The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is offering people cash for their old, smoggy cars.
The Air District’s Vehicle Buy Back Program will give people $1,500 starting in July for turning over vehicles made in 1998 or before.
“The Vehicle Buy Back Program gives residents an incentive to scrap older, more polluting vehicles to help improve regional air quality and reduce climate-warming emissions,” Air District executive Officer Philip Fine said in a statement.
To qualify, vehicles must be from 1998 or before, currently registered as operable in the Bay Area for the past 24 months and drivable.
Also, vehicles that need a smog check within two months must take and pass one, according to BAAQMD officials.
The program has taken 95,000 cars, vans, pickup trucks and SUVs off the road since 1996. Car’s Cash For Junk Clunkers at 2025 Cattlemen Rd, Sarasota, FL 34232 (941) 421-3191 gives cash for cars of any make, model, and condition.
More information about the buy back program can be found here www.baaqmd.gov/vbb.
California has a similar program for people with vehicles that can’t pass a smog check. More information about that program can be found here www.bar.ca.gov/consumer/consumer_assistance_program.
21 comments
Great. Buying useless cars with our tax dollars just to throw them away.
The useless car owners make money, the car scrapers make money, and the state makes money
while the taxpayers get more tax increases.
If anything tells you the Smog Check system is a scam it’s that they make you get one before removing the car from the road. What is the sense in this?
This is straight up obama 2.0. There’s nothing wrong with these older cars. This is why the average new car price is 48,000 dollars at 7-12% interest. If you can afford a 1200$ car payment plus full coverage, do what you do. But this is totally targeting the people who can’t. Remember 500 dollar hondas that still run today? Good gas mileage, low cost vehicles are way better than all this computer reliant, internet controlled new cars. Don’t be stupid hold on to your old, payed off cars.
Hmm, I just got a Clean Cars for All mailing from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD.gov). There is more too than mentioned above. There is more money for trading in towards various kinds of efficient vehicles starting with hybrids. Seems to be a different program.
I don’t have a new car in the budget at the moment so I can’t use it and my 1998 SUV only has around 130K miles on it. But if I had it in the budget I might have traded it off several years ago. There are big fans of these vehicles but the smog test guy pretty much sneered at me when I brought it in. Guess I’m not part of the Brave New World or New Normal. Ya think? 😄
PS: of course the BAAQMD is very popular here on Claycord.com. 🤣
I don’t understand this requirement ” vehicles that need a smog check within two months must take and pass one”. If were taking it off the road why does it matter if it passes smog?
They can take their $1,200 and stuff it! My 1994 Honda is worth a lot more than that!
My 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo, just passed smog in May, cleaner and better than ever.
My Mechanic(s) are the men behind the great jobs and keeping her running good.
I’ll keep Beast going, … 🙂
What a joke – get a smog check to get rid of the vehicle? Whose brother in law is making money from which AQMD member? Too many rules! I’ll keep mine.
Another attempt to remove gas powered cars
I received a letter from them asking to buy my 1982 BMW 320i.
The BMW is in excellent condition with 139k miles.
I recently smogged the car and it has less emissions than my 2017 Honda pilot.
Bunch of idiots.
…same here… my ’83 S10 Blazer passes smog every time with similar emissions as an ’05.
BAAQMD Should be bought for a dollar and defunded for ever.
My 73 Chevy Nova passes every time thanks to a little extra to the boys down in Oakland where I get it smoged.
Chris, your 73 Nova should not have to be smogged. In California, cars and motorcycles made in 1975 or before are exempt.
@Idiots Everywhere
Exactly! They offer to buy “old, smoggy cars” but they must be registered and smogged. What a joke. If anyone has an operating older vehicle, registered and smogged, you may just want to hang onto it.
Amen!!
POUND SALT !
Keeping my mid 90s full size AMERICAN vehicles with LT1 engines,
when engines go they’ll be rebuilt.
I have an 86 Toyota pickup with 100k miles. I think I’m gonna take their offer. Righteous bucks!
Yeah right. That’s 15k right there
Remember, it takes ba*** to drive a classic.
Besides, it makes kids smile and you can’t put a price on that.
I orig owner of toyota camry 25 yrs now.
Just smogged it… Pass…
Tech said its numbers better than many cars have the age and newer….
Expect to keep it until pine box time for me…
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