Cash for Clunkers car list is out

The CARS program may be out of cash, but reports show that the program may have boosted some sales revenue for some hurting car manufactures and dealerships.

The top 10 list of cars that replaced the exchanged clunkers includes:

1. Ford Focus
2. Honda Civic
3. Toyota Corolla
4. Toyota Prius
5. Ford Escape
6. Toyota Camry
7. Dodge Caliber
8. Hyundai Elantra
9. Honda Fit
10. Chevy Cobalt

The White House warned yesterday that the Cash for Clunkers program would likely be gone by Friday if more money is not shoveled into it. The House has approved an extra $2 billion for the program already. Now it is just waiting for Senate approval. Several Senators are saying they will not back the program. Many conservatives see it as another government bailout that will have long-term consequences. Environmentally speaking, the program is doing a lot for the fuel economy of the US as consumers replace gas guzzlers with more efficient cars.

New 'Cash for Clunkers' bill is a lemon

Finally, some members of Congress are speaking out against a no-questions-asked extension of the Cash for Clunkers bill. Now it's up to the U.S. Senate to slow things down and pass a better measure than the U.S. House approved last week. The House decided to pour $2 billion into the program with the same overly attractive -- and taxpayer-costly -- $4,500 reward to motorists trading in an older, low-mileage vehicle. The better decision would be to keep the clunkers program rolling, with less of a benefit -- around $2,000 a vehicle.Of course, some Republicans say they want to kill the whole thing right now, that the original $1 billion invested in the plan was enough money. Yes, it was a large sum. And spending another $2 billion would be yet another expense our grandkids will have to pay off. However, that cost could be be worthwhile -- if Congress changes the rules and puts a more restrictive deal in front of vehicle owners. Many will still come forward to pay for a new car, that will get more mileage and pollute less. Both are good things. But the next stage of "Cash for Clunkers" definitely should not offer excessive amounts of taxpayer dollars to woo people to take those new vehicles off the showroom floors.