CARS program more for conspicious consumers than clunkers

This Friday might be the last day for car owners to take advantage of a stimulus program dubbed "cars for clunkers." The program is supposed to do two things - get people to by a new car in this down economy by offering them $3,500 to $4,500 to put down on a new car when they trade in a clunker, and second to get high-mileage vehicles off the roadways.

The program would better be called "Cash for conspicious consumers."

I've been in the market for a new car for about a year now. I keep saying that once I get $5,000 saved up for a down payment, I'm trading in my 1997 Saturn SL2 for something new. But since my current car keeps breaking down, or other financial crises hit, its been hard to get to my savings target.

So when I heard about the federal program I thought it would be a great chance to boost my own down payment savings. That was until my mother checked out the Web site, and clicked on the MPG rating link. A few quick clicks, and it was revealed that my car does not qualify as a clunker. My dad's car, a 1987 Honda, also doesn't qualify. Both vehicles exceed the maximum mpg rating required to trade in a car through the CARS program.

For the heck of it, I checked to see if my first car, a 1987 Nissan Sentra my parents bought for me when it was already 10 years old, might qualify. Even the Sentra came in above the mpg rating required. And I am really sure that car is a clunker since it went where cars go to die more than five years ago.

The only vehicles that qualify for the program are the gas-guzzlers that get less than 18 mpg - or more specifically, SUVS, minivans and trucks.

People like me who bought sensible sedans will just need to keep saving. On the bright side, at least I know my car isn't as a bad a polluter as others.