CARS Program

Today is the last day in which you can take advantage of the government cash-for-junkers buy back program. Unless they extend it again.

The combination of a burned out motor, the CARS program, and the price of gas had me looking at vehicles in a way I hadn’t before. Where before it was all wishful thinking, now it got serious.

I needed a car. Not just any car. Not a car based on my tastes and preferences. Going by that I very nearly purchased a VW Vanagon with Westfalia. Nope. What I needed was something fairly new that got very, very good gas mileage.

Imagine my shock to hit the dealerships only to discover the cars even remotely in my price range, qualified trade in or not, barely managed mpgs in the low 20’s in town. The best I found gets mileage in the 40’s on the highway.

What I ended up with is a crew-cab Liangzi. It’s a lot like a Daihatsu. With the hydrogen package it’s supposed to get 50 mpg in town. You better believe that’s the first – or maybe second – thing I’m going to check.

Sadly, even though I’m getting a new vehicle with great gas mileage, I decided against trading in the vehicle that would qualify, and the other, which I intend to sell, didn’t meet the government’s requirements.

So how about you? Did you know about the CARS program? Did you take advantage of it? What kind of mpg to you get?