As of Friday Jun 19, 2009 5:00pm, the controversial Cash for Clunkers has just passed Congress and is now heading to President Barack Obama for signature as a piece of legislation meant to help get gas guzzlers off U.S. roads and replace them with new, more efficient vehicles. Many say the act is too lenient and is merely being pushed through as a measure to help get Detroit’s unsold inventory off dealer lots.

Called the “Consumer Assistance Recycle and Save Act of 2009″, or more commonly, “Cash for Clunkers,” the $1 billion program will provide a voucher of up to $4,500 (effectively just knocking that much off the price tag — dealers will get electronic payments from the feds) to help offset the cost of new car purchases or leases over the next five months. The cars that you’re limited to must cost no more than $45,000. So that means I can’t trade in my old 1998 Dodge Caravan (MPG rating of 18) for a 2009 Lotus Elise (MPG rating of 26) because the MSRP is too high ($47,500). However, that awesome new 208HP 2009 Mini Cooper S John Cooper Works (MSRP of $29,200) would not only get me the basic $3,500, but it’s combined cycle of 28 MPG (10 more than my current car) will get me an additional $1,000 for a total of $4,500 off the price of the car! Not a bad deal, in my humble opinion. This rebate also works with other rebates from the manufacturer or hybrid car rebates offered from the Federal Government.

So what is going to happen to all these old cars now that they are off the road? Most will have their engines taken out and destroyed (to ensure these “high polution” drivetrains stay off the road). However, miscellaneous parts like doors, bumpers and other non-drivetrain parts will still be around to make sure those cars that are running can be repairs and made roadworthy.

The House bill would go into effect within 30 days of enactment but it is not retroactive for new purchases made earlier this year. For a more complete description of all the applicable situations, see the chart below:

Passenger Car		Light-Duty Truck		Large Light-Duty Truck (6,000-8,500 lbs.)		Work Truck (8,500-15,000 lbs.)
Minimum fuel economy for new vehicle		22 mpg (EPA combined)		18 mpg (EPA combined)		15 mpg (EPA combined)		Not applicable
$3,500 voucher		Mileage improvement of at least 4 mpg.		Mileage improvement of at least 2 mpg.		Mileage improvement of at least 1 mpg or trade-in of a work truck.		Trade-in must be at least pre-2002.
$4,500 voucher		Mileage improvement of at least 10 mpg.		Mileage improvement of at least 5 mpg.		Mileage improvement of at least 2 mpg.		NA
Source: House Committee on Energy and Commerce

In a few short months, 2009 will be upon us. So, EasyAutoSales.com thought it would be nice to prepare those of you looking to purchase a new car at the beginning of the year with the most fuel efficient vehicles sold in the United States (since fuel efficiency and saving money seems to be American’s primary automotive goals currently). To help come up with our list, The Environmental Protection Agency just released their 2009 EPA Fuel Economy Guide (Click here for the 2008 version). This guide only gives a list of fuel mileage but gas guzzler taxes on cars, annual estimated fuel costs and information about topics like alternative fuel tax credits, biodiesel, ethanol, environmental protection and numerous other helpful topics when you’re looking to buy a car and care about annual fuel costs. Interestingly, cars like the Tesla and the Honda Clarity FCX are in the report, though their ranges are missing, oddly enough. As for regular petrol cars, the top 10 list is as follows:

1. Toyota Prius (Hybrid) 48/45

2. Honda Civic (Hybrid) 40/45

3. Nissan Altima (Hybrid) 35/33

4. Ford Escape / Mazda Tribute / Mercury Mariner FWD (Hybrid) 34/31

5. Smart ForTwo Coupe/ Convertible 33/41

6. Toyota Camry (Hybrid) 33/34

7. Volkswagen Jetta / Sportwagon (manual, diesel) 30/41

8. Volkswagen Jetta / Sportwagon (automatic, diesel) 29/40

9. Toyota Yaris (manual) 29/36

10. Toyota Yaris (automatic) 29/35

With the list above in mind, what car would you take? There’s quite a few Toyotas in there so you know you’ll get super reliable cars there. The Volkswagon’s are amazing highway cars that have dead reliable oil burners. What can we say about the Smart cars, with their quirky looks and super small foot print should get you around the city with ease. With gas pricing coming back down to reasonable levels, gas mileage has become less important that is was when we were all paying $4.00-5.00 a gallon. Check the answer you’d go with?

 Loading ...

Lastly, if you’re looking for a specific class of car (you need that pickup for work or you have a family that needs a 4-door sedan) then check the following list:

Two Seater – Smart Fortwo Coupe / Convertible 33/41

Minicompact – Mini Cooper (manual) 28/37

Subcompact – Toyota Yaris (manual) 29/36

Compact – Honda Civic (Hybrid) 40/45

Midsize – Toyota Prius 48/45

Large – Hyundai Sonata (automatic) 22/32

Small Station Wagon – Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen (manual, diesel) 30/41

Midsize Station Wagon – Kia Rondo (2.4 L engine) 20/27

Sport Utility Vehicle – Ford Escape / Mazda Tribute / Mercury Mariner FWD (Hybrid) 34/31

Minivan – Mazda 5 (manual) 22/28

Small Pickup Truck – Ford Ranger / Mazda B2300 2WD (manual, 2.3 L engine) 21/26

Standard Pickup Truck – Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra 2WD Hybrid (automatic) 21/22

In April 2008 Consumer Reports released a list of the most fuel efficient used cars under $10k. The results were based on real-world fuel-economy tests. The list is as follows:

Most Fuel Efficient Used Cars Under 10K

1. 2000 Honda Insight (manual) / 51
2. 2001-02 Toyota Prius / 41
3. 200-05 Toyota Echo / 38
4. 1998-2002 Chevrolet Prizm / 32
5. 1998 Mazda Protege LX / 32
6. 1998-2000 Toyota Corolla CE/LE / 32/31
7. 1998-2001 Acura Integra LS (manual) / 32
8. 2004-05 Scion xA (manual/automatic / 31/30

We hope you can find what you are looking for here at EasyAutoSales. If not, check back soon. Our new and used car inventory is always growing.