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Most Replaced Clunker With ... Another Guzzler Like This

Most common trade was old pickup (15-17 mpg) for new (1-3 better)

By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 4, 2009 8:50 PM CST
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(Newser) – Think most who traded in a clunker under the government’s fuel-efficiency incentive program are now driving a hybrid? Guess again: The most common swap was an old, gas-guzzling pickup for a new, just-slightly-less-gas-guzzling pickup, AP analysis finds. Ford’s F150 is a prime example—it gets 1-3 mpg more than the 15-17 of older models, and those who traded ‘em in were 17 times more likely to get a new F150 than a Toyota Prius.

"If we're looking for the environmental story here, we're going to be disappointed," an analyst at Edmunds.com. "It might have started out from the perspective of improving the environment, but it got detoured as a way to stimulate the economy."

A new Ford F150 pickup truck was 17 times more likely than a Toyota Prius to be the choice of owners trading in old pickups.
A new Ford F150 pickup truck was 17 times more likely than a Toyota Prius to be the choice of owners trading in old pickups.   (AP Photo)
A new Ford F150 pickup truck was 17 times more likely than a Toyota Prius to be the choice of owners trading in old pickups.
A new Ford F150 pickup truck was 17 times more likely than a Toyota Prius to be the choice of owners trading in old pickups.   (AP Photo)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 24 comments
Hip
Nov 6, 2009 12:03 PM CST
Hey umc isn't that good ol' American capitalism you're bashing? Toyota/Honda does it way better than anything made in the U.S. so Spudsy (and everyone with half a brain) buys their cars. It's very simple...if American car companies made good cars people would buy them. Auto makers in the U.S. have ignored the environmental movement for years and years continuing to build guzzlers, while the Japanese (with a little foresight) were building for the future. Guess what? They won. If you buy them because their American...good for you (until your car breaks down). Last time I checked, Americans build Toyotas in your back yard. I'm sure those Americans love the fact that tehy work for a smart company. as for buy American...are you telling me your investment advisor invests in American companies only? I highly doubt it...especially if you want to have money in 20 years. Spuds buys a Japanese car and you invest all over the world...what's the difference?
Hip
Nov 6, 2009 3:08 AM CST
You're the guy who buys the crappy American car to help Americans...and the same guy who gives the finger to five Americans driving Fords on your drive home from work every day. As for the bombs "you" dropped comment...your reason for buying cars made in the USA is obviously not to protect the jobs of Americans...it's because you're a hate-filled racist with seemingly no other choices.
Hip
Nov 6, 2009 2:55 AM CST
That's losers not "loosers" usm. Losers are people that don't win. "Loosers" are loud mouths that yell and swear in their posts thinking that that helps them get their point across.

 
fuel efficiency • Toyota Prius • Ford F 150 • pickup trucks • Obama administration • Cash for Clunkers

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