Stats: 1997 Ford F150 4x4 super cab.

I bought this truck new and paid it off four years later. Unofficially I have over 200k miles on it. Officially I have 194.4k on it (Soon after purchasing the truck I put the max size tire on for the rims but never had the odometer recalibrated...it's off by a 10th of a mile.)

The truck looks okay despite rust having chewed up the bottom of both doors.

I've been trying to fix a stuttering/misfire problem for a month now but just can't seem to track it down.

The shocks need to be replaced.

My spare tire wench rusted out and my spare tire is in the back of my truck.

Last but not certainly least, one of the hinges on the tailgate rusted through. The door won't fully shut now.

My custom exhaust also rusted out. I still have the muffler but the pipes after that are gone.

Things are breaking on this faster than I can fix them. I hate to give up on the old girl but I think I got my money's worth out of it.

Maybe I can get another truck since Obama is handing me back some of mine (and your) tax money.

What sadness!

 

Don't you have to get a car with really good gas mileage to the government deal

 

has to be a new car to i believe

 

has to be a new vehicle with 5 MPG+ better rating for the $3500, or 10 MPG+ for the $4500

 

NOOOBAMA!!!!!

That plan sucks. They are going to try to trick everyone into driving these treehugger cars, and eventually make trucks that way. I sure did get a kick out of what India told Hillary when she went to apologize for us and our gas guzzlers haha. Screw that new car man, I want me a smoker that wilts the leaves on the trees as I drive by... so bad that people behind me cant see where they are driving.

 

http://www.cars.gov/index.php/faq#category-06

lengthy but a good read

 

Gracias Pat. I will forward that to my dad, as we are planning on getting rid of the "******* Wagon" this fall. Trying to talk my mom into an Expedition.

 

if you had a pos and wanted a new truck its worth it but the intent wont work.

plus side of the deal is i found a guy trading in his 2002 for cash for clunkers an hes gonna hook me up with interior pieces and what not since the truck is gonna be destroyed anyway

 

Cash for clunkers is F@#%#@& joke... screw this guy

 

cant be anything newer then an 01 to qualify for the CARS program. But feel free to take his interior

 

maybe, maybe not.
The >2001 rule applies to Category 3 trucks only.
On specification of the Cat 3 trucks is GVWR 8500-10000.

I don't know of any 2002 F-150's with a gvwr that high.

I believe the intent is to make the F-250/F350 etc... the Category 3 vehicles.
I could be wrong though.

 

From what I read trucks in this class are available for tax-payer reimbursement aka CARS.

The new truck in this class needs to get 18+ MPG and the old needs to be at least 16 MPG or less.

Or in other words the new regular truck has to get 18+ MPG and to qualify for $3500 there needs to be a 2 MPG improvement from the old vehicle.

My 97 gets roughly 14mpg if even that.

Now what puzzles me if the vehicle I was looking at claims to be in available for CARS. I couldn't find fuel rating information on it but it must be getting at least 18 MPG which is incredible for that class of vehicle.

This is what I was looking at:

http://www.burdford.com/details.asp?...X14W29FA18856#

 

The worst part of this is that they want to destroy the driveline, motor & transfer case, especially. From what I read a lot of the scrap people don't even want them because usable spare parts are supposed to be intentionally destroyed. That seems semi-environmentally unfriendly to me.

Plus I have a beef with the dealers administering anything. If there's a way to steal $3500 or $4500 from someone many of them will find a way.

 

they only destroy the engine, the trans to wheels, suspension, body and interior all should stay intact as the customer leaves the car and then sent to a salvage yard.

 

And they will. I find it hilarious (as shown in my example) they are taking the $3500 or $4500 off the MSRP!!

WTF? Everyone knows the MSRP is artificially inflated and only a fool negotiates from it.