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Lies, Damn Lies, & Statistics...

31 08 09 - 22:28 OK, we now all know the story... the Dipsticks from NY & Cali got this high cost bill passed. Yadda, yadda, yadda...

Well 2 weeks ago, the pencil-necks in the DOT PR machine spun the numbers & told the American public that the Cash for Clunkers bill resulted in a BIG improvement in high mileage vehicles being sold. They want us to believe that the majority of Americans ran out to buy brand new "rice burners", (which would've made the Cash for Clunkers Bill a huge Foreign Aid Program). What Bullsh*t!!

Rob Farago @ Edmunds.com re-ran the numbers & validated the DOT list was pure crap-ola. When the numbers were compiled against VOLUME, not mileage, the story was very different.

The crew @ Singlefinger Speed Shop want you to see the REAL numbers for yourself. .
Edmunds: D.O.T.'s Cash for Clunkers Top Ten List Gets It Wrong
By Robert Farago
August 7, 2009

The autoblogosphere is abuzz with debate over the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) list of the top ten Cash for Clunking vehicles. To say the least. Edmunds [via CNN] reports that the DOT counted vehicles EPA-style, tallying differing powertrain or drive wheel combinations separately. For example, the DOT rates a Ford Escape with two wheel-drive as a distinct model from a Ford Escape with all wheel-drive. If you’re Edmunds (or any one else with an ounce of common sense), you combine all the model variants’ sales totals into one stat. And if you do that, you get a horse of a different color. The implication making the rounds: the DOT manipulated the data to hide the fact that a brace of SUVs and pickup trucks made the top ten; the Cash for Clunkers program is supposed to be about saving the environment. Yes, well, high margin pickup trucks offer the best chance of saving the domestics. So, let’s compare the DOT list (as of August 7) with Edumunds’ take . . .

Rank ___ DOT _________ Edmunds
1. Toyota Corolla ______ Ford Escape
2. Ford Focus _________ Ford Focus
3. Honda Civic ________ Jeep Patriot
4. Toyota Prius ________ Dodge Caliber
5. Toyota Camry _______ Ford F-150
6. Hyundai Elantra _____ Honda Civic
7. Ford Escape (FWD) __ Chevrolet Silverado
8. Dodge Caliber _______ Chevrolet Cobalt
9. Honda Fit ___________Toyota Corolla
10. Chevrolet Cobalt ____ Ford Fusion