State Will Pay Motorists to Dump or Fix Old Cars

A new California program will pay motorists to repair or permanently park their smog-belching clunkers.

Motorists whose vehicles fail their biennial smog tests can get $1,000 if they retire their vehicles by taking them to authorized dismantlers.

The dismantlers “keep the car, give you a check for a thousand bucks and off you go,” spokesman Chris Davis of the California Department of Consumer Affairs said Monday.

Alternately, the program will pay up to $500 to help repair heavily polluting vehicles that fail the smog check.

Low-income motorists--for instance, a family of four with an annual income of $31,543--will pay $20 toward the cost of the repairs. Motorists with higher incomes will pay $100 toward bringing the vehicle into compliance with pollution laws.

If the costs for repairs exceed what is covered by the program, motorists must absorb the balance themselves or seek one-time waivers that allow them two years to bring their vehicles into compliance.

The program was begun to help even motorists who can afford the repairs themselves “to be consumer friendly,” Davis said. “We don’t want the [pollution] program to be too much to bear for the California consumer.”

Motorists interested in either program can call the department toll-free at 1-800-952-5210 for an application.

The budget that took effect Saturday includes $25 million for the repairs and buyback program, plus $22 million a year from an assessment on new vehicles.

The department plans to spend $100 million over the next four years to repair or retire 50,000 vehicles, enough to make a dent in the air pollution problem, Davis said.

The sort of vehicle that is likely to qualify is usually older, damaged or poorly maintained, he said. “It’s probably an old clunker, and those are generally the worst polluters,” he added.

However, all pre-1974 vehicles are exempt from the smog checks and so don’t qualify for the program. The four most recent model years--2000, 1999, 1998 and 1997--also are exempt from the smog tests.

Vehicles with missing or modified emission control equipment, that are not fully operational, are being sold or are being registered with the state for the first time are not eligible for the buyback or repair subsidy programs.