Get $3,000 from the state for your pile Options

[impala454]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5040779.html

Low-income drivers in 16 Texas counties will soon be eligible for financial aid to replace old vehicles.

By the end of the year, the state will begin offering up to $3,500 in vouchers to replace pre-1996 vehicles, some of the heaviest polluters on the roads.

The program will be available in 14 Texas counties surrounding the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston areas, as well as Travis and Williamson counties.

Owners who agree to "retire" their vehicles will get $3,000 vouchers that can be used toward buying a new car or truck or a late-model used vehicle. If they opt to buy a hybrid, they can get $3,500. The program is voluntary.

...

Vehicles must have passed a state inspection within the last 15 months to be eligible, and an owner's annual income cannot exceed $61,000. For cars that qualify, a $3,000 voucher will be issued that can be used as a down payment on a new vehicle that cannot cost more than $25,000. The voucher can also be applied to used vehicles that are no more than three model years old.

Kinda cool... there will be a flood of people wanting to do this I bet.

[impala454]

I have re-thought this over, and really it's a crock o shit. using taxpayer money to help people buy cars? and especially people who make 60k a year.

[Billy]

I have re-thought this over, and really it's a crock o shit. using taxpayer money to help people buy cars? and especially people who make 60k a year.

If you've been making 60k awhile, you probably don't own a car pre 1996. Also, it's 3k to retire the car. In many cases, some of these older cars could sell for higher than that.

[impala454]

If you've been making 60k awhile, you probably don't own a car pre 1996. Also, it's 3k to retire the car. In many cases, some of these older cars could sell for higher than that.

I doubt it's as many cases as you think. the prime example will be some dude with a 1992 buick skylark with about 200,000 miles, on its last legs, rusted like a mofo, worth more at the scrap yard than for sale to another person. now, instead of being responsible and scrapping/getting rid of the vehicle, the person gets rewarded with my tax money for keeping their POS for so long. now there's an incentive to KEEP that old vehicle so the government will give them 6x what it's worth.

I was listening to a radio interview yesterday with the Texas senator who pushed this bill, the guy said something like "well that money is just sitting there in the bank anyways", to which the radio host said "but that's my money, if it's just going to sit there, give it back to me don't give it to someone else so they can buy a car!" to which the senator just laughed. IMHO it's a huge mis-management of funds.