Unfortunately it sure is wiping out a lot of nice 107s and 126s, and a few 124s. Even though I'm partial to the more efficient MBs, especially diesels, it breaks my heart to see a gorgeous SL traded in for a Camry and thrown into the crusher. Not that I have a problem with the owner getting a Camry instead; it was probably more practical for her ... but that SL could have been a really nice car for someone with a little skill who wanted an affordable roadster to fix up. And as far as the 126s and 124s go, that's a lot of nice bodies, body panels and countless parts being destroyed that otherwise could have been swapped onto more sensible MBs at the very least.

The program is a huge kick in the face to low-income people. The feds are smashing the cars and trucks they can afford so that people better off than them can pat themselves on the back as they drive off in a brand new car. Personally, I could afford a new car if I wanted one. But I know a lot of people who couldn't begin to, but are perfectly willing to buy a cheap old truck, get their hands dirty and turn it into something that can get them to work. My boss just traded his Dodge Dakota in for a Toyota Tacoma. The Dakota was a beautiful truck ... I parked next to it on its "last night." Maybe my boss felt that having to replace the tie rods on it was endgame, but I can think of a whole lot of people who would have cherished a truck in that condition.

And not to be overly pessimistic, but does anyone else ever worry about what's going to happen when they run out of clunkers? Are they really just going to leave it up to the Big Three to find a way to sell cars? Once they run out of people to trade in "clunkers," sales will drop off quite a bit, at least temporarily. One has to wonder if the government at that point will extend "clunkers" to include all cars.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)