Cash for "clunkers" cost taxpayers almost $3 billion and caused a spurt in auto sales of mostly foreign vehicles. Most dealers are still waiting to get paid by the government. Meanwhile, showroom traffic has plummeted and dealers are worried.
Like many dealers across the country, the dealership in Ypsilanti Township, Mich., west of Detroit, is suffering from a Cash for Clunkers hangover, and Sales Manager Paul Grahl isn't sure when it will end....
"It was good while it lasted," said Phil Warren, sales manager at Toyota Direct in Columbus, Ohio. "Now we're a little bit concerned about what happens next. The program may have just taken a lot of people out of the market."
