The Obama administration has signaled its support for a congressional effort that aims to boost the troubled car industry by subsidizing new cars sales for consumers who scrap old ones.
Under the so-called cash-for-clunkers legislation, consumers with old, gas guzzlers could get $3,500 or $4,500 in government vouchers to use toward the purchase of new cars that get gas mileage that exceeds [that of] the old cars.
This is really a matter of getting the camel’s nose into the tent. The goal is to get Americans into “green” transportation by the simple expedient of offering only “green” vehicles for sale and removing "non-green" vehicles from the resale market.
I suspect the only effect of this legislation will be to increase the resale value of used cars.
It'll probably also have the effect of... don't remember which American car company, GM? Well, it'll probably also have the effect of getting people in Green cars and giving them the negative impression that they're not worth the effort, since green cars are still only marginally better, and probably will have a few "Huh. Not sure why it exploded," trick breakdowns down the road.
ReplyDeleteIf they want to flood the market with green cars, they can follow the same back-firing strategy of giving them all to the rental car companies, so that when the used lots flood with green cars, the environment will be all the better.
Hey, I bought a rental - a bright red Chrysler LeBaron convertible (very popular in Florida at the time). I finally traded it in on my Mexican Cadillac (a Dodge pickup).
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