mardi gras skin Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 So, I'm hunting for a used car and it turns out I'm on the hook for the "cash for clunkers" rebate. With over 700,000 used cars disposed of, deals are harder to come by than in the past. I'm either going to get less car or find more change in the couch. Thanks for sticking your finger in the economy, government! :slap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Government bailouts and incentive programs have made our culture too lazy to pay for the things they want. Everyone expects a handout now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Yup. I have an old pickup and my mechanic told me to hang onto it, "most of these went in the crusher and it is probably worth two or three times that of a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckus Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 With the economy in its current shape there are plenty of people selling cars personally. I would check out craigslist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TradeTheBeal! Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 So, I'm hunting for a used car and it turns out I'm on the hook for the "cash for clunkers" rebate. With over 700,000 used cars disposed of, deals are harder to come by than in the past. I'm either going to get less car or find more change in the couch.Thanks for sticking your finger in the economy, government! :slap: The vast majority of clunkers were exactly that....pieces of crap. The government action was VERY beneficial to the car companies, car dealers, car buyers, the move to conserve fuel, etc. Your anger is misdirected and your research is flawed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveakl Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 The vast majority of clunkers were exactly that....pieces of crap. The government action was VERY beneficial to the car companies, car dealers, car buyers, the move to conserve fuel, etc. Your anger is misdirected and your research is flawed. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/11/573594/in-cars-is-used-always-less.html The problem is real, the cause the OP cites may be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 The vast majority of clunkers were exactly that....pieces of crap. The government action was VERY beneficial to the car companies, car dealers, car buyers, the move to conserve fuel, etc. Your anger is misdirected and your research is flawed. Don't you love it when a poster says "Your X (insert the word logic, research, or whatever) is flawed" without providing any evidence as to why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busch1724 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 The same thing will occur with the housing market that was artifically propped up by rebates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 So if a tax is used to provide income to the government, how can higher prices for used cars be a tax? I mean, the owner of the used car, not the government, is the beneficiary of the price increase. How is this a tax? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 The vast majority of clunkers were exactly that....pieces of crap. The government action was VERY beneficial to the car companies, car dealers, car buyers, the move to conserve fuel, etc. Your anger is misdirected and your research is flawed. No, he was right on track. It's simple economics. Less supply higher the costs and difficulty in obtaining the now scarce resource. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TradeTheBeal! Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 No, he was right on track. It's simple economics. Less supply higher the costs and difficulty in obtaining the now scarce resource. If the "now scarce resource" is 93 Explorers with 150K+ miles, then he's right. You used to be able to get them for $300, now it might cost $600-700. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TradeTheBeal! Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/11/573594/in-cars-is-used-always-less.htmlThe problem is real, the cause the OP cites may be wrong. From the link... Credit the prolonged recession with prompting more Americans to buy used, sending the average price of a 3-year-old car up 11.1 percent from last year and triple the usual annual increase, reports Edmunds.com, an auto research site. A 3-year old car is not a clunker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 With the economy in its current shape there are plenty of people selling cars personally. I would check out craigslist. Just not in Fredericksburg. http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2010/072010/07202010/562816#axzz0uFQ1qBK9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveakl Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 If the "now scarce resource" is 93 Explorers with 150K+ miles, then he's right. You used to be able to get them for $300, now it might cost $600-700. So you are saying that there were not many cars in the $3500-$4000 range that were traded in but otherwise were in good working order? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Yes the price of used cars increased because of the cash for clunkers program, but I still don't see how this is a tax. Love for someone to explain that to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TradeTheBeal! Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 So you are saying that there were not many cars in the $3500-$4000 range that were traded in but otherwise were in good working order? I personally dealt with around 200 clunkers. Very few, maybe 20, were in good working order. Most had severe issues relating to the drivetrain or electrical system. To my eye, most were in the range of $0-$1500 value at best. The clunkers program, in essence, made a $1000 car worth $4000ish...that's the sweet spot where most of the transactions took place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Yes the price of used cars increased because of the cash for clunkers program, but I still don't see how this is a tax. Love for someone to explain that to me. It's not, the the real tax will be in paying for it(and the interest) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQCOWBOY Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Perhaps the better description would be, "Unintended Consequence", as opposed to unexpected tax. Personally, I would call it Government Stupidity but hey, what do I know about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Yes the price of used cars increased because of the cash for clunkers program, but I still don't see how this is a tax. Love for someone to explain that to me. Sometimes people refer to government action that costs them money as a "tax". I know when I pay my registration fees each year for my vehicles, I don't view that as a fee but really view it as a tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 But your registration fees are actually taxes, they are providing money to the government. "Unintended consequences" is a much better title for the thread, but not as incendiary, so it was not used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rictus58 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Sometimes people refer to government action that costs them money as a "tax". I know when I pay my registration fees each year for my vehicles, I don't view that as a fee but really view it as a tax. Imake the distinction between the two this way... One is a user "fee", one is mandatory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQCOWBOY Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Imake the distinction between the two this way...One is a user "fee", one is mandatory. And now you know how Bill Gates came up with his Microsoft Licensing agreement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 But your registration fees are actually taxes, they are providing money to the government. "Unintended consequences" is a much better title for the thread, but not as incendiary, so it was not used. This is certainly true. I don't object to him using the term tax though since it was government action that took money out of his pocket. While not truly a tax, saying "unintended consequences" instead could not express the frustration nearly as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Imake the distinction between the two this way...One is a user "fee", one is mandatory. In most of Virginia, the necessity of owning and registering a vehicle is so absolute that there is little distinction between a tax and registration "fee". You have to have a vehicle therefore you have to pay the fee. This makes it mandatory in my view and therefore a tax. No, I am not forming a militia. Just had to renew my tags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rictus58 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 In most of Virginia, the necessity of owning and registering a vehicle is so absolute that there is little distinction between a tax and registration "fee". You have to have a vehicle therefore you have to pay the fee. This makes it mandatory in my view and therefore a tax.No, I am not forming a militia. Just had to renew my tags Owning a vehicle is not mandatory though. You're personal desire(s) make it necessary. But you could chose to not own a car. Having said that...doesn't Virginia also tax your cars annually? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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