As the price of fuel climbs inexorably higher, and legislation requires manufacturers to increase their average fleet fuel economy to 35 miles per gallon, the price of new cars is also on the rise. To help persuade drivers to junk thier old cars and purchase newer ones, some states are instituting stimulus programs that will help clear the roads of less efficient older cars.
Drivers nowadays are holding onto their vehicles for longer and longer: The average age of passenger cars in 2007 was 9.2 years, and 7.1 years for light trucks, according to a recent report by R. L. Polk. Older vehicles, on the whole, are less efficient than those found in showrooms today and of a few years ago. Texas and California are two states that are sponsoring similar programs that help drivers get their old cars off the road.
"Drive a Clean Machine" is a new $45 million initiative taking place in Texas that offers drivers making a certain income in the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Huston areas, up to $3,500 to retire their old car. The stipulations for the program is that the car must fail an emissions test, be driven to the dealership under its own power, and be atleast ten years old.
California has a similar program that provides drivers $3,000 to purchase a newer vehicle. Texas has retired some 11,000 vehicles so far this year, and California's program helped replace about 16,000 cars last year.
Starting in January of next year, Canada will host a similar push to assit drivers in the for of $300 in cash, and discounts on forms of public transportation if they put their older vehicles to pasture.
+ Detroit News: Drivers paid to retire old cars
