Clunkers

President Obama (and the new congress) passed a bill called cash for clunkers. It gives citizens up to $4500 if they trade in their old car for a new, fuel efficient car; the main qualifying requirement is that the old car get less than 18 miles per gallon highway. There has been overwhelming public response to the program, such that Congress had to put in more funds to meet demand.

This is clearly a good program, a win win for consumers (who will have a lower gas bill from now on), for the car industry (who gets a bunch of new customers) and for the environment (less wasting of precious resources).

I also like it because it officially means my SAAB is not a clunker. Though the car currently does not run right (its cracked head gasket means it is blending oil and water), when it does run right, it is very fuel efficient, usually about 30 mpg.

Just one more way my SAAB suits me perfectly, one more reason that when I say "my car" I mean her, and not the Mazda. I just don't have the same emotional attachment to that automatic gray box as I do to my sporty white stick shift. And it is not just because it is Swedish.

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