Smog Nazis want to buy my SC for $650

[cantdrv55]

Got a letter from the SF Bay Area Air Quality board today asking me to consider selling my '79 SC to them for $650 to help reduce air pollution. OK, so the letter wasn't personalized and they really did not mention the SC by name, but still. The letter did say that if the car is a classic car or otherwise valuable to me, to disregard the offer. I was offended when I read through it the first time but I'm glad they acknowledge that certain old cars have a following. Is California the only state that has smog Nazis?

[Hugh R]

Its actually a cost-effective way of getting the old high mileage gross polluters off the road. You know, the old belchers that smoke down the road and aren't worth rebuilding.

[vinny c]

I feel sleighted, they offered me $500. last year.

Vince

[JMPRO]

The buerocrats can't find a solution to their problem, so in typical buerocratic fashion they throw money at the problem- and its my tax dollars they are throwing.
Jerry

[jtratza]

Its not necessarily your tax dollars. Sometimes companies (like power plant companies) buy sources of emissions to offset their emissions in order to get their state emission permits. They're called offsets and make sense if you accept the premise that the states air is clean enough and doesn't need to get cleaner.

Wish I still had that '75 Datsun wagon. I think I got a lot less than $650 but that was years ago.

[Erakad]

Aha! You have the offer in writing....they can't back out!

[chuckw951]

Don't you want to help save the environment?

[bigrubberjeep]

To think, I sold a 1990 Hyunday Scoop 2 years ago for $500!!!!

It wouldnt pass smog!

ARGH!!!!!! Should have kept it for the additional $150!!! LOL

[markmaunz]

Sent you a PM! Thanks, Mark

[dlearl]

I'll give you $800!

[Jeff Alton]

850

Jeff

[Mrdi]

Wish they'd offer me $650 for my wife
She wont pass smog either.
LOL

[bigrubberjeep]

Originally posted by Mrdi
Wish they'd offer me $650 for my wife
She wont pass smog either.
LOL

This just might be the funnyest thing I have read all year.

Perfect timing to take the title!

:

[Noel]

I would start buying $100 cars and then sell them a dozen at a time.

Originally posted by Mrdi
Wish they'd offer me $650 for my wife
She wont pass smog either.
LOL

Any rust?

[Wil Ferch]

If you go past the obvious Porsche ( or any classic car) emotional issue we share for these cars.....and begin to look at this with an open mind from the "big picture" standpoint...this makes a lot more sense ( as an "approach") than many other gubment programs.

I think Pat Bedard of Car & Driver wrote on this very topic a number of years ago....consider:

-today's smog controlled cars emit less than 10% of the bad stuff ( probably less than 2%) of a pre-emission car. It's much more cost effective to get the "gross polluters" off the road....with as much as a $3000 incentive.....than to mandate that the newer, 98% emission-free cars get a further emissions package to go after a big chunk (of the remaining 2%) they still emit. Overall, this isn't really a bad plan.

Standard forms.....and pigeon-holing everyone into one category...however.....is a bad plan, I agree.

Wil

[jtcmuga]

I believe there's a 1500 dollar tax credit on the purchase of a honda hybrid or any new generation fuel saver of that sort... in CA at least. Both of my roommates bought one last april (two toasters in the driveway, gold and powder blue)... so in may, I bought my 84 coupe

[autobonrun]

How many bad ideas start with good intentions. I can just see a committee sitting around drinking tea, then the light bulb comes on and out pops this brilliant suggestion.

The only reason a reasonable person would sell their car for $650 is if it is worth less than $650. I know of no running classic cars for less than $650, so by definition we're talking about a "beater". If you are driving a beater, you're more than likely not going to run down to the Honda dealership and purchase an emission friendly electric hybrid once you receive the HUGE $650 check. The highest probability is that you buy another red light rusher, pot hole crusher beater for less than $650 that probably pollutes more than the first and pocket the difference. I heard nothing in the plan that would prevent this from happening.

I'm all for reducing pollution, but to do so, some much tougher decisions will be required.

[banjomike]

Originally posted by autobonrun
The highest probability is that you buy another red light rusher, pot hole crusher beater for less than $650 that probably pollutes more than the first and pocket the difference. I heard nothing in the plan that would prevent this from happening.

There is nothing in the plan for preventing this. So what? It still got one smog bealcher off the streets. Next year they'll probably offer that guy $$ for his 'new' junker and get that one off the road too. This doesn't have to do with preventing a particular person from polluting, it has to do with reducing the total number of old cars that are still on the road.

Would you rather they adopt another punitive measure? add another crime to the list? or tack some new fee on something? I think it is a good idea.

finally, smog-nazis? come on! the smog rules are pretty tough here but 'Nazi' is VERY STRONG language. Comparing emissions standards to the slaughter of over 6 million people and starting a world war is a bit much. If you want to compare things in our government to really evil fascist dictatorships there are plenty of good ones like invading and occupying countries based on lies; torture; imprisoning people indefinately without court review, access to counsel, or any bloody due process at all; vote suppression; etc.

Sorry for getting on the high horse like that, but using that term for any small grievance with the government is a big pet peeve of mine.

[gerry100]

As a good citizen you should respond that they should get a PPI before they buy your car - or MRDI's wife