"I think it did ultimately end up helping," said Gary Weil, the General Sales Manager of Al Packer, Ford/Lincoln/Mercury, in West Palm Beach.
Did it help the automakers? Undoubtedly. The environment however...not so much, according to numbers compiled by Scripps Howard News Service.
Many Americans traded in older gas-guzzlers, for new gas-guzzlers. That wasn't the case here in Palm Beach County.
"You didn't have... people coming out of F-150s and going in to other F-150s, Or coming out of Super-Dutys and going into that class of vehicles," said Weil.
The top 5 trade-ins:
Ford Explorer 2-WD
Ford F-150 2-WD
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Mercury Grand Marquis
Dodge Caravan
The top 5 sold in return:
Toyota Corolla
Honda Civic
Toyota Camry
Hyundai Elantra
Honda CRV 2-WD
"Most of the people were getting into a much more fuel efficient vehicle. And not just because they're economical, there really were very specific requirements on fuel efficiency improvements in order for dealers to be able to make a deal. Which is a good thing. It brought in people that may not have been in the market. This actually moved them forward, and got them thinking about buying, and actually buying a new car," said Weil.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- The government's Cash for Clunkers program has been credited with helping the auto industry stay just ahead of the icy grip of death.
