What I Got With Cash for Clunkers

What I Got With Cash for Clunkers

by Julianne Pepitone
Friday, August 7, 2009
provided by CNNMoney.com



Caroline Radtke: SUV to Diesel
Traded: 2000 Isuzu Trooper (15 mpg)
Bought: 2009 Jetta Sportwagen TDI (40 mpg)
With two children, big grocery purchases and a drive to save the planet, we'd been considering getting a new car even before the Cash for Clunkers program. The Trooper was a good car, but I felt bad about the environment every time I filled that guzzler. And I wanted something safer for my kids.

Some people think we're trying to be big ol' cowboys with a diesel vehicle, but the Sportwagen fit our needs perfectly. We had to educate ourselves about it, but diesel is so much cleaner now. It's a great little car for only about $26,500 after the trade-in.
Diesel may not be the best choice for someone with a lead foot, but it works for my family -- without us sacrificing gas mileage or paying a nutty premium for a hybrid. And it's cute! I like a car with some sass.

Julie Callahan: Farm Truck to Cruiser
Traded: 1990 Chevy C1500 (15 mpg)
Bought: 2009 PT Cruiser (21 mpg)

We've known for a year or two that we needed to replace the Chevy. Its transmission was starting to go, and it had a bad computer. I've been waiting since I first heard about the Clunkers program, during the initial stimulus talk.

The PT Cruiser is not my first, second or probably even 10th pick for a car, but it's rated well and Chrysler matched the $4,500 federal rebate. I never could have afforded this without the rebate programs, nor would I have purchased a brand new car.

I have a bit of guilt that I'm sending the "great white dragon" (our nickname for the beloved Chevy) off to slaughter before its natural death, but it was on its way anyhow. And it's not lost on me that this program is funded by taxpayers. Does it make me part of the financial problem?

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