AP IMPACT: Clunker pickups traded for new pickups

[Terri]

By TED BRIDIS
Associated Press
November 5, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - The most common deals under the government's $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program, aimed at putting more fuel-efficient cars on the road, replaced old Ford or Chevrolet pickups with new ones that got only marginally better gas mileage, according to an analysis of new federal data by The Associated Press.

The single most common swap - which occurred more than 8,200 times - involved Ford F150 pickup owners who took advantage of a government rebate to trade their old trucks for new Ford F150s. They were 17 times more likely to buy a new F150 than, say, a Toyota Prius. The fuel economy for the new trucks ranged from 15 mpg to 17 mpg based on engine size and other factors, an improvement of just 1 mpg to 3 mpg over the clunkers.

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[DIF]

The requirements stated that you only had to purchase a vehicle that gets 1 to 10 mpg better than the one you are trading in. It didn't specifiy that you had to trade in an F150 for a Prius. So don't be surprised when someone trades in an old truck that got 13 mpg for one that gets 15 mpg.

Just another example of why the governement shouldn't be in charge of anything, especially healthcare.

[utexas]

I knew this was one of the most asinine ideas in the Porkulus the first time I heard of it. Who would've thought the public would actually take advantage of a bad Democrat plan with holes in it big enough to drive a pickup truck through?

Also I am amazed that the American Pravda (formerly known as the Associated Press) has actually come out with a handful of stories lately that are critical of the Obambi administration.