Solidified engine oil - GIF

[nova_robotics]

Well, that's just not true on either count. Getting and keeping those cars off the road actually drove both the new and used car markets, keeping sales steady at a time where there likely would have been a downturn. And most of the cars that were removed failed emissions or had other serious (not worth fixing) problems. Also, those cars were scrapped for parts and/or recyclable materials.

However, I will concede that, if you are looking to restore your 1984 Cadillac Cimarron to it's former "glory," you may be out of luck as a result of this program.

There is no possible way wiping out 677,000 low value vehicles from the used car market in less than a year won't have a detrimental impact on used car prices. If we look at the used car price charts, we see a huge jump in prices right around 2009. Because of course it did.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUSR0000SETA02
https://site.manheim.com/en/services...lue-index.html


Considering only CO2 emissions, there was a 0.4% improvement annual emissions of the light vehicle fleet in the US. So if you completely discount all of the environmental damage done by new materials needed to be mined, refined, new plastics manufactured, entire brand new cars produced and transported, as well as the disposal of all of the old vehicles, then you can call it an environmental win.

https://emagazine.com/the-cash-for-clunkers-conundrum/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_Al...mental_effects
https://css.umich.edu/publications/r...ons-life-cycle

The government set in place a number of unreasonable rules and deadlines that prevented the recycling of huge amounts of materials from these vehicles. As a result instead of being recycled as they normally would have, they went to landfills.

"The ARA attempted to reason with the government, lobbying to extend the 180 day deadline. They explained that the plastic and metal destroyed by premature shredding represented the same amount of energy found in 24 million barrels of oil, something that the CARS program was supposed to be saving."

"Estimates range, but as little as 3 million tons and as much as 4.5 million tons of toxic residue was sent to landfills as a direct result of the CARS program."

https://autoconversion.net/blog/auto...d-environment/


Cash for Clunkers was an economic stimulus package that was at best a lateral move for the environment, and at worst a blow to low income people in need of cheap transportation.