Top Ten "green" cars that met their fate during Cash for Clunkers
by Sebastian Blanco on Sep 26th 2009 at 6:22PM 
One rule that all clunked cars needed to adhere to was a maximum rating of 18 MPG from the federal government, right? What wasn't required was that the clunked car be considered dirty. After all, it's pretty clear that CNG vehicles burn clean, but that didn't stop 232 of them from meeting their sodium silicate solution-induced death.We looked through the official, but as of yet unverified, list (PDF) of trade-in cars that were clunked using the Car Allowance Rebate System (Cash for Clunkers) and found that the aforementioned CNG vehicles, 1,779 flex-fuel vehicles and 24 LPG vehicles found their way to the recycler thanks to CARS. Which alternative-fuel models were most dumped? Which single hybrid took a dive? Click above for our top ten and check out the full list after the jump.
Photo by dno1967. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.
Breakdown by model:
Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 4WD CNG - 5
Chevrolet Silverado 15 Hybrid 2WD - 1
Chevrolet Silverado 2500 2WD (Bifuel) - 1
Ram Van 2500 2WD CNG - 1
Ram Wagon 2500 2WD CNG - 2
Ford Crown Victoria CNG - 2
Ford Crown Victoria FFV - 1
Ford E250 CNG - 7
Ford E250 Econoline 2WD CNG - 82
Ford Explorer 2WD FFV - 74
Ford Explorer 4WD FFV - 114
Ford Explorer Sport FFV 2WD - 10
Ford Explorer Sport FFV 4WD - 24
Ford Explorer Sport Trac FFV 2WD - 4
Ford Explorer Sport Trac FFV 4WD - 4
Ford F150 CNG - 27
Ford F150 Dual-fuel 2WD (CNG) - 14
Ford F150 Dual-fuel 2WD (LPG) - 8
Ford F150 Dual-fuel 4WD (CNG) - 5
Ford F150 Dual-fuel 4WD (LPG) - 16
Ford F150 Pickup 2WD CNG - 27
Ford F150 Pickup FFV 2WD - 1
Ford F250 Pickup 2WD CNG - 59
Ford Ranger FFV 2WD - 1026
Ford Ranger FFV 4WD - 383
GM Sierra 2500 HD 4WD CNG - 1
GMC Sonoma 2WD (FFV) - 2
Mazda B3000 (FFV) Ethanol 2WD - 13
Mazda B3000 2WD FFV - 1
Mazda B3000 FFV 2WD - 2
Mazda B3000 FFV 4WD - 51
Mercury Grand Marquis FFV - 10
Mercury Mountaineer 2WD FFV - 18
Mercury Mountaineer 4WD FFV - 40
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dale 7:03PM (9/26/2009)
The more I read about the CARS program, the more I have to wonder what half-wit came up with the guidelines for what was considered an acceptable trade-in for "clunker". So far, none of the cars I've seen on the lists should have qualified as "clunker". I'm just glad a similar program that supposedly exists here in Canada is practically unknown about and even more convoluted to understand that no-one up here feels it is worth their time to waste on it. At least all the people who were worried about classic collectibles being scrapped can breath a bit easier as it seems only newer cars (with likely nothing wrong with them) were wrecked. Meanwhile, I hope everyone enjoys getting stuck behind the guy who is still driving 25mph on the highway in his 1977 LTD held together with spit and a prayer and spewing more smoke out it's tale-pipe than a open door of a hot-box at a college party.
Reply
Farris 7:21PM (9/26/2009)
That's ridiculous... You don't leave a door open on a hot box! :D
daleam 7:31PM (9/26/2009)
What the hell is a hot box?
ipodrulz 10:08PM (9/26/2009)
@daleam: Unless you're under 14 or younger that's sad :( you haven't lived!
mbc 10:44PM (9/26/2009)
hot box... good idea
Paul 11:16PM (9/26/2009)
What you're not seeing and what they don't tell you is that these "green cars" were BEAT. Almost all of the CNG vehicles listed were ONLY sold as commercial vehicles. After their useful life, they were sold to consumers who tried to keep them on the road. But like any vehicle, they wear out.
The C4C program had a number of goals, one of which was to keep manufacturers, dealers, salespeople and all the others involved in the car business employed. In this regard, regardless of what was traded in, it worked. Period.
graham 2:17AM (9/27/2009)
@ daleam: its a legitimate question. It's essentially smoking marijuana in a car so that the smoke fills the car -> see Cheech and Chong's 'Up In Smoke'
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hotbox
Aloysius Vampa 8:44AM (9/28/2009)
And here I thought you guys were talking about The Box from Cool Hand Luke.
Bob H. 7:32PM (9/26/2009)
There is a lot bigger story than the flex fuel, hybrid totals if you look at the PDF.
2 Rouse and 2 2008 Foose F150s??? what's with that? For 4500$?
Some real questions if you look at the numbers.
Interesting.
Another Government farce.....Just imagine them running all of the healthcare.
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oZ 8:36PM (9/26/2009)
Yeah, the government went and took in those cars all by themselves.
Retard.
DJ 8:43PM (9/26/2009)
All of you "Just imagine them running all of the healthcare"-types, I suggest you do your research - and not from FoxNews. Under any form of universal, government funded healthcare plan, the government doesn't 'run' heathcare, they simply provide the funding, and it is up to the private institutions and practitioners to deliver care.
Josh 8:59PM (9/26/2009)
Who provides the funding now? Insurance. Who decides when a patient goes out of the hospital? Yea, the insurance.
Right now health care is run by the insurance companies and what makes you think that once the government starts dishing out the cash they wont decide when a person gets to leave rather than the DR?
Anyways, C4C was a complete and utter waste of tax payers money. It just boggles my mind that the majority of the nation has to PAY for other people's mistakes AGAIN. When spend and save stop?
Blake Luttrell 10:10PM (9/26/2009)
They already do. It's called Medicare, and it is by far and away the highest rated form of health care in the country.
Bob H. 10:21PM (9/26/2009)
You Obama trolls obviously know nothing about the healthcare or insurance industry.
Medicare and Medicade are a financial disaster and the Democrats are only trying to cover up one big mistake with a even bigger one.
I have worked in the healthcare industry and have seen the waste and corruption and bad management that the government brings to the table.
Rave on trolls
Dr. Greenthumb 4:17AM (9/27/2009)
Bob H: Elections OVER, quit whining. I have always had healthcare, and KNOWS that it needs to be fixed.
Even if the Government gets some of it wrong initially, it will still be better than leaving the Insurance companies in charge. Why not let the Catholic priests run all the boy's orphanages?
Matt 9:10PM (9/26/2009)
More proof that the Government screwed the pooch with C4C.
Let us pray that they don't screw up health care like they did C4C. Otherwise, this country is doomed.
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Dr. Greenthumb 4:32AM (9/27/2009)
The country is already doomed. You're standing in a house that has been burning for decades. What that hell do you thing happened last fall/winter?
On C4C, 700,000 vehicles were taken in, 1,779 were older model "Green" cars, of that number, do you know how many were in disrepair and not worth fixing?
Simple math: That number represents 0.0025414285714285714285714285714286 % of the vehicles taken in. Oh what a failure.
Don't be an idiot.
salguod 9:13PM (9/26/2009)
If there was an 18 MPG max, why were hundreds of Odysseys (19 MPG) clunked? How about the Neon? Corolla? Hyundai Accent? PT Cruiser? All are on the list, and more that don't meet the 18 MPG maximum.
It looks like tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of taxpayer dollars went to fraudulent CARS claims.
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flydiomdiom 11:37PM (9/26/2009)
Amazing what you can find when you actually look past the surface and past the superficial view.
per edmunds (http://www.edmunds.com/used/2001/honda/odyssey/100001266/options.html), specifically the 2001 Oddysey minivan got 18 mpg. all the years around it got 19, but that one year made was eligible. It probablly had to do with some tuning or emissions test thing, but it was eligible. Corolla? yah, singular. There was one (1). Exactly. Funny, exactly 1 neon too. Wow, same for the Accent. And guess what, same for the PT Cruiser too!
Guess you missed the text at the top too: "As submitted, not necessarily reviewed or approved."
It's funny watching "tea-party" followers try to understand facts.
Dr. Greenthumb 4:35AM (9/27/2009)
Because they probably no longer achieved optimal fuel efficiency?