Autoblog

All of the clean new vehicles in the world won't amount to much if they don't replace the older, dirtier fleet of cars currently on the roads. For this reason, some U.S. states are beginning to offer programs which pay drivers to turn in their old clunkers for new, cleaner cars and trucks. In Texas, for instance, up to $3,500 is available to qualifying families which earn less than $63,000 per year in combined income and own a vehicle which fails current emissions testing. Texas was able to retire 11,000 vehicles last year alone by using this cash-based incentive. California too has begun offering a similar program, and though its $1,500 offer is a bit less generous, that state has no income restrictions.

Even our neighbors up north have plans to reduce their older vehicle fleet by one-percent starting January 1st of next year. Canada's plan would offer drivers either $300 towards a new vehicle, a discount bicycle or a bus pass, which seems a bit suck-tastic next to the program in Texas.

[Source: The Detroit News]

We thought we'd found the filthiest car when we gave away a vacuum last spring, but apparently, Ann Biglan of Massachusetts wasn't going to be passed over again this year. Training hard to win the Dyson, Biglan had crammed her Ford Focus with nearly enough crap to fill a 10-yard dumpster. Perhaps the car was struck by lightning and the decaying organic matter came alive, Johnny Five style. While cruising along in Yarmouth, Massachusetts -- on fairly provincial Cape Cod -- the detritus rebelled. The accelerator and brake pedals were rendered useless as the Focus-turned-refuse-bin rocketed out of a Post Office parking lot, across a freeway careening into a Ford Explorer, backing over a sidewalk and finally coming to rest by smashing a flowerpot in a gas station parking lot. While charged with several violations by the local constabulary, we know that Biglan was just trying to get into top form for this spring's competition. Some athletes are tempted into illegal doping, and true AutoBloggers may also go to extremes, but let this be a lesson to you, dear reader. No Dyson is worth the danger of having your own personal Swamp Thing take over your car and smash it into stuff. Clean that thing up!

Thanks for the tip, Tim!

Voting for the Autoblog Dirtiest Car Contest has ended and a king of uncleanliness has been crowned. Two of our five finalists quickly outpaced the field garnering the lion's share of votes in our poll. Together Chris Gallahan's 1984 Dodge Shadow and Richard Turner's Plymouth Caravelle accounted for 84 percent of the 690 votes cast. Unfortunately for Chris and his Shadow, Richard's crusty Caravelle struck a chord with voters and won with a solid 47-percent of the votes.

That's practically a mandate to clean your car, Richard. To help you do so we will be sending a Dyson DC14 Drive vacuum with car cleaning attachments to your door. I think we speak for all of Autoblog's readership when we say that a pic of a clean Caravelle after the Dyson's done its job is the only thing we ask in return for this $459.99 sweeper.

Thanks again to Dyson for supplying our grand prize, which really sucks. Seriously, ask anyone.



BTW: We're always open to new and different ideas for contests, so if you have a suggestion submit it to autoblog06@gmail.com and it will be considered.

Poll time people, and today we have the five finalists for the Autoblog Dirty Car Contest, the winner of which will receive one Dyson DC14 Drive vacuum with car cleaning attachments. As you will see after the jump, all five vehicles are in dire need of a spring cleaning. Some are perhaps beyond help, but we're offering it anyways. There are plenty of pics of each candidate after the jump, so vote for which vehicle you think is the dirtiest of the litter and the owner will be cleaning out his litter box with a Dyson DC14 Drive by the end of the week.

VOTE AFTER THE JUMP