A bounty on clunkers: Trade one in and claim a reward

Chrysler recently announced that new car buyers would be eligible for similar incentives from the automaker, even if they don't meet government guidelines. Those who do meet the guidelines could combine the programs to get incentives of up to $9,000.

"Chrysler made it simple for us,� said Leon Mudry, general manager of Galeana Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Fort Myers. �We called up some people (Wednesday) who had been in shopping for cars and sold eight new cars right off the bat.�

The customers hadn�t been quite able to make a deal without the incentives, he said.

�This is creating a lot of interest in the public,� Mudry said. �Anyone who is even halfway interested in a new car now will want to come in and take a look.�

Gary Matern, vice president and general manager of O�Brien Auto Group, said the dealership has been offering discounts based on preliminary rules for the CARS program for most of the month.

�We�ve done between 40 and 50 of these �clunker� deals,� Matern said. �It�s been a shot in the arm for us.�

Matern said the deals have boosted sales of Mitsubishi, Subaru and Hyundai models after sales slowed a little in June.

Tim Zellers, president of Tamiami Ford in Naples, said the CARS program may be a little frustrating for car shoppers who don�t qualify for the program for one reason or another.

For example, some older cars may not qualify because their average mileage was better than 18 mpg when new, even if the actual mileage is less than that now.

�You are going to have to have the right car to fit the bill,� Zellers said. �But the program will allow some people who otherwise couldn�t afford a new car to take that step up.�

Lehigh Acres resident Chris Leight, 29, said he isn�t sure if his 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis would qualify for the program based on mileage, but even if it did, he will probably hold on to the car a while longer.

�The gas mileage is pretty bad, but the car is paid for,� Leight said. �You can buy a lot of gas for the cost of a car payment.�

Some critics of the program say it will actually take affordable cars off the road because trade-ins under the program must be scrapped.

�Destroying vehicles with many more years of life denies consumers more affordable used vehicles and pulls vehicles from the aftermarket supply chain,� Kathleen Schmatz, president of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, said in a statement.

Click