Japanese Nostalgic Car

We’re still catching up from last week’s SEMA MPMC conference, but one of the important things we learned there was that the recent threat of a national “Cash for Clunkers” program has been defeated. Yay! Thanks to everyone that wrote in protesting this vintage car destroyer of a bill.

However, a new bill is being introduced, which seeks to do the same to cars getting 18mpg or less of any model year. Most of our beloved nostalgics will be safe from this, but we’re reporting it as a service just in case you have some classic Detroit iron in your collection too.

When we told conference goers who we were, we often heard responses like, “Oh, I saw a mint Mazda RX-4 Wagon at the junkyard a few months back!” likely due to these types of laws. Heartbreaking! Some yards take an impact hammer to the engine block to every car that comes in under this program (or some other measure to ensure that the vehicle can never be driven again).

And lastly, we are reminded that even though the national program is defeated (for now), nostalgic-rich states like California and Texas still have active programs going on right now! So please, tell as many people as you can about these laws. But as we all know that money talks, so help us spread the word that an old Datsun or Toyota is something worth saving, something a collector would pay good money for, and not to be tossed aside.

What a way to start off the year. Politicians are at it again. Remember buybacks? These were programs offered by states like California and Texas that paid owners for their old cars. The lawmakers claimed taking these vehicles off the streets would prompt the purchase of newer ones that pollute less and get better mileage. And as for the cars turned over to the state, many of which still had miles left or could have been used as parts to keep other oldies on the road, were simply being crushed!

We’ve been following California’s program since last May and now we are sad to report, as we predicted with similar CA laws, it has gone national. Congress now wants to expand buyback programs by bundling it with an economic stimulus package. Right now, states are not allowed to use federal money for their buyback programs, but this bill, if passed, will give them the authority to do so, and give states without such programs an incentive to start one.

It’s true that modern cars do emit fewer greenhouse gases because of better fuel efficiency and emissions control. But, as we calculated in Issue 2 of JNC magazine, the typical 4-cylinder 70s Japanese import would need to be driven many years to break even with the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by factories in the construction of a new car that the states are encouraging owners to buy. Not surprisingly, auto manufacturers (who don’t make money if you don’t buy new cars) are in full support of these laws.

This issue affects owners of vintage Japanese cars particularly, because the majority of owners do not consider them valuable. The payouts offered by states often seems reasonable to the average non-enthusiast, and this will lead to a lack of parts and project starting points when it comes to nostalgics!

Fortunately, we have SEMA to lobby on behalf of enthusiasts and the automotive aftermarket industry. But it’s vital that you contact the Congressional representatives from your state as well and make your objections known. Reader NSR_S30 has posted a great set of talking points a great set of talking points to make your letter a breeze to write.

Full SEMA press release after the jump. Continue reading →