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The DOT released the final tally on the ‘cash for clunkers’ today. The final data is concerning for the big three automakers because their market share took a big hit. This decrease in market share is due to the fact most of top selling cars under this program are foreign, while most trade-ins were domestic. See Top Selling Cars & Trade-Ins Under the Cash for Clunkers Program...

The government takes taxpayers for a ride Examiner Editorial  August 25, 2009 The CARS program, universally known as "Cash-for Clunkers," ended last night at 8 p.m. We hope its death is permanent this time. If you were one of the lucky few who cashed in on CARS, congratulations. Its quick demise is still good news for you if you are living in today's American economy. It may be one of the worst government programs ever invented, given that it was designed to un-stimulate the United States economy. As The Washington Examiner's Chris Stirewalt wryly observed: "Who knew that free...

A coalition of consumer groups is calling on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure, as the agency winds down the Cash for Clunkers program, that dealers are not "double-dipping" and getting paid twice -- once by their customers and again by the government. During the past several weeks, the rejection rate for Cash for Clunkers transactions has hovered around 80 percent. Many dealers jumped the gun and entered into a high volume of contracts in July, before the rules governing the program were issued and before any deals were approved. Since then, the program has been overwhelmed, causing...

* Dealer: Sales increase have been great, ‘like someone turning on a faucet’ * Edmunds.com CEO: Clunkers hangover coming as future sales expected to plumet * Dealer: Great intentions, but not prepared for paperwork * Despite gains in fuel economy, program a small blip (fraction of 1%) of overall gains for the country Watch video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116702

Employees of the FAA’s air-traffic-control unit were asked to help, but the Transportation Department stressed Friday that essential safety personnel were not diverted from their duties.

Frustrated with delays, rejections and computer-system crashes, several New Hampshire auto dealers are making car buyers pledge to cover rebates if the federal government doesn't come through with checks under the Cash for Clunkers program. Auto dealers say they are doing so because the federal government is a clunker when it comes to sending out rebate checks of $3,500 or $4,500 per car. The New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association created the draft agreement earlier this month and sent it to members, said President Peter McNamara. Some dealers aren't using the agreement. Others are negotiating the agreement into the deal. McNamara...

A relative of mine is a GS-15 in one of the agencies in the Department of Transportation. He called his wife, who is visiting us, to say that he was going to answer an urgent request made by DoT for people to come in this weekend to help handle the backlog of paperwork for the Cash for Clunkers program. He said that he would earn time-and-a-half in his pay grade for the hours he works. For a GS-15, that would be about $90 an hour. Apparently, the call only went out to current employees in the agencies under the DoT's...

WASHINGTON — AUG 21, 2009 — The federal cash for clunkers Web site for dealers crashed for part of the afternoon because of the government’s efforts to increase online capacity during the final days of the program, a Transportation Department spokeswoman said. At 8:00 PM ET, the website was restored for most dealers. However, some dealers have been reporting sporadic outages.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Thursday that after a "wildly successful" run, the "Cash for Clunkers" program will end on Monday. “This program has been a lifeline to the automobile industry, jump starting a major sector of the economy and putting people back to work,” LaHood said. “At the same time, we’ve been able to take old, polluting cars off the road and help consumers purchase fuel efficient vehicles.” The CARS program has recorded more than 457,000 dealer transactions worth $1.9 billion in rebates, LaHood said. The program has provided rebates of up to $4,500 when people turned in...

Cash for Clunkers has failed miserably. Hundreds of millions of dollars owed to dealers on program go unpaid. Developing. And these clowns demand to run your healthcare.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration plans to end the popular $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program on Monday, giving car shoppers a few more days to take advantage of big government incentives. The Transportation Department said Thursday the government will wind down the program on Monday at 8 p.m. EDT. Car buyers can receive rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 for trading in older vehicles for new, more fuel-efficient models.</p>

WASHINGTON (AP) - It's revived business at car dealerships, taken gas-guzzlers off the road and given a badly needed boost to struggling auto factories. By many measures, the government's Cash for Clunkers program has been a success. Yet as it winds down, there is another lasting image: the hasty planning and troubled execution that nearly derailed the program early on and, lately, has led some frustrated dealers to drop out amid long waits for the government money.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration plans to end the popular $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program on Monday, giving car shoppers a few more days to take advantage of big government incentives. The Transportation Department said Thursday the government will wind down the program on Monday at 8 p.m. EDT. Car buyers can receive rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 for trading in older vehicles for new, more fuel-efficient models. "It's been a thrill to be part of the best economic news story in America," Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. "Now we are working toward an orderly wind...

Some New Mexico auto dealers have backed out of the cash-for-clunkers program and more may do so as the federal government takes its time providing cash reimbursements. Dealers across the state are owed more than $3.6 million, according to a dealers' group which says that so far Uncle Sam has only written three checks totaling about $14,000.

Survey of 800 Dealers: * 97% of dealers who responded, say the government is not reimbursing fast enough * 13% of dealers have dropped out the program because the government is not reimbursing fast enough and overall concern payment problems * 87% percent of dealers are concerned the money will be exhausted * 3% of CARS program deals have been reimbursed * 66% of dealers have not received one payment from the government Full survey results:

Not necessarily a bad thing — assuming that all of the dealers’ claims are being processed in a timely, efficient manner. Which, of course, they’re not. Late Tuesday, the National Automobile Dealers Association in Washington, D.C., released a survey of its members that estimated they have submitted claims for nearly $3.3 billion. The Cash for Clunkers program is only authorized to spend $3 billion… Congress is in recess until Sept. 7, and even if members were inclined to add more money, nothing would be decided until they return to Capitol Hill in three weeks… More than 70 percent, or nearly...

The Transportation Department says it'll soon announce a plan for winding down the popular but problem-plagued car buyer program. The government will announce a plan as soon as tomorrow for winding down its popular but problem-plagued "cash for clunkers" program. The announcement by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood came as a New York dealership group said that hundreds of its members had stopped doing clunker transactions because of delays in getting reimbursed by the federal government.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood assured car dealers Wednesday that they will be reimbursed for the money they have fronted to customers buying vehicles under the Cash for Clunkers program. LaHood was responding to complaints over a backlog of rebate payments. Dealers must cover customer rebates out of pocket and wait for reimbursement from the federal government. Some have said their reimbursement requests have not been approved, leading to a cash crunch. That’s key because dealers typically borrow money to put new cars on their lots and must repay lenders within a few days of a sale. “I know dealers...

A New York dealership group says hundreds of its members have left the Cash for Clunkers program, citing delays in getting reimbursed by the government. The president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association says about half its 425 members have stopped offering rebates from the program because they can no longer afford them.

A New York dealership group says hundreds of its members have left the Cash for Clunkers program, citing delays in getting reimbursed by the government. Source: toyota.com With an EPA estimated 50 miles per gallon on the highway, the Toyota Prius is one of the most popular clunker purchases. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association said about half its 425 members have stopped offering rebates from the program because they can no longer afford them. Mark Schienberg says the group's dealers have been repaid for only about 2 percent of the clunkers deals they've made,...