Competing "Clunker Car" bills are circulating in the US House of Representatives. In a nutshell, they propose to allow owners to "trade" in their clunker auto for a $4500 credit toward purchase of a new vehicle that gets better fuel mileage. Catch: You have to have owned the vehicle at least one year.

There is a website you can visit with attendant doomsday statistics of owning these horrible, planet destroying vehicles. Here's the one for the Aerostar. I notice the "new" EPA mileage figures are worse than the original window sticker values when the van was new. How odd, that after this many years and hundreds of thousands of miles racked up, my van still gets better mileage than the EPA calculates. Clunker.......indeed not! The Auto Channel

 

I seem to recall a recent discussion about this.

I think if I could get a new van that had much better mileage, emissions, and power than my current Aerostar, and provided as much utility, such as the huge cargo room, I would consider it. But it would have to be pretty compelling.

In general, if you trade in a car that is currently in good working order, you lose out on different levels. First, you will never recoup the cost of the new car in gas savings. Second, buying a new car means you are using a new set of resources that you did not have to if you kept your old car. The energy used and pollution generated to produce that car will never be made up by any emissions savings it may offer.

I'm sure we've all seen clunkers on the streets spewing out noxious fumes that really SHOULD be taken off the streets. But my feeling is that most members of forums like this care enough about their old cars to keep them running properly, so that they are not any more polluting than they were when they left the factory. (I see this on forums for other cars, like Mustangs, as well.) Unfortunately, we are in the minority, which is probably what's motivating all those "clunker bills".

 

I've got one Aero left. It has a salvage title and a blown head gasket. Can I trade that in? I have never bought a new car just used. I don't think I will start now. Oh well.

 

As is, I think your Aerostar is worth more than what any new manufacturer is offering.

 

i'll stick with my tried and true old Aero girl, never let me down or stranded. no collision insurance costs, no high dealer service bills, good on gas, hauls a ton, pulls like a brace of Missouri mules, no dealer service headaches, not a lot of electronic garbage to fail.

new car is like a new woman, guy is broke before it's broke in.

 

Good thing about a car is that you can park it and forget about it..... dont think that would work with the other one!!! :0

Aeroman

 

I have to admit I've thought about it. The 'star has been very dependable over the last 9 years. The only issue we've had was with the idle surge and that was repaired with about 1/2 hour of time and a $2 can of electrical parts cleaner.

I really like the look of the 2008 Grand Caravan, I'm wondering how "new" the vehicle has to be.

 

We have similar incentives here in Canada...but I hate to have that much debt that a new car/van/whatever would dictate. My next purchase, unfortunately, might be a GMC Safari/Chevy Astro that's a few years old as they are the only tough semi-small van that I can afford that will tow my tent trailer comfortably in the mountains.

If I could get a 2005 Aerostar (something below 10K, with under 100,000kms) , if there was such an animal, I'd be buying one right now. I think I may be forced into getting an SUV as they are the only thing that do what I want to do, but they are still overpriced, even used in this economy.

 

Me too!

Would an Escape fit the bill ? heard a few grumbles about the 6 speed g/box though!

Regards, Aeroman.

 

No,
I paid 8000 for me Aerostar only about 3 years ago.
I just had a new Engine put into her for almost 4000 or so.
I hope to drive mine for 15 years at least. Body is mint.

 

Same here.....


...... except I paid $5k 4 years ago

....... And only paid $1400 to redo the head gaskets/heads

....... but my body is fairly mint too.

I plan on keeping her forever, FTW!

 

I just saw this list of the best candidates for the trade-in from Consumer Reports:

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/car...s-to-junk.html

It's disturbing that they show Aerostars older than 1996 in this list. That would mean most of the Aerostars ever built, and apply to most of us on this forum.

 

looks like the WindlessStars are the #1 winners
up to model year 2001.
Chrysler mini vans did not fair well either.

i want one of these to drive around the neigborhood
RIPZilla the Excursion Hog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oZd_P_jk7M

how to get rid of GAS HOGS that don't pay their taxes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEapU...eature=related

 

Even though I paid just $2300 for my 3.0 base Aero with 32K on it 5-6 years and 77K ago I wouldn't trade it. As compelling as the deal sounds I just can't afford a new vehicle right now, and I really need a van in the family for hauling people and stuff. Why trade one van to buy another?

xlt4wd90 has a good point about the environemntal impacts. But I think the jury is still out on the cumulative global impacts. While a newer vehicle with better fuel mileage will save on oil imports to the U.S. and reduce US emissions, I also suspect it will have a negative global environmental impact once the pollution from production and shipping is factored in. Unfortunately a Google search didn't reveal any comprehensive analysis of cumulative impacts.

And I'm confident the past administration wasn't sponsoring any government research on the topic.

With the jury still out I get really annoyed and parking lots with preferential hybrid parking and local HOV exemptions for hybrids.

So I'm keeping my Aero--at least until the kids are out of college.

Kontoboy

 

Why be annoyed? Just slap a few of those blue, diamond-shaped "CNG" stickers on your van (one front, one rear, and one by the gas cap) and call it an "alternative fuel vehicle!" Mike