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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Preliminary results - 69% improvement in FE from junk to new according to online resource. (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=224696)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/546/Fusion_059.JPGWayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) - July 29, 2009

Hybrid Fan’s brand new white 2010 Fusion hybrid less than 30 minutes after driving it home. And gone is the old F-150 thanks to C4C :)

An average savings of $750 in fuel per year for the average consumer.

According to a release earlier in the week, early statistics from automotive dealers on the CARS Program, commonly known as Cash for Clunkers, show consumers receiving a 69% mile-per-gallon (mpg) improvement in fuel economy vs. the vehicle they traded in which saves them an average of $750 a year in fuel alone.

According to the site, 79% of clunkers being traded in are SUVs, trucks and vans with over 100,000 miles and most are being replaced with new passenger vehicles. The average age of a trade-in model is almost 13 years old, and the average odometer reading is approximately 138,000 miles. The most popular clunker trades are Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge and 84 percent of the new vehicles purchased are passenger cars.

In the sample, 64% of the government funded credits were for $4500 and 36% for $3500. "Lower priced cars have a better chance of qualifying for the larger $4500 rebate because smaller vehicles typically have better mpg ratings," adds O'Connell. The rare exceptions are hybrids that cost more but often qualify for the $4500 because of their higher mpg ratings. "The best deals for the Cash for Clunkers program are the less expensive vehicles that cost $10,000-$18,000. A list of these types of vehicles is available on www.CashForClunkersInformation.org."

An unexpected trend is the sales to consumers who do not qualify for the government program. Chip King, from www.JerrysToyota.com, says that "over half the consumers who initially inquired about the program did not qualify but many of them bought a car anyway due to the unprecedented manufacturer and dealer incentive programs, "explains King. "We are having our best used vehicles sales month all year because consumers who don't qualify for the program are buying certified pre-owned cars," said Brian Benstock from www.ParagonCars.com. "For every vehicle sold to a consumer who is eligible for the government program we have sold another vehicle to consumers who did not qualify."

We have included sample statistics from three dealer groups that have stores in major markets such as Florida, Ohio, Georgia, New York and Washington, DC. "So far all of our sales have been conquest sales," said Rick Case, the owner of one of the largest privately owned import dealer groups in the country.

Rick Case Automotive, Sheehy Automotive and Paragon Automotive Group all announced that they would help consumers starting July 1(st), which was when the law said customers would be eligible, and was 23 days before the government released the final rules. As a result, these dealers have a month of historical sales data they agreed to share for the transactions that have occurred in their stores located throughout the country. Below are some of the stats used in the sample:

Rick Case Automotive: Statistics from clunker transactions in Florida, Georgia and Ohio:

More than 70% of the clunkers were domestics (all Ford or Chevy trade ins)
71% of the clunkers were SUV's
93% had over 100k miles
71% qualified for the $4500 (because SUV's only need a 5 mpg improvement to get the full $4500 rebate and 71% of clunkers were SUV's)
The average clunker trade in gets 17 mpg
The average new vehicle gets 25 mpg
The average improvement is 8 mpg

Paragon Automotive: Statistics from transactions in their New York Import franchise stores):

Clunker Trade ins: 69% Domestic; 31% Import
74% of clunkers were SUV (30%), Vans (35%) or Trucks (9%)
Vans: 35%
SUV: 30%
Trucks: 9%
Passenger Cars: 26%
$3500 Credit: 43%
$4500 Credit: 57%
Avg. mpg for clunker: 16
Avg. mpg for new car: 27
Avg. mpg improvement: 9

Sheehy Automotive: Statistics from transactions in their 17 locations in Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland and Baltimore:

76% domestic trades, 24% import
79% SUV, pickups and minivans
44% SUVs
23% pickups
12% minivans
21% cars
Average mileage 138,000

A new member HybridFan (Brian) just took advantage of the program to take his F-150 off the road for a brand new 2010 Ford Fusion. ALS (Al) is in the process of removing an 80’s model Volvo for a 2010 Prius-III. We know the incentives work but let us hope we keep hearing of those kinds of success stories from our membership and the general public as a whole.

A lot of information from a site that posted information before the C4C program officially went into effect. I can only hope the results reported are as promising as our own membership’s purchase experiences.

On Monday when I drop off my Clunker at the Toyota dealer, I'll be going from an EPA rated 18mpg Volvo wagon to a 50 mpg Prius. That is a 277.77% increase in gas mileage. :D Driving the same miles a year in the Prius I will use only 36% of the gas the old Volvo does.

Another success story - A coworker of mine who lives near Albany, NY is "clunking" a mid 90s Crown Vic and taking delivery of a new Milan hybrid in light blue. They put down the deposit last night and pick up the car on Monday - probably due to the delay in getting the voucher approved. For every new sale we know of, there are many more out there - and that means many more gallons saved.

My brother told me the dealership he works at sold 14 cars saturday, 5 on monday and 7 yesterday. Most bought Calibers, 4 cylinder Avengers, or the Jeep compass/patriot twins. He told me most of the trade ins were Suv's and some minivans.
Interesting thing. They grenaded the engines on a bunch of them yesterday. They have to drain the oil and replace it with a specific product that he says contains glass shards and other nasty things. He told me that the engine in a Chevy Venture lasted about 30 seconds. He said an Explorer was a little over a minute. Someone traded in a Cherokee with the 4.0 Straight 6 engine(i have a soft spot for cherokees, having owned 5 different ones). That straight 6 ran for over 5 minutes before finally seizing. I always knew they were tough engines, but DAMN!:eek::eek:

My brother told me the dealership he works at sold 14 cars saturday, 5 on monday and 7 yesterday. Most bought Calibers, 4 cylinder Avengers, or the Jeep compass/patriot twins. He told me most of the trade ins were Suv's and some minivans.
Interesting thing. They grenaded the engines on a bunch of them yesterday. They have to drain the oil and replace it with a specific product that he says contains glass shards and other nasty things. He told me that the engine in a Chevy Venture lasted about 30 seconds. He said an Explorer was a little over a minute. Someone traded in a Cherokee with the 4.0 Straight 6 engine(i have a soft spot for cherokees, having owned 5 different ones). That straight 6 ran for over 5 minutes before finally seizing. I always knew they were tough engines, but DAMN!:eek::eek:
An old friend of mine grenaded a 170cid slant six in an old Plymouth. He saw some sludge inside the valve cover and figured to clean it, he should drain the oil, replace the filter, add 5 quarts of Marvel Mystery Oil, and take it for a long drive. That engine lasted over 15 miles (probably about half an hour of driving) before it seized. Too bad they don't build 'em like that anymore.
The Venture engine doesn't surprise me as the 3.4's are not the best specimens of the 60 degree V6s.
The Jeep engine doesn't surprise me either, as the technology dates back to the 50s when oil filters were optional. They're quite overbuilt.

...should there be memorials.

nananaaana nananaaana...hay hay hay...gooood bye..

An old friend of mine grenaded a 170cid slant six in an old Plymouth. He saw some sludge inside the valve cover and figured to clean it, he should drain the oil, replace the filter, add 5 quarts of Marvel Mystery Oil, and take it for a long drive. That engine lasted over 15 miles (probably about half an hour of driving) before it seized. Too bad they don't build 'em like that anymore.
The Venture engine doesn't surprise me as the 3.4's are not the best specimens of the 60 degree V6s.
The Jeep engine doesn't surprise me either, as the technology dates back to the 50s when oil filters were optional. They're quite overbuilt.
Way overbuilt. That engine started life as the AMC 232 in 1964. It became available as a 199 and eventually a 258.
The previous AMC inline 6, the 195.6 was also a real workhorse. I had a 64 American and the oil pump went bad in it. I thought it was the sending unit and actually drove the car 40 miles to get it home. When i replaced the sending unit the next day, the light didn't go out. Oops. I had driven the car 40 miles with no oil pressure. I replaced the oil pump , fired er up, and she ran perfectly.

I just used the C4C program to get rid of my 94 Lexus Es300 with EPA 18mpg combined for a 2010 Prius. Thank you C4C!!!!!

On Monday when I drop off my Clunker at the Toyota dealer, I'll be going from an EPA rated 18mpg Volvo wagon to a 50 mpg Prius. That is a 277.77% increase in gas mileage. :D Driving the same miles a year in the Prius I will use only 36% of the gas the old Volvo does.

That's amazing! Congrats!

On Monday when I drop off my Clunker at the Toyota dealer, I'll be going from an EPA rated 18mpg Volvo wagon to a 50 mpg Prius. That is a 277.77% increase in gas mileage. :D Driving the same miles a year in the Prius I will use only 36% of the gas the old Volvo does.

Kinda sad to kill an old Volvo I guess I have a soft spot in my heart for them. I'm not judging I do the same if my old Volvo wagon qualified...even though I already bought a car this year I don't think I could pass up someone giving me $4500 for it. I think I'd buy a 2nd new tdi wagon 6spd, enjoy two of them for a while, and sell the original one for a 3-5 year old Subaru wagon or something similar.

Are your numbers for your fuel savings based of the epa rating of your clunker, or the mpg you actually get?

Do you think you would be replacing this car with the Prius right now if it weren't for this program?

Congrats on qualifying and enjoy your new Prius!

One other, maybe unheralded?, benefit of C4C is getting older SUV's off the road. I worried about heavy poorly built SUV's aging and posing risks to other drivers on the roads. Even more than they did when they were new, thanks to deterioration of important systems like steering and brakes. Especially when traded secondhand to owners less able to afford maintenance.

The incentives to trade to more FE vehicles are a great additional feature.

We switched from our 1987 Mercedes 420SEL (187,000 miles, 17 MPG) to a 2010 Prius Model IV (2 miles, 50 MPG). 294% increase in mileage and far less pollution.

Even though we live the hills of the San Francisco Bay Area, we're already seeing about 47 MPG.

We're thrilled.

Congrats! That's a wonderful upgrade. :)

Kinda sad to kill an old Volvo I guess I have a soft spot in my heart for them.

Are your numbers for your fuel savings based of the epa rating of your clunker, or the mpg you actually get?

Do you think you would be replacing this car with the Prius right now if it weren't for this program?

Congrats on qualifying and enjoy your new Prius!

Well yes I have a soft spot for a car I have owned for over 22 years. The car needs $1,200-$1,500 to get another year or so out of it. 18 mpg is the epa rating and if it still had an automatic transmission and the original rear gearing in it the gas mileage would be around 16-18 mpg around town. Big reason for the lower mileage with the turbo's was the lack of a locking torque converter. Non turbo's came with locking torque converters in the transmissions. I modified it about 15 years ago and bumped the city mileage up to 20-22 mpg and highway from 24 to 30-31 mpg.
If it wasn't for the $4,500 I'd keep it through the winter. The car is worth $500-$750 with 370K miles on the clock so $4,500 is a no brainer as they say.

Yes, maybe only another $1200-$1500 but you would probably be doing the work, and that is many dirty, sweaty hours of work.

Dumping it is a no brainer. If my finances were better my 98 FSP would be leaving for something with interior volume and better FE-A MINIVAN or a mini minivan-maybe a Mazda 5 or a Scion B. Finances are shot, so I'll just hypermile lite what I have.It is extremely useful, but old and I spend lots of time on repairs.

Smart move!
Charlie

My brother told me the dealership he works at sold 14 cars saturday, 5 on monday and 7 yesterday. Most bought Calibers, 4 cylinder Avengers, or the Jeep compass/patriot twins. He told me most of the trade ins were Suv's and some minivans.
Interesting thing. They grenaded the engines on a bunch of them yesterday. They have to drain the oil and replace it with a specific product that he says contains glass shards and other nasty things. He told me that the engine in a Chevy Venture lasted about 30 seconds. He said an Explorer was a little over a minute. Someone traded in a Cherokee with the 4.0 Straight 6 engine(i have a soft spot for cherokees, having owned 5 different ones). That straight 6 ran for over 5 minutes before finally seizing. I always knew they were tough engines, but DAMN!:eek::eek:
For some more fun, also disable the rev limiter and go full throttle in neutral. I don't think there'll be an engine that'll last 5 seconds of that.

Too bad they didn't lump pedal electric hybrid bikes.

For some more fun, also disable the rev limiter and go full throttle in neutral. I don't think there'll be an engine that'll last 5 seconds of that.

Problem with that is they can spit parts out at a rather high speed when they fail.:eek:
He told me he did have that Jeep bouncing off the rev limiter trying to get it finally seize. The recommend procedure is to hold it around 2000 RPM. The product they use is approx 2 quarts of 40% sodium silicate/60% water solution.

...The product they use is approx 2 quarts of 40% sodium silicate/60% water solution.

I can get you all you want of a 40% silicon dioxide / 60% sodium chloride water solution. The beach is about 7 miles from the house here. :D No charge for the jellyfish and seaweed.
What they're dumping into the crankcases is water and abrasive. It sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon. Too bad they couldn't tap into the alternator output and get some free electricity while the engine is gargling out its swan song.

I can get you all you want of a 40% silicon dioxide / 60% sodium chloride water solution. The beach is about 7 miles from the house here. :D No charge for the jellyfish and seaweed.
What they're dumping into the crankcases is water and abrasive. It sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon. Too bad they couldn't tap into the alternator output and get some free electricity while the engine is gargling out its swan song.

Or just donate the remaining gas

Well, after hearing stories of people trading 18mpg vehicles in for 22mpg cars, and 16mpg trucks for 18mpg trucks, I'm glad to hear those are in the minority and that the average transaction is a whole lot better than that.