Consumers who don’t want to see their tax dollars put towards efforts to keep automakers like General Motors afloat may want to take a look at used cars in New Jersey in light of news concerning the source of funding for a new marketing initiative.
The National Taxpayers Union says that a recent report from a Congressional oversight panel finds that GM is unlikely to be able to pay back a $50 billion investment made by the government with public funds earlier this year. In spite of that news, the organization notes that General Motors is still moving forward with a money back guarantee program.
The fine print hasn’t been finalized yet, but GM vice president of marketing Bob Lutz says that in its basic form, the automaker will accept returns of any car that has been on the road for less than two months or driven less than 4,000 miles.
“According to the State of New York Banking Department, a new car loses up to 20 percent of its value the second it drives off a dealer’s lot,” reports the NTU in a statement on the program. “Should taxpayers be footing this bill for GM’s Zipcar-like incentive program?”