The numbers are in. The "Cash for Clunkers" program brought in millions of dollars to the Tulsa car market. It also gave those who traded their clunkers great deals on new cars. Car dealers say it made a world of difference in terms of profits this year. Those who took advantage of the program say they are glad they did.
Catherine Johnson bought a car in July. She says, "When we came in it had the atmosphere of excitement. It was like Saturday at Walmart. It was just packed with people." She got $5,500 dollars off when she bought a Toyota. The discount was thanks to a "Cash for Clunkers" rebate of $4,500 dollars and another $1,000 dollar discount from Jim Norton Toyota. She is not alone. In fact, 208 people traded their clunkers into the dealership. It did more "Cash for Clunkers" trade-ins than any other dealership in Tulsa County. Jerry Hoyt, Jim Norton Toyota Sales Director says, "SUV's, pick-up trucks and a lot of older stuff. They were buying Corollas, Camrys and quite a few hybrids too."
It was the same situation just down the road at Don Carlton Honda where 201 people traded their cars in. Sammy Khalaf, GM Don Carlton Honda says, "We did great business considering the kind of year we were having with the down economy. It put us back to what we did last year."
In all, Jim Norton Toyota received $889,000 dollars in rebate money. Don Carlton received more than $857,000. Tulsa County dealerships received more than $8.5 million. Khalaf says, "At this point we got paid for every deal we did." Hoyt adds, "At first it was trial and error with some of the paperwork... our staff did a very good job and got paid on all of them in a timely manner."
It was a much needed way of revving up sales and getting folks like Johnson behind the wheel of more fuel efficient cars. Johnson says, "This is my first brand new car so this is a really big deal for me."
The most popular cars traded in are the following:
1. Ford F-150
2. Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup
3. Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2W
4. Jeep Grand Cherokee
5. Ford Explorer 4WD
6. Ford Explorer 2WD
7. Dodge Caravan/ Grand C
8. GMC Sierra 1500 2WD
9. Lincoln Town Car
10. Chevrolet K1500 Pickup 4W
The most popular cars purchased include the following:
1. Honda Civic
2. Ford F150 Pickup 2WD
3. Ford Focus FWD
4. Toyota Corolla
5. Chevrolet Cobalt
6. Kia Optima
7. Toyota Camry
8. Chevrolet Silverado C15 2
9. Nissan Versa
10. Chevrolet Aveo
