But Language Permitting Such Trades Was In the Legislation Almost From the Start The feds have published a detailed list of trade-ins and purchases under the summer's Cash for Clunkers program and some media have picked up on an item we cautioned about before the program became law. It allowed owners of some older pickups and vans to trade them in for new trucks with lower fuel economy. We don't know the details of every one of the 150 or so “worse gas mileage' trades that were made (according to an Associated Press analysis), and some may have been approved in error or even through outright fraud, but they really shouldn't have taken anyone by surprise. Way back in May, the House Energy and Commerce Committee began considering the “Car Allowance Rebate System” or CARS bill with l anguage that clearly approved of those “worse mileage” trades . It specified that owners of pre-2002 work trucks could trade them in and get a $3,500 voucher for new trucks in the same or lighter weight classes, with no requirement for improved fuel economy.
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Clunker Program Allowed Some Truck Trades for Less Efficient Vehicles