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Connecticut Cash For Clunkers Shopper’s Journey
We have asked consumers to send in their Cash for Clunkers stories and we are glad that Sam sent in his story for others to hear. Keep them coming!
My Cash for Clunkers Story by Sam Mihailoff from Sandy Hook, CT
My 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis was purchased on eBay in 2000. Except for a Maaco paint job it has been not only the most reliable car I ever owned but the most comfortable as well, being that it was a living room sofa on wheels. Never had it been out in the winter since new, so it was 100% rust free.. It even retained the “chalk build marks” on the frame rails.
This past March, after I took it out after its winter hibernation, I noticed that when it went into overdrive it actually went into neutral with no forward speed at all. The mechanic said it was the torque converter and because of its age and “low” book value, he did not recommend repairing it. The injury was terminal. I almost sold it for $575, thinking why pay insurance again come July 1st. This was just before the Cash for Clunkers program surfaced in late June.
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I read everything on www.cashforclunkersfacts.com, and digested it; sometimes twice daily. I researched a variety of cars, found that by getting an automatic, often would keep me from getting the full $4,500 rebate by 1 MPG. I decided on a bare bones Ford Focus with manual transmission, and further decided to do this all online from my home computer. I dealt with 10 dealerships in 3 states.
Dealers are a funny bunch. I have been around the block several times so know what tactics to expect. Then again, my grandfather was an old Yankee horse trader from Maine, so maybe its in the blood. Everyone wanted me to come into their dealership. No, the point is to not waste my time and fuel. Throw me your best price and availability. The main problem was availability. Lots of automatics, few manuals. Finally, found a dealer in Norwood Massachusetts, 270 miles one way and tolls on the Mass Pike but I was going to do it. The “Merc” drove fine, just don’t put it in overdrive; she’d make it.
Then surfaced the slick salesman ploys. The price changed twice. “You can’t take the new car until the government payment is in our hands”; and finally stated that they really did not want to do a Cash for Clunkers deal across state lines. Great, back to square one. I found a dealer in northern CT with a manual Focus. When I called…SOLD
I located this dealer, who responded to my email and I drove the 64 miles to the dealership that evening. Time was of the essence. The Cash for Clunkers program was in danger of ending, and ending with a thump. I bought that night, July 29th got approval on July 31st and picked up the 2009 Ford Focus S on August 4th. This dealership had no “dance moves” and everything went smoothly.
The Connecticut Ford Dealer that made this transaction smooth was Ray Seraphin Ford in Rockville, CT.
Note: Total Cost According To Sam: The Focus S cost me a grand total of $7,990.96 out the door…tax, registration, everything.
12 responses on “Connecticut Cash For Clunkers Shopper’s Journey”
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The plot thickens on my “sweet” deal. The dealer never mentioned scrap value and I never thought of it at the time of new car pick-up. So, I inquired and 3 emails were ignored, A subsequent phone call was going to be left for the person handling the salvage. A second phone call; “he’s on vacation”. Then, this morning I received this email…
Sam , I was asked to contact you in reference to your scrape value of your clunker. How the program works is the salvage yards are giving us $75 per. vehicle. From that under the program guidelines you deduct $50 for adm. cost. The remaining amount is for transportaion charges. So the net amount to you would be zero. On some vehicles the scape value is more but that didnt apply to your vehicle.
MY REPLY…
So, you are telling me the scrap yard is paying $37.50 per ton? I don’t believe that for a minute. “salvage yards are giving us $75 per. vehicle…On some vehicles the scape value is more but that didnt apply to your vehicle”. Please forward a copy of the written contract between you and the scrap yard.
The scrap value, minus $50 the dealer keeps for administrative fees, will be in addition to the rebate, and not in place of the rebate.VIOLATION- It shall be unlawful for any person to violate any provision under this section or any regulations issued pursuant to subsection (d) (other than by making a clerical error).
(2) PENALTIES- Any person who commits a violation described in paragraph (1) shall be liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $15,000
My clunker was an 86 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, worth about $100 if you could find someone who wanted it. Made a deal on a Toyota RAV4, qualified for the $4,500. I did not have a full year’s worth of registration receipts from the state so I went to the motor vehicle dept and they gave me info about how to print a record of fees paid on the vehicle as proof. At first the dealership said it wasn’t good enough, then said yes it was. Had to sign a paper saying that if the CARS cedit did not go through for any reason other than negligence by the dealer, it would be my problem. Went ahead and signed, figured the dealership was smart enough not to do something stupid and that the document would not hold up in court anyway. After inking the deal found out car had already been sold to someone else, made a deal on a Highlanfder instead. Probably better for us anyway, only cost $2,500 more. I never buy new cars but figured with a free $4,500 down payment it was worth it. I will never buy another new car, the whole process was nearly as awful as I anticipated it would be, in all fairness though, most of that was due to the confusion surrounding the CARS program.
I went to the GM website and saw that my “clunker” quailfied for a $4500 voucher. I printed it out and headed to the Saturn dealership where I picked out a Saturn Astra. While hammering out a deal, I was told that my car (suddenly) didn”t qualify and was offered $500 as a trade-in. It seems the GM website was “wrong” and “there is a lot of fine print.” I can not understand why GM would list my car on their website as eligible for $4500 and then say it isn’t eligible when I’m ready to make the deal. I’ll keep and repair my “clunker,” and if and when i decide to purchase a new car, it won’t be a GM!
I have a 1987 Dodge Raider with just over 100 thousand miles on her. If I hang on to my Raider, which has been a fantastic car, when she starts to need work or parts, where will they be found if everyone is junking cars of her age? For me, buying a new car is on a par with getting a root canal. Who is doing the financing? I thought no one was lending.
I thought the deadline was in November. The program realy expire in July?
DBW in CT
Im in the same boat as you. I had my paperwork and financing done before the the 27th. My car is sitting on a lot with a sold sign in the window. No word from the dealer and I am so sick of waiting. You can only submit a vehicle once so you cant go start something anywhere else. Not that I would want to after all the trouble we went through to find what we wanted. Good Luck DBW!
Good shopping, SamMihailoff.
I also traded my 97 Cadillac STS for C4C. I wanted to buy a small SUV so I looked at every model (about 10 of ‘em). My choice came down to Kia Sportage LX. Their rebate was $3500 and had best pricing (Honda CRV was bit pricy for the options it had). Dealer in OH (about 90 miles from me) said same thing. They said if they give the best pricing over the phone, they won’t hear back from me. I said, I’m not driving just to find the “Deal I cannot refuse”.
Then, the Chrysler offered matching C4C rebate. I ended up buying Jeep Patriot sport. Out the door price was $12,800. With C4C and rebate = $9,500 plus supplier discount plus Costco discount (small but still helps). So, shopping for what you want does pay off.
Lucky for you. We are not have such luck. We put a deposit on a Nissan Altima on July 22nd hoping to be one of the first in line. Was told the program was to start on the 24th then the 27th. All of our paperwork has been handed in and signed by the 31st. Today is the 10th and we still have not heard a word from our dealer. We financed through our own bank so they have the money, our clunker AND the new car. Any suggestions on what I can do to move things along. I’m frustrated.
I have owned several Crown Victorias and Grand Marquis over the years. They were all fantastic and dependable vehicles! And for their size, they actually got fairly good gas mileage. I traded in my 2000 Crown Vic on a C4C deal. It had 214K miles and never had a single problem.
OOPS…meant to say $7,790.96
ATTN: O.R.
Oh, I looked at Corollas for sure; no base models to be found. Many loaded up LE models. Yes, I bought a new car, but I am no Rockefeller. I had very limited funds and if not for the C4C program would not have even been looking
I didn’t mention that this Focus S cost me a grand total of $7,990.96 out the door…tax, reg. everything… Toyota was nowhere close. I did the best I could.
Dude, you went through way too much trouble for a Ford Focus. You would have received the full $4500 credit for your clunker trade-in towards, for example, a Toyota Corolla with an automatic transmission that gets 30 MPG. Nevertheless congratulations on your purchase, use it in good health!