Incentive plan saves couple $4,500 on new car w/ Cash for Clunkers info

By Colby Williams

news@joplinglobe.com

Armed with the federal government’s $4,500 voucher, Kenny and Dianne Arbuckle turned their weathered SUV into a 2009 Honda Accord.

The couple own a sod farm about six miles outside Oxford, Miss. The 1995 GMC Suburban that they drove to Joplin to visit their daughter had 150,000 miles on it.

This week’s trip to Joplin was its last, however. After taking advantage of the Car Allowance Rebate System, better known as “cash for clunkers,” the Arbuckles will drive home in a car that gets better than twice the mileage.

“I’m really excited about getting a new car,” Dianne Arbuckle said. “Probably if this hadn’t come out, I wouldn’t have traded right now.”

“I am, too — for the gas mileage part of it,” said Kenny Arbuckle, whose daughter works at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin. “I wasn’t pressed to do it, but I called up here and they had a better deal.”

The Arbuckles began considering a swap about a year ago but found that their Suburban’s trade-in value was not enough to make a deal. Kenny Arbuckle called all around in Mississippi and even checked Web sites in surrounding states. With the deal they found in Joplin and the CARS incentive, the Arbuckles decided that Monday was the right time.

The 2009 Honda Accord, according to the Web site fueleconomy.gov, gets 25 miles per gallon (combined city and highway), more than twice the 12 miles per gallon rated for a 1995 GMC Suburban. That means a round trip from Oxford, Miss., to Joplin, about 680 miles, will cost about $63 in gas now, at $2.30 per gallon, compared with about $130 in the Suburban.

Inundated

The Arbuckles are among millions of car owners wondering if this is the right time to make a trade.

The CARS hot line reports receiving 45,730 calls nationwide over the weekend. The CARS Web site already is approaching 4 million visitors so far. And, the program didn’t officially kick off until Monday.

“We’re all kind of holding our breath and crossing our fingers,” said Steve Miller, sales manager at Roper Kia in Joplin. “We have several deals in waiting right now. They want to make sure the car they have qualifies and the car they’re picking out works for them.

“What we see the most of is the ’90 models with 150,000 to 200,000 miles. Cars that are pretty much used up, those are the ones we are seeing first.”

Roper Kia has had several trade-ins, Miller said Tuesday, including an old Dodge pickup and an older van, neither of which would be worth more than $1,000 to $1,500 without the incentive. Each of the owners in those instances qualified for $4,500.