Car dealers await clunker rebates

President Barack Obama has signed off on a $2 billion refill to the so-called Cash for Clunkers program, but some area car dealers say they haven’t received rebates from deals done in the first round of the popular program.

“Very few dealers across the state of Ohio have received any reimbursement from the government,” said Steve Chos, executive vice president of the Automotive Dealers Association of Eastern Ohio. “It’s akin to musical chairs. You don’t want to be there without a chair when the music stops.”

Since the $1 billion program began, dealers have submitted more than 184,000 transactions to the tune of $775 million, according to data from the National highway Traffic Safety Administration. Only Michigan and California have requested more dollars than the $37 million that dealers in Ohio requested through Tuesday.

Read more in Saturday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com