Autoblog: REPORT: Cash-For-Clunkers dealers instructed to kill engines with sodium silicate

klankymen said:
The Jazz on the other hand has a service interval of 40000km (!) which seems epicly high to me, so while it does need to be serviced here in germany, it'll be maybe twice in the next 3 years.
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I have never owned a new car, let alone a Honda, but isn't the service interval something like "X kilometers or Y months, whatever comes up first"?
 
Dr_Grip said:
I have never owned a new car, let alone a Honda, but isn't the service interval something like "X kilometers or Y months, whatever comes up first"?
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Well, I'm gonna have to double-check, because the car isn't gonna be for me, it's gonna be shared between my mother and me, so I don't know all the details off the top of my head, but I believe it was something like first service after 20000km or 1 year, whichever comes first, but proceeding services at 40Mm intervals, with no mention of time.... I'll double check when we pick up the car though.
 
Dogbert said:
This...


and this...


... on top of 7 of the top 10 cars on that list being built in America... actually make the program seem like it makes sense. Sort of.

The interesting thing to watch is how the program plays out over the next couple of years in the finance market, specifically because one of the caveats is that you either have to purchase the car up front or have at least a five year loan. Considering what just happened with the housing market, this could either be great for bringing back the credit market, or tank everyone's credit even more.
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That is incorrect.

You can buy the car with cash, you can finance it for 12, 24, 36, 48 or however many months you want but...

If you want to lease the car you have to lease it over 60 months. They did that because with a 4,500 dollar trade in credit on a short lease would make the lease payment incredibly small and encourage quicker turnover for the used car market. By forcing people who want to lease into a 60 month lease you reduce the chance of causing a lease bubble in two years.

A third of the deals we have done were cash deals. All the rest were conventional finance deals mostly with terms for 48 months or less and rates under 3.9 percent. There was a lot of 2.9, 1.9 and ZERO percent special rate loans.

There were only two loans past 60 months, one 63 months and one 72 months and both had large down payments.
 
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BerserkerCatSplat said:
:(
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All the Cherokees and Grand Cherokees we took in looked like this one...

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200,000 plus miles Rusted out, poorly running, smoking and usually body damaged in someway.
 
See, that's probably a real clunker. There was one posted earlier in the thread that's way newer than mine and in pristine condition, killed. Hell, mine's got over 365,000km and it's still a solid vehicle, yet newer ones are being trashed. Drives me fucking nuts.
 
There are a lot of Jeep XJs out there, no loss. Also those equipped with manual gearboxes have been killing their own engines without assistance for quite awhile.
 
Those ones with the rusted out body, the engine is probably the best part left. Those 4.0s will run for ever and ever and ever and ever.
 
Crazyjeeper said:
Those ones with the rusted out body, the engine is probably the best part left. Those 4.0s will run for ever and ever and ever and ever.
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Unless it is equipped with a manual gearbox and has its crankshaft pushed out.

But in general they will last forever. After universal entropy has run its course all that will remain are low energy photons, Jeep XJs, and an Alfa Romeo Spider in immaculate condition (just to piss off everyone burned by an Italian car).
 
British_Rover said:
All the Cherokees and Grand Cherokees we took in looked like this one...

200,000 plus miles Rusted out, poorly running, smoking and usually body damaged in someway.
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That is not rusted out! That is barely beyond the surface. When there are holes you can stick your head into, then it is rusted out. That vehicle has some life left in it. If not as a whole vehicle, than as parts for another. I will have to dig out the pics of my Datsun truck, that was rusted out.
 
I'd give a hundred bucks for that Jeep, and then run it too the ground in MD where we destroy cars. :)
 
GRtak said:
That is not rusted out! That is barely beyond the surface. When there are holes you can stick your head into, then it is rusted out. That vehicle has some life left in it. If not as a whole vehicle, than as parts for another. I will have to dig out the pics of my Datsun truck, that was rusted out.
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I couldn't get a picture of the driver's side rocker panels and doors because there is not enough light down there.

I could put my hand through the back driver's side door and through the back driver's side rocker.

One more winter and I could put my hand through the fender by the fuel door.

Crazyjeeper said:
Those ones with the rusted out body, the engine is probably the best part left. Those 4.0s will run for ever and ever and ever and ever.
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They will run for a very long time but much past 250,000 and what is the point? There are millions of those engines out there and no one is going to go through the trouble of rebuilding a 250,000 mile one from an obviously abused car when they can get a much nicer low mileage example.
 
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Technicians at Castle Ford outside Baltimore, MD were apparently attempting to disable a clunker van's engine, as required by Cash For Clunkers, when the entire van burst into flames, taking down another clunker with it.

As we've seen before, this can bequite the intense process, and the van in question appears to be an older Econoline. From the photos it appears the collateral damage is in the form of the Montero Sport next to it. We're curious if the technicians still have to destroy the engine of the now-torched Montero or if it's going to be covered by insurance.

Steve Travers, the General Manager of Castle Ford, confirmed there was a fire but wouldn't comment any further. We're a little sad he didn't say "our deals are so hot cars are bursting into flames."
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http://jalopnik.com/5337434/cash-for-clunker-engine-disabling-leads-to-fire/gallery/

I'm sure the environment thanked us for the hybrid this was traded in for.
 
I want to kick this guy so hard in the balls that he has to pee out his ears.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-LZPVy8X00[/YOUTUBE]

Blind Io, don't look now...
 
BlaRo said:
I want to kick this guy so hard in the balls that he has to pee out his ears.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-LZPVy8X00[/YOUTUBE]

Blind Io, don't look now...
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generally, I dont even like Toyotas all that much


but for that, I think I would quite enjoy him being set on fire

he traded it for a rabbit too :mad:
 
Wow, that sucks. That Land Cruiser still looked very nice too.
 
BlaRo said:
I want to kick this guy so hard in the balls that he has to pee out his ears.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-LZPVy8X00[/YOUTUBE]

Blind Io, don't look now...
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I think this might actually be the first genuine case where I could dislike the law based solely on the car being crushed.

That kid is a moron, as good of condition as that looked to be in, it was probably worth as much or more as the voucher.
 
I went by some of the local dealers today to see what was on Death Row thanks to C4C.

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Late-model Jeep Cherokee.

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Mid-run Jeep Cherokee, recent SAAB 9-3

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Late Mercedes W126, still in good shape.

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VW 'Thing' - looks to be in good shape.

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R50 Infiniti QX4, still in good shape

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Subaru SVX

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W202 Mercedes C-Class

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Lexus SC

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Lexus LS400, Volvo V70

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Infiniti J30, still in good shape

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Behind the Exploder, an R50 Pathfinder - looks like it's still intact.

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BMW E38. No body damage.

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1986 or 1987 Jaguar XJ6 Series III Vanden Plas. :( :( :( :cry:
Oh, and some Camaro thing.

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E30 BMW and a WJ Jeep Grand Cherokee.

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Isuzu Trooper and Volvo 940 - and a nice looking WD22 Nissan XTerra behind it. :(
 
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