Answers

• steve_ 06/18/09 11:30 pm PST

  Edit Answer (for another -37 minute) I think the sponsors of the Cash for Clunkers bill thought it would be too difficult (or perhaps too easy to game the system) if the dealers had to individually test every car being traded in to determine its actual mileage. Plus, the stimulus is geared more toward getting trucks and SUVs off the road than cars. Keep checking the list and the FAQ. I don't think there are going to be any more changes in the legislation that was passed today, but the rulemaking process could clarify it a bit more. (0)(0) Report It

• lokki 06/19/09 3:13 pm PST

  Edit Answer (for another 7 minutes) Why aren't cars that no longer get the MPG they did when new eligible for Cash for Clunkers program? Because it would be impossible to administer a program like that. You'd either have to take people's word for the decreased mileage - in which case any car brought forward for the program would qualify, or have expensive testing to determine the mileage that the vehicle was actually capable of achieving. They decided to use an objective methodology that was already available to them under which every car in the United States has already been tested - the EPA ratings. Congress could have designed the program so that any old car would qualify (without anyone having to lie) but they chose not to. Sorry, and I understand your feelings, but the rules of the program are what they are, not what they might have been. (0)(0) Report It

• mr_shiftright 06/19/09 3:21 pm PST

  Edit Answer (for another 15 minutes) Probably because the program is not interested in, or capable of, figuring out why you're getting such poor mileage. Obviously something is wrong with your car, which may not be your fault, but it's not the CFC bill's problem either. (0)(0) Report It