Top 10 TV Cars Worthy Of Cash For Clunkers
Cason Murphy - August 20, 2009
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gave hints Wednesday that "Cash for Clunkers" may be cruising to the scrapheap. The race is on to beat the program's discontinuation, and TV Tango has green-flagged 10 TV clunkers that deserve the incentive. Here are our picks of those small screen rides in need of recycling before the money runs out
| Vehicle Owner | Make/Model | Reason to Trade | New Car | Vanity Plates |
|
Frederick Joseph 'Fred' Flintstone (ABC, 1960) |
20,000 B.C. "Furarri" Dino |
This ped-powered people mover is probably the only car that wouldn't need to be traded, but Fred's recurring bunions and hammer toe would force him to retire his rock-solid ride. |
2010 Toyota Prius Since his friends might put the "fossil" in fossil fuel, it's no surprise that Fred would pick this hyped-up hybrid. Though he just might take out the floor and spend the rest of his cash on a new pair of orthopedic Birkenstocks. |
 |
|
Jed Clampett (CBS, 1962) |
1921 Oldsmobile Roadster jalopy |
Los Angeles' bumper to bumper traffic strained this heap's suspension -- not a surprise since it carries a piano, Elly May's critters and Granny’s rocker in the back. |
2010 Ford F-250 Super Duty Truck If Jethro could make this truck run on Granny's moonshine, the Clampett Clan could leave the oil biz behind and make another fortune in alternative fuels. |
 |
|
Shirley Partridge (ABC, 1970) |
1957 Chevrolet school bus |
With this bulky, smoke-belching bus the Partridges "made war, not love" on the ozone layer. |
2010 Honda Odyssey Minivan With a GPS system to navigate to gigs, this roomy road roller has space aplenty for all of the Partridges and their band equipment (Keith's groupies not included). |
 |
|
Lieutenant Columbo (NBC, 1972) |
1959 gritty gray Peugeot 403 Grande Luxe Cabriolet convertible |
After getting his 23rd fix-it ticket, Columbo would finally be forced to trade in his car despite owning "one of only three" of this '59 version. |
2009 Peugeot 107 Unfortunately, he'd have to use the cash to pay for outrageous import fees. On top of that, he'd have a hard time adjusting to the new-car smell. |
 |
|
Charles Phillip 'Pa' Ingalls (NBC, 1974) |
1869 covered Conestoga wagon |
Out in the Minnesota wild, termites and wood rot would eventually put the Ingalls' family coach out to pasture -- and force Pa to keep up with the Olesons. |
2009 Subaru Outback 2.5i From covered to station, Pa's new wagon would be rugged yet ride smoothly over the treacherous terrain, keeping Half-Pint happy. |
 |
|
Lieutenant Templeton 'Faceman' Peck (NBC, 1983) |
1983 black and metallic gray GMC G-15 Vandura van |
We pity this fool. The interior is ruined from Hannibal's cigar burns, the exterior has bullet holes, and BA ripped out the seats because of his...bad attitude. |
2009 Hummer H3T These former military boys are lucky -- their dream vehicle actually qualifies. Of course, Hannibal just loves it "when a plan comes together" like this. |
 |
|
George Lewis Costanza (NBC, 1990) |
"John" Voight's 1983 wood-paneled LeBaron convertible |
Stuck with this lemon previously owned by a nobody, George would still be looking to buy his new convertible from a famous Jon. |
2008 Toyota Camry Solara Sport Convertible George would ship this car from John Elway AutoNation in Denver, but he wouldn't know that the dealership stopped using Elway's name in 2006. |
 |
|
Eric Albert Forman (FOX, 1998) |
1969 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser |
All of the good memories (and intro sing-alongs) aside, Eric wouldn’t trust the Cruiser after the battery conked out and cost him two Todd Rundgren tix to fix. |
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara Why wouldn't Eric like it? It's sleek, it's red and it's roomy in the trunk -- just like Donna. |
 |
|
Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes (ABC, 2004) |
1972 baby blue 'Dharma' Volkswagen T2a Van |
A decade or two of sitting out in the tropical jungle can take its toll. Not to mention, the VW's exhaust has a nasty habit of kicking out a big plume of black smoke. |
2010 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe Hurley could restock the Dharma fleet and turn that damned island into a paradise, but he'll have to use his lottery winnings to pry these cars away from unhelpful dealers. |
 |
|
Earl Jehosophat Hickey (NBC, 2005) |
1973 red Chevrolet El Camino |
After years of eroding the ecosphere with this gas guzzler, Earl would eventually wise up and put Mother Nature on his list. |
2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid Truck Earl can be eco-friendly while still staying true to his redneck roots with this American-made truck. |
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Then there's David Crabtree from My Mother, The Car -- who is rejoicing at this deal, as he would literally take anything for his trade-in.
Did we grind your gears by missing your favorite sweet TV ride? Well, put your pedal to the metal and speed some comments this way!
**Yes, we realize that NONE of these cars would actually be eligible for the "Cash for Clunkers" program since they were all manufactured more than 25 years ago.
Also contributing: Karen Murphy.
Cason Murphy started in the entertainment business at the age of three when he "picked a rabbit out of his hat" during a tap recital - and hasn't had the good sense to get out yet. When he's not selling his soul to academia at UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television, he is making good use of his DVR.
