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AP: Gas Guzzling Clunkers Were Traded For Gas Guzzling Pickups
The most common deals under the government’s $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program involved trades of old pickups for new pickups that get only marginally better gas mileage, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
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4 Comments 
WASHINGTON (November 4, 2009)--The most common deals under the government's $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program involved trades of old Ford or Chevrolet pickups for new ones that get only marginally better gas mileage, according to an Associated Press analysis of new federal data.
The program was aimed at putting more fuel-efficient cars on the road, but the single most common swap involved Ford 150 pickup owners who traded their old trucks for new Ford 150s.
The Ford owners were 17 times more likely to buy a new F150 than, say, a Toyota Prius, the data show.
The fuel economy for the new trucks ranged from 15 miles per gallon to 17 miles per gallon based on engine size and other factors, an improvement of just 1 mile per gallon to 3 miles per gallon better than the clunkers.
For example, AP reports, a driver in West, Texas, got $4,500 in July in exchange for a 1989 Chevrolet Suburban SUV that got 14 miles per gallon.
He bought a 2009 Suburban that weighed 5,900 pounds and got 16 miles per gallon.
Across Texas, seven of the 10 most common transactions involved drivers trading old pickups for new ones.
Overall, the federal report says that trade in vehicles averaged 24.9 miles per gallon compared to $15.8 miles per gallon for the new vehicles purchased under the program, an improvement of 9.2 miles per gallon.
Latest Comments
If they traded an old one off that got 10 miles to a gallon for one that got 20 miles per gallon, then We are ahead!! Everybody around this neighborhood drives 1 ton diesel duallys!!!
To IRATE: Ha! You just don't understand how government works! The reality is this: The rules stated that the vehicle had to be owned for a certain length of time, be younger than a 1984, and the purchased vehicle had to get better gas mileage. UNDER THOSE RULES, any vehicle was eligable. There is no way a 1984 anything got a better mileage rating than a 2009 of the same size. The dealers were smart enough to abide by the rules, the buyer got what he wanted, the government got to tell the world how "GREEN" they are, and us taxpayers got screwed as usual. So how can they be prosecuted for obeying the rules the feds set up? How can the dealer be denied by following the rules the feds set up? Neither case (prosecute or denial) can hold up in court. OBAMA AND DEMOCRATS set this up so that they could preen in front of cameras. YOU GOT WHAT YOU VOTED FOR! You should be happy! I know the people who bought the new trucks and SUVs , along with the dealers, are thrilled! YEE-HA
Our tax dollars at work here! Thank you OBAMA for wasting our tax dollars!!!
