CARS Again...

Planes, trains, and automobiles—err, well planes and automobiles anyway—have come to dominate post after post on Buffalo Bloggins lately. From photos of my jet setting during the Fall of 2006, to my opines on the auto industry, it’s safe to say oil-driven, mass-transit machinery has been the talk of my blog lately. So as not to disappoint, I’m going to rail on “Cash for Clunkers” (hereto C4C) some more.

In my February 2009 Car and Driver, a few more details emerged as to some of the more exotic cars we American taxpayers purchased, then only to get screwed by having a government-mandated sodium silicate solution dumped in the crankcases. Rather than just list the cars, you can see photos, MSRP when new, and the number junked through the program right on C&D's website.

I thought an ambitious little research project would be to find out what the current values of these cars would be today. Surely they’re worth more than the maximum $4500 tax credit the government offered. Finding values on Kelly Blue Book for some of these exotic makes is impossible because they don’t exist in KBB’s database.

I did find a 2005 Mazda RX8. Assuming average mileage of 40,000 and “good” condition, the car still returned a value far above $4500. And the thought of listening to that rotary engine scream as the sodium silicate shreds its crankcase is almost more than I can bear to think of.

I checked eBay Motors to see what a few of these exotics may list for. I found one example: a 2001 Aston Martin DB7 lists for over $40,000. Granted, the C4C casualty was a 1997.  Condition:  it had to be in running condition and owned by the tradee for at least one year. I don't think this one was driven by the likes of Agent 007. 

Here are a few examples of more “common” cars I found on KBB. These are private party values, assuming average mileage (considering these probably weren’t daily drivers), standard equipment, and good condition:
• 1990 Mercedes 500SL Roadster, 120,000 miles: $5,575
• 1991 BMW M3, 120,000 miles: $8,785
• 1993 Mazda RX7, 120,000 miles: $8,860
• 1992 GMC Typhoon, 120,000 miles: $9,425

I think my point is made: a lot of these cars—collector’s editions for sure—were worth more than the puny tax credit offered. Why anyone would subject them to the sodium silicate treatment is beyond me. Even in poor shape, many of these could have been restored and gone on for years to adorn collector’s salons, auto shows, and Independence Day parades. Will Americans one day look back regretfully on this mass automotive destruction known as “Cash for Clunkers?”  What if FDR in all his social programming had mandated a Cash-for-Model-Ts program?  Would will still have these historic antiques—a picture of American nostalgia, prosperity, and ingenuity—as tangible relics from the past?

You may find this blog, complete with photos, interesting.  It lists the 10 most exotic cars trashed thanks to Obama and his administration.  If you're an auto enthusiast, be warned:  you may need the box of tissues.

About the Photo:  I shot these exotic European automobiles at the Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada.  For a [not so] small fee, one of these can whisk you from McCarran Airport to the Hard Rockin' action.  Hopefully none of these were junked in favor of a Prius...