Texas quietly passed a form of a Clunker bill. I am trying to get specifics together so that I can get some grass roots type activity against it. This is what I know. It must be a pre '96 vehicle (non OBD2) and you get $2000 credit toward the purchase of a new vehicle, or $3000 for a hybrid. I dont think it has to fail the emissions test to qualify. I havent heard that any new vehicles are restricted, so someone could trade their 92 toyota celica for a discount on a new Hummer! The best part is our tax dollars are paying for it. As I said this has been quietly done. I have only heard one deealership trying to cash in on it, and that went away quickly. It was originally reported on a local talk radio station and I called them to confirm the story. I cannot find any explicit info on it yet such as a bill number but when I do I will pass it along. If you have any info please contact me at chrisg@netportusa.com or at (469)525-1051

The Chronicle ran a story on this a while ago, it was fairly big news as far as state legislation goes. I think it's a great idea to help poor people get rid of their old POS and get a newer vehicle. This isn't nearly as bad as some of the other laws out there that are actively trying to get people to scrap every car that is over ten years old.

edit

Ok, here is the info:

http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/air/mobilesource/vim/driveclean.html


HOW THE VOUCHER PROGRAM WILL WORK

INCOME LEVELS
These are the maximum incomes for people eligible for the program:
Size of household / Maximum annual net income
1 / $30,630
2 / $41,070
3 / $51,510
4 / $61,950
5 / $72,390
6 / $82,830
7 / $93,270
8 / $103,710
For more than 8, add $10,440 for each additional family member
VEHICLE CONDITIONS
Your vehicle must meet these conditions:
1. Must be at least 10 years old and gasoline-powered.
2. Must have been registered in your participating county for at least 12 months before you apply for a voucher.
3. Must have passed a Department of Public Safety motor-vehicle safety inspection or safety and emissions inspection within 15 months of application.

The program is being paid out of Houston and Dallas' inspection fees, so don't cry too much about your tax dollars being wasted. If you want to not participate in the program and live in one of these two cities, just own a vehicle that is exempt from emissions and you don't have to pay the extra $20 a year.

Isn't that an effort to get car sales going?? Like an incentive to move the economy a bit?
I wonder what they will do with the cars they take in on those terms, scrap??

interesting....

Guess what...let's just suppose an 86 Buick Grand National found it's way into a boneyard because it's rusted or wrecked beyond repair...guess where it's going...straight to the crusher...no 8.5" for you! I'm sure $2000 is gonna go a long way toward a poor person buying a new car...now your taking away cheap junk yard parts for him to fix his own POS. WAKE the F' up people...this is just a way to further control what we drive by people who are not in tune with reality. Why don't the automakers just drop the price of their vehicles to something more realistically affordable. $2000 toward Sedgeway would help...but who'd want to drive one of these---> http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f97_1217024500

Or maybe the new GM/Segway car of the future http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY4msj5Q05Q oh yeah like I want one of these to drive on the Interstate when I'm retired!

I wish Colorado did something like this. That way I could turn in my my 92 Honda Accord with 300,000+ miles on it which will probably be more like 400,000 miles by the time I'm ready to let it go. $2000 is way more than I would ever get trade in on it. As it is I'll most likely donate it to charity and take the tax write off and it will end up being crush anyway.

I could have used this program when I was trying to unload my 67 parts Camino instead of paying someone to haul it away. I would have gladly spent a afternoon putting a POS engine and tranny in it in order to make it run just to turn it in and collect my money. The out come would have been the same. Only I would have had $2000-3000 to put down on a new car instead of $50 lighter in the wallet like was when I had it hauled away.

Not sure how this would help out the poor when they use this program. Most people that drive what is referenced here as the POS car is all they can afford. Even with the 2000 dollars givin for their trade thats all they will have to give for a down payment and for them to get a reliable car 2000 is not enough to drop payments enough to make it worth while for the poor. If 2000 is all they have to use for another car they probably will end up with a bigger POS then they have now. I dont know what they will do with the vehicles the GOV. buys on this program but if they would put them in the junk yards instead of straight to the crusher then i can see it benefiting the poor. They would be able to repair their vehicles at a fraction of the cost and this would also boost our economy by creating more income from the parts sold in the junk yard. Just my toughts on the situation.

Or maybe the new GM/Segway car of the future http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY4msj5Q05Q oh yeah like I want one of these to drive on the Interstate when I'm retired!
I'd hope you wouldn't try that, they're designed specifically for city people to use around town. They're a hell of alot more practical than the original Segways for sure.

Ok, so if one of these Segways (more of a POS than anything currently on the road) is ever on the highway, it better be strapped down in the back of a cruck. And as for the $2,000; I've never been to college like all these 'economists' we've got working for the government, but $20,000 minus $2,000 still equals more than most folks driving a 92 Corolla can afford unless they're planning on living in it not just driving it.

And as for the $2,000; I've never been to college like all these 'economists' we've got working for the government, but $20,000 minus $2,000 still equals more than most folks driving a 92 Corolla can afford unless they're planning on living in it not just driving it.

You hit it right on the nose! Most people driving these old clunkers as they want to call them are doing so because they cannot afford a 300+ dollar a month car payment. That is even if they could qualify for a car loan to begin with! It's a joke!
But not the real reason for this and that is to get all the old cars off the road! All to please the tree huggers!!:mad3:

Sounds to me like another back door way of getting people to buy another overpriced car that they can't afford And at the taxpayers expense anybody remember what commiefornia just went thru trying to buy things and living beyond their means but if I were a politition I would say that's ok we'll just tax the people a little more to pay for it America had better wake up SOON or if the current pack of liars and thieves have their way there won't be enough of this country worth saving also I believe that the polititions should have to subscribe to the same medical program they say will be so wonderfull for "us" and also retire with the same social security plan that is so great for 'US" americans of all nationality's need to wake up Now and demand putting a stop to all this crap jim:texas: