car dumpster clunkers

Maybe the Senate should hold off on that plan to extend Cash-For-Clunkers, at least until manufacturers and dealers can replenish their stock.

If nothing else, notes WSJ, the program has done wonders in terms of inventory reduction, probably working too well:

Galpin Ford in North Hills, Calif., the country’s largest Ford dealership by sales, is running low on Escape crossovers and Focus compacts, general manager Terry Miller said Tuesday. The Focus is the top-selling model under the clunker program, and the Escape is among the top 10 best-sellers, according to the Transportation Department.

It’s a similar story in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, where a Dodge dealership and a Chrysler-Jeep store owned by David Kelleher are out of Jeep Wranglers and Jeep Patriots, and are nearly out of Dodge Avenger sedans.

"We’ve got an inventory issue," Mr. Kelleher said.

Chrysler’s stocks are tighter than those of most other auto makers because the company shut down all its plants while it reorganized in bankruptcy court in May and part of June, and shipments to its franchises ground to a halt.