know anything about C4C. I basically walked them through the rules and the website. I also recommended CASHFORCLUNKERSFACTS.COM as a great resource. After some haggling as is expected i signed a deal at 6pm that night. there first deal contingent on the july 24 date of the program taking affect.
i know this has been a long winded story, but i felt compelled to tell it cause i see how difficult it has been for so many people dealing with horrible dealers. I lucked out, found a dealer who’s owner treated me like a son. I walked around the dealership being treated like family. As of right now i have no complaints with this dealership and wish that more people would have had the same experience. I am now loving my Kia Borrego….yes a KIA drive one the proof is in the pudding so to speak. Your website has been great… Garden state auto plaza in hillside was easy to deal with… and i hope the government will continue to hand out money for other things.
thank you again
Heard of the CARS bill in February and followed it off and on. Knew it was going to happen when signed on June 23. Had been researching cars for several months and knew what I wanted and the few dealers that had it (Chev HHR-SS).
Made a deal for it on July 10th. Dealer held car with 1K deposit. Dealer said I could pick up on 24th July. Contacted dealer on 22nd to set up delivery appt. received delivery on 24th at 7PM (took 2 hours).
I’m happy and saddened that others had bad experiences.
Overall experiance was good….
Traded in a 91 Chevy PU (CARS credit of $ 4500) and a 96 Tercel (Texas Clean Credit of $ 3000)on a 2010 Camry LE. Worked with fleet sales manager at local Austin Toyota Dealership (Champion Toytota)securing a great COSTCO invoice + $ 300 pricing on this vehicle.
Had tried other Austin Dealership (Charles Mound) prevously for similiar CARS program assistance…but Charles Mound was unresponsive.
$26.5 MSMP Sticker (camry with leather),walk out pricing (w/ttl:$ 17K
Overall….good experiance. Took delivery on 1st day of CARS program.
Buying a new car was the most stressful ordeal of my life, but it was a good experience. Rather than getting $200 for my 1992 Jeep Cherokee that needed a LOT of repairs (I stopped getting estimates years ago, but we’d easily be up into a couple thousand dollars at least) to have it be sent to a junkyard, I got $4650 for it (we paid $6000 for it about 8 years ago) and a brand new, safe, fuel efficient and finally reliable Honda Fit.
The staff at Walser Honda in Burnsville, MN were so helpful. I never felt pressured, I wasn’t over-sold to, I wasn’t treated like a less-than because I didn’t have the best credit and was utilizing a government program. They treated me and my mother very nicely and I would gladly go back to them in the future. Non Commission for the win
On July 1st I started my search after hearing the news about C4C.
I went to my local dealer (Ganley Toyota) at that time they did not have the car I wanted on the lot. (2009 Camry SE w/ sun and JBL) He was willing to locate the car in Chicago…400miles away.
MSRP was $25818.00
Selling price – $20818.00(all dealer cash and rebates)
C4C- (-$4500.00
Out the door with tax and tag….$17300.
I believe I got a great deal!
We closed the deal on 7/25/09….
I already have 1800 miles on my new car.
Everything went smooth…….no problems at all.
Jim
In our fifties and purchased our first new car ever. Traded a reliable, but dying 96 Ford explorer.
Followed the development of the program months in advance.
Shopped for the new Toyota Venza as soon as the program was approved. Met with good as well us bad dealership.
The relative ease and success of our transaction was due to the honesty of our salesperson, Heather Sieber of Middletown (CT) Toyota. She worked very hard on our behalf and we are very happy with the outcome!
I have 5 kids with 3 going to a local university. I have not bought a new car in over 20 years. The last vehicle I bought was a 9 year old Volvo. I have five old clunkers and fix them all myself. The worst by far was the 95′ van that I traded in.
I made my deal 3 weeks before the program began (July 7). This allowed me to get a great deal and the best selection. The dealer kept my new Ford Ranger on the lot till the program actually began.
The Truck had a MSRP of $17,700, and had been on the lot since March. So, the dealer advertised it for $12,200. With my ’95 clunker Van (that had a blown head gasket), I got the truck for $7,700. What a deal!
I had been nursing my 95 Van along for years and my kids only used it to drive to the bus stop 3 times a week (That was a mile away). As long as the engine did not get to hot, it did not loose to much coolant.
No problems at all with Fowler Honda in Norman, OK. Started looking to replace our 1998 Expedition in May 2009. Got serious on July 13th, Fowler found our 2010 Pilot and we picked it up on July 16th. We had all the paperwork in order, and left the Expedition. July 27th, Went back to the dealer and signed their CARS checklist, ensuring all the papers were there (no contingnency clause). Had no problems with the transaction at all. Probably much smoother than a normal deal, as we didn’t have to worry about trade value.
I’m with Sam — would not have bought new without the program.
Easy, it was not
Frustrating… most definitely
Time consuming…absolutely
However, if ultimately having success is the key, then yes it was positive. The C4C program turned a 19+ year-old liability in need of a $2500.00 transmission repair, into a $4,770.00 asset ($4500 plus the actualized reduction of the new car’s sales tax)
I would not have been even thinking “new car” much less buying one without the C4C program