Obama's Car Allowance Rebate System

The other day, I reminisced about my first car, The Box. Since those days, I’ve moved on to a Honda CRV (lego-man car), which unfortunately got totaled on the way to Vegas. And then into my current vehicle, a Jeep. Go figure – yet another box! While I love the feeling of invincibility I get from driving a tank of a car, I am beginning to see why a smaller more fuel-efficient car would be appropriate for me.

That’s why I was really excited to hear about the new CARS program which was recently initiated by Obama. CARS stands for Car Allowance Rebate System. From July to November of this year, the government will be providing cash credits to people who give up their old gas-guzzling cars. Sounds great, right? Well, kind of. I was bummed to find out that it’s only available to those who want to put the credit toward a NEW vehicle. I know a lot of people, myself included, who would greatly benefit from this program – except, oh wait, they can’t afford a new car! (Even with the $3000 credit!)

Yeah, I think it’s a great way to encourage people to get rid of their SUVs and start driving cars that are less wasteful and harmful to the environment. Unfortunately, it seems like this program is focused more on encouraging people to buy new cars. But I guess overall it’s a step in the right direction, and if it can help the economy and the environment at the same time, sounds ok to me.

Get more info about the CARS program at http://www.cars.gov.

Tags: car allowance rebate system, cars, obama